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A conflict in the classroom is when two forces clash due to a difference in beliefs, needs or expectations. Conflicts are inevitable because not everyone is going to get along all the time. Teachers can try their best to keep the peace but if something does happen our goal is to get the classroom back to normal as quickly, and safely as possible. A conflict in the classroom is when two forces clash due to a difference in beliefs, needs or expectations. Conflicts are inevitable because not everyone is going to get along all the time. Teachers can try their best to keep the peace but if something does happen our goal is to get the classroom back to normal as quickly, and safely as possible.

In order to avoid conflict it is important to build community within your classroom. Getting to know your students is the best way to build community. Students want to be heard and giving them the opportunity to tell their story is a great way to start. The class will have more respect for each other when they can understand one another. Another way to avoid conflict is by keeping you students busy. If they are engaged in class work they will have less opportunity to argue. Finally, I suggest posting an organized list of procedures that the students can use on their own in order to solve a problem. Attached I have included a photo of a problem solving wheel. The wheel has different choices and way to solve a conflict. Not only should the procedures that you want to use be posted but they should also be taught to the children so they are fully aware of what is expected of them.

If an argument does breakout the best thing a teacher can do is stay calm. Let your students each have a chance to listen and tell what each others issues. After listening you want to repeat what the student said for clarification. It is important to reiterate what you heard in order for the students to feel you are trying to understand their frustration. The worst thing a teacher can do is ignore issues that are happening within the classroom. Addressing the problem when it first happens will help stop the issue from growing. If you are having trouble coming up with a solution it is best to consult with colleagues. Use the resources that your school offers and follow procedure. One suggestion is Role Playing because students learn empathy by putting themselves in other peoples shoes. Have the students swap places and think about how the other person might be feeling.

Not only do the children bicker among themselves but altercations between students and teacher are also possible. In these situations it is important to not take what the students say personally because they are most likely acting out of anger. A good way to deal with a student who is upset about a test score is by recognizing their pain. For example, “I know you are upset about your test score but remember it is only one small part of your grade.” This way the child feels they have been heard while also de-escalating the issue.

If the dispute becomes physical you need to be assertive when breaking it up. While you stay as calm as possible let the children cool off before having a discussion. Offer to let the students speak in a private space so they do not feel judged. Maintain eye contact with the students. Once discussion starts avoid disagreement, but build on what was said. A good tip to remember is not to raise your voice, but instead your eyebrows. 

I was previously a home school teacher for two kids, ages nine and eleven. I absolutely loved teaching them. It was this specific job that confirmed for me that I did actually want to make teaching my career. Being a home school teacher gave me the flexibility to teach the kids their content at whatever pace was the most beneficial to them. We could hustle through all of our work for the day for a few hours or we could work nice and slow throughout the day with breaks in between just as is implemented in public schools. I was able to schedule the students academic work at different times as their personal growth tasks in order to be able to work with them one on one for most of their academic work. While Alexis worked on her piano recital, I could work with Zach in the areas he struggled in such as Latin. Similarly, while Alexis and I focused on her big presentation on George Washington, Zach could practice his basketball drills.

While this job gave me a lot of freedom and confidence in my abilities as a teacher, it tossed me in the deep end in terms of personal boundaries with the children. I spent upwards of seven or eight hours with these two kids four days a week. On the fifth day, they went to their charter school to get their assignments and present their work to their peers. On this day, I also volunteered in their classes in order to help the short staffed tutors. I spent the majority of our time together in their home. It began to become apparent to me that I was confused about the boundaries between being their teacher and being their friend. While it did work in my benefit that they enjoyed spending time with me, it made it difficult to discern where the personal boundaries should be. Should they have known so much about me and my personal life apart from them? Should be allowed to know where Zach hides his cookies from his parents? Should I know that Alexis feeds rabbits in the barn on their family’s property?

Before I had the time to figure this out, one of the tutors at the school saw Zach hug me goodbye as he was running to his classroom’s presentations on the plant cycle. She came up to me and scolded me for how inappropriate it was and that she would be calling the kids’ mother immediately. I remember being so shocked and confused. If he was comfortable hugging me and I was comfortable with it as well what was the big deal? But as I thought back to my experiences in a traditional public school setting I realized I had never hugged any of my teachers or knew such personal information about them. I made it a point to educate myself on proper boundaries between teachers and students and did my best to consult them as I continued as their teacher. I was honest with both kids and their parents that I had been scolded for crossing boundaries and that even though they thought it was perfectly appropriate, I wanted to conform to a more traditional teacher-student relationship.

Teacher-student relationships are very hard to navigate. I am eternally grateful for how much I learned from being a home-school teacher and am excited to contribute what I learned into a more traditional school setting.

Asher
My challenge occurred while subbing for a 5th grade science class. I was asked by the permanent teacher to work with the kids on a cohesion lab for the 4th-6th grade classes. The day began well. I gave a short lecture on bonding and cohesion in water droplets and did a demonstration of the lab the kids would do. The kids were receptive and relatively well behaved (only a few kids needed to be prodded to not goof off). They completed their experiments, recorded their results in their lab notebooks, answered the assigned questions about the lab, and, when the bell rang, returned to their homerooms. I was feeling good about the execution of the lab and class management.
However, after lunch, I stood at the door of the science classroom waiting for the next class. It was a 5th grade class and the permanent teacher had told me that morning that the class was very well behaved and would cause no problems. As I stood there, I saw a line of students walking towards me. They appeared like the other classes. However, as they got closer, and I could distinguish their faces, one student stood out. It was a student on the shorter end of the 5th grade spectrum of heights, but what caught my attention was that this student was wearing make-up. The student looked as if the student was made up for a performance of Cats. The student was wearing eyeshadow and blush that was immaculately applied. And, I thought to myself, “Why would a 5th grade girl get all made up like that?” Anyways, as I welcomed them into class and they entered, I got a closer look at the student and my spider senses started to tingle. The student that I had assumed was a girl did not seem like a girl. Perhaps, it was the way the student carried his or herself. Then I thought about all the news on transgender students and became worried. My understanding on the issue was that I needed to be very careful how I addressed or referred to the student during the class.
I began class as before, but in the back of my mind, I kept thinking of the student. During a question and answer portion of the lecture, I called on the student and was informed that the student’s name was “Asher,” which did not help me out in trying to determine how Asher wanted to be referred to. So, I worried even more that I would refer to Asher in an inappropriate pronoun.
During, the lecture, the class got on a good roll and was engaging on the topic and I was getting so caught up in the discourse that I let my guard down. I referred to a point that Asher had made earlier by referring to Asher as “he.” My heart stopped. And I looked to Asher and Asher just started at me. I mumbled an apology and then corrected myself by saying, “I mean what Asher said.” I felt so ashamed.
After a successful class, I dismissed the students and I plopped down into the teacher’s chair. I felt so bad about what I had done. I felt like a failure. I tried so hard to be sensitive to Asher’s situation. Fortunately, at that time, I had a break and I replayed the situation in my mind over and over. But, the funny thing was that when I looked to Asher’s face, I saw no emotion. Perhaps, Asher was used to the mix up. And, then I thought I might have misinterpreted the situation. Maybe, Asher did not identify as a girl and was made up because he had a performance in a musical after school. Then I thought of how difficult it was today for teachers to have to navigate simple language such as pronouns.
After work, I went home and did some research on gender neutral pronouns. This is what I found:

Source: https://www.uwrf.edu/Inclusivity/Resources/genderpronouns.cfm
This worried me even more. How could I possibly remember all these?
Independent of my personal beliefs on homosexuality and transgender issues, it is critical to me to create a classroom environment where all students can feel safe. But, it seems we have created so much complexity in the classroom dynamic that it is so very daunting to be able to do so.

Having a classroom that includes every single student as well as accommodating to their learning styles can be a difficult task. However, it is not impossible to create an inclusive classroom setting. Challenges such as lack of participation, encouragement, engagement can result in an negative classroom space. It is important to create a positive and inclusive setting. There are many ways to create a safe space for all students however it will take time and effort.    It may take a few additional steps but ultimately it will make everyone comfortable.

Some steps to determine what type of students are in the classroom.

Step 1: Get to know the student

Step 2: Take a quick assessment

Step 3:  Figure out each students learning styles

Step 4: Make groups of all the types of learning styles in the classroom

Step 5: Create lesson plan and activities accordingly

Step 6: Adjust lesson plans as needed

Some examples to consider when assessing students is to acknowledge how they learn. There are visual, auditory, linguistic, kinesthetic learners and more.  Once you have determined the type of learners in the class you can group them up and create a lesson plan that caters to their needs. Having premade lesson plans which include learning styles is a great way to include everyone. This way all the students are engaged.

Some students need to be challenged while others may need extra attention. Using a buddy system with two different types of learners during an activity can help both of them out. Using one other strengths will allow for more in class participation and opens up new opportunities.

Including pictures, music, hands-on activities are simple ways to engage all students. Students spend majority of their days in school and it can be difficult to hold each students attention for long periods of time. Student seating can also be a classroom struggle. Students have energy and a great way to get them to be part of the class is by having interactive activities. Whether it’s playing a learning game or having and activity station. Breaking up a lesson by including them can help a ton. Once you have tried an activity you can survey your students. If they enjoyed the activity then it should be incorporated in other lessons. If the students did not enjoy it, we must ask why and learn from that, and maybe skip that activity in the future. As teaches we are also learning from our own students..

There are many ways to help kids in the classroom. It may take some extra time however it is helpful for both the student and the teachers. It can be challenging but there are many resources that can be accessed. Every student is different and finding something that is effective in the classroom may take time. Trial and error is a bigtime classroom challenge, learning from other teachers can also be a great tool.

Overall to be an effective teacher we need to get to know our students and their needs. Adapting and creating curriculum that appeals and is effective to various learning styles is important. Students should be constantly learning and growing.