The challenges facing schools are enormous. So enormous, in fact, that those involved can hardly keep track of them all. Many teachers are under more pressure than they can bear because their classes are filled with numerous behavioural problems and disorders. And the trend is rising.
I have been teaching secondary school classes for 25 years. Believe me, even in rural Emmental, I have seen quite a lot: children diagnosed with ADHD or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), children who notoriously disrupt lessons, and those who are really cheeky.
Much of the content taught is completely meaningless and useless to pupils.
Pupils who behave disrespectfully towards teachers and classmates and show no care for school materials. Those who ignore their homework and forget everything else that is assigned by the school. Depression, suicidal tendencies, aggression, truancy... the whole package.
In my current class, surprisingly, almost two-thirds of the pupils described themselves as having behavioural problems in a survey. Why are there so many behavioural problems that sometimes make learning almost impossible? Who are these children and how can the current situation be counteracted within the existing school system?
We won't have any more children
The situation has been the subject of heated debate in schools, politics and the media for years, without any changes being made that would bring about a lasting improvement or easing of the situation.
One thing is clear: if the main task of teachers at school is to manage behavioural problems and disruptive behaviour, this regularly pushes them to the limits of their capacity and beyond.
But whether we like it or not, we won't be getting any other children. We teachers, head teachers and education authorities have to work with the pupils who come into our classrooms every day. In my opinion, this means that if we don't change our attitude to learning and education, we will lose the children.
Three jumping jacks and four squats at the beginning of a lesson are not enough.
We should freely admit that learning in lockstep and in cramped classrooms is not ideal for many children. The fundamental question is: where could we adapt learning to children's natural rhythms? Where could we enable growth through realistic tasks, thereby removing the breeding ground for much of the disruptive behaviour?
I have dealt with these and other questions intensively. Years ago, I began to expand my teaching step by step and rethink school. In doing so, I became much happier and came to the following three conclusions:
1. Much more exercise
When we stand at a paddock, we enjoy watching the foals galloping wildly around. When children do the same, they are assessed, given a diagnosis and, not infrequently, prescribed medication to calm them down. Don't get me wrong: diagnoses are necessary so that additional support can be provided in challenging situations.
And yes, sometimes medication can help to bridge an unbearable situation. Regardless of this, we all know that exercise is a must and not an option. It is in the nature of children to want to move around as often as possible, but they are rarely able to do so.
If the content is meaningful to people, true learning miracles can happen.
There are many well-intentioned approaches, such as the active school. However, three jumping jacks and four squats at the beginning of a lesson are not enough. Why not take advantage of the fact that in Switzerland, local recreation areas, playgrounds and forests are often within walking distance of school buildings?
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, I have been taking my class outside almost every day. Many lessons can be taught outdoors: creating mind maps, mental arithmetic or simply processing what was previously discussed in the classroom. This gives teachers the opportunity to have short conversations with individual pupils, which is beneficial for everyone. In my class, this simple measure has enabled some pupils to stop taking their sedatives.
2. Content with meaning
Let's be honest: much of the content taught is completely meaningless and useless to students. Studies have shown that young adults forget over 80 per cent of what they learned in school just two years after leaving school. On the one hand, this is a shocking fact, but on the other hand, it means 80 per cent freedom for us teachers.
As a result, I am increasingly relaxed when I am unable to get through the school material. In addition, for some time now, I have been allowing personal learning projects several times a year. These are low-threshold and are not assessed. During 10 to 15 lessons per week and over a period of several weeks, the pupils work on a project of their own choosing.
It requires a relationship that gives everyone involved the feeling that «I am totally okay».
The process and the results never cease to amaze me. There is knitting, crafting, designing and cooking. Furniture is restored, mopeds are repaired, foreign languages are learned and much more. Learning projects bring a wonderful change to everyday school life and, with parental consent, can even be carried out outside of school.
I am even more enthusiastic when parents, grandparents, neighbours or whoever else suddenly get involved in the projects. Very often, the young people are fully committed, persistent and precise in their work, take responsibility, don't forget anything and work on their projects far beyond the required time. If the content is meaningful to people, true learning miracles can happen and no external motivation is needed.
3. Much more relationship work
The well-known German brain researcher Gerald Hüther puts it this way: «Love is an unconditional interest in the development potential of one's counterpart!» Unfortunately, the relationship between pupils and teachers is often extremely conflictual.
All too often, we teachers want to educate and mould young people, criticising them endlessly in the process. And what happens as a result? Young people switch off, stop listening to us and become almost impossible to reach. Adults, for their part, are left feeling frustrated.
But what is needed is a trusting and sustainable relationship. A relationship that gives everyone involved the feeling that «I am totally okay». That is why I have been investing enormously in relationship building for years. Disruptions almost always take priority, conflicts are resolved. Conflicts among the young people as well as those between me and them. It's extremely worthwhile. Often, all it takes is a description of how a situation or conflict was perceived.
School out of the box
We teachers have the task of creating a framework that goes beyond mutual recriminations. This requires me to spend a lot of time with the class. In many upper secondary schools, the subject teacher system with numerous teachers in one class has become the norm. However, as a class teacher, I spend 20 lessons or more with my class every week, which gives me a lot of leeway.
How about if school increasingly became an experience, enabling a wide range of experiences, and if growing through natural and real tasks became the norm? Wouldn't we experience far fewer disruptions?
I can only encourage teachers and parents to explore unpleasant feelings and venture down new paths in education.
In my book «Begeisterung 11 von 10» (Enthusiasm 11 out of 10), I have listed many suggestions for possible changes. These are mostly spontaneous ideas that came to me while working with children. Implementing these ideas has greatly enriched my everyday school life and allowed me to steer even extremely challenging classroom situations in a direction that was beneficial for everyone. It is not about the specific method, but rather the attitude behind it.
Many teachers and parents would like to see change and feel that something is no longer quite right in schools. I can only recommend that we address these uneasy feelings and encourage everyone to venture down new paths in education and upbringing. Once we take a successful leap of faith, attitudes change and suddenly there are new prospects again!
