Teachers must take the lead

In comment columns on online articles about current school problems, the same statements can be found again and again: «Pupils used to have respect for teachers.» - Usually with the demand that «we need to crack down again» or that «parents should educate their children properly again».
This is often based on the misconception that children used to come to school from home practically «fully educated» and only needed to be taught by their teachers.

In the past, teachers used traumatising methods to assert themselves.

That was never the case: As a rule, most teachers ensured that the prevailing rules were adhered to - sometimes using traumatising methods.
If you talk to senior citizens about their own school days, you realise that teachers who were unable or unwilling to enforce the rules also had to struggle with discipline problems in the past. There is talk of nasty pranks - of glue and drawing pins on the teacher's chair, of itching powder attacks and trainers flying forwards.
The much-praised discipline and order were enforced with intimidation and sometimes with naked violence. It is a huge stroke of luck that our children are allowed to go to a school where adults no longer assert themselves in this way.

The children want guidance, clarity and structure

Today, most teachers recognise the importance of a good teacher-student relationship and actively ensure that they are treated with respect. Ela, 9, is one of the children we interviewed for this dossier. She raves about her primary school teacher: «She laughs a lot and helps when children aren't feeling well. She also writes nice things under the exercise book entries. She sings with us before rehearsals: «I can do it, I can do it, I can do it all by myself, I'll definitely, I'll definitely get back on my feet.» That gives me strength.»
Emil, 11, also has reason to be happy: «My teacher is nice and understands everyone! And she has a lot of patience when she explains maths to me. She has a sense of humour and is funny ... and she's fair and just!»

In addition to the desire for relationships , it is also clear from the pupils' statements that they want leadership, clarity and structure: they expect teachers to ensure a calm working environment with clear instructions, respond to disruptive behaviour and ensure safety by taking a stand against bullying.
For example, 11-year-old Cyrill is annoyed when his classmates «annoy the teacher and we don't get anywhere in class. It gets boring! I just think it's stupid». You just need «a good class, rules and a teacher who enforces them - but in a good tone instead of a commanding tone» so that you can feel comfortable at school, says Lucy, 7. 14-year-old Joan has a similar view, for whom a good teacher is «very nice, but when it comes down to it, she remains serious».

Structure is just as relevant for learners as warmth and determination.

Jan's example shows that structure is needed alongside warmth and determination. When asked about his dream school, the 9-year-old replies: «There would be weekly plans where I know exactly what I'm supposed to do.»

«No teacher helped»

There are also repeated statements from children like Laura, 10, who are annoyed that their teachers turn a blind eye to social problems: «When one of the class started calling me a «fat pig», other children joined in and no teacher helped. Only my favourite teacher listens to me and doesn't tell me to sort things like that out with the children myself.»
The older the pupils are, the more frequently the term «respect» appears in their statements. We were amazed at how critically and discerningly many young people scrutinise their teachers. They expect a genuine interest in them as a person: Béryl, 16, describes how he doesn't like teachers who «have no respect and think they always know everything about the pupils, but they know nothing about us». And Jana, 14, answers the question about her perfect school day: «That would be if the teachers were also interested in me as a person and not just in my performance.»

Pupils today see through earlier strategies and see them as ridiculous.

If you want to know what kind of behaviour young people reject in teachers, you will always come across the same descriptions: lack of fairness, prejudice, constant nagging and criticism, embarrassment and insults, condescending remarks, know-it-all attitude and professional incompetence. Many of the strategies that teachers used to use to gain respect are now seen through by pupils and perceived as ridiculous.

Authority should not be asserted through the exercise of power!

This can be seen, for example, in Sophie, 14: «If a teacher wants to be the boss in front of a new class for the very first time, they are doing something fundamentally wrong. During puberty, young people start to question the world and their surroundings. They also want to have something to say, to express and realise their wishes, dreams and ideas. When a teacher behaves like this, young people test how far they can go. She is then like a magnet for provocation, an experimental specimen, so to speak.»
The many voices of the children and young people crystallise into a clear plea for a democratic leadership approach in schools .
They call for a climate in which the teacher appears as a leader, but does not assert their authority by exercising power. Instead, they should negotiate goals together with the class, clearly express their own expectations, but also capture the voices of the pupils and take them seriously. Rules should neither be imposed from the top down nor tacitly assumed.

Learners want to feel that the rules serve a common goal that they can stand behind.

Children and young people want to be involved in the process of establishing rules and to feel that these serve a common goal behind which they can stand. They expect rules such as «we treat each other with respect» or «we are punctual» to apply to the teachers just as much as to them and that such agreements protect everyone: Teachers and learners. This also includes agreements such as «the dignity of each individual is respected».
This implies that the pupils do not ridicule each other, that the children show respect to the teacher and that the teacher does not expose anyone by calling them out unexpectedly or making negative comments in front of the class or calling children to the blackboard who are frightened by this situation.

Democratic leadership at school

A teacher who leads democratically enters into a dialogue with their pupils and discusses the following questions with them time and again:

• In welchen Momenten fühle ich mich wohl in der Schule, wann nicht?
• Was benötige ich von der Lehrper­son und den Mitschülerinnen und Mitschülern, damit ich lernen kann und vorankomme?
• Was darf in der Schule nicht pas­sieren? Was trägt dazu bei, dass ich morgens nicht gerne in die Schule komme?
• Welche Regeln sind wem wichtig und warum?
• Wir haben die Regel «wir achten einander und aufeinander» – wer kann dazu etwas erzählen, das sie/ihn gefreut hat?
• Was hat bei der Gruppenarbeit gut funktioniert? Was nicht? Was ist nötig, damit die Zusammenarbeit noch besser klappt?
• Wie habt ihr die letzten Stunden erlebt? Was fandet ihr besonders spannend? Was nehmt ihr daraus mit? Was hat euch gefehlt?

Four democratic leadership jokers

In this context, the concept of the four democratic leadership jokers, which the teacher and theatre educator Maike Plath describes in her book «Befreit euch!», particularly appeals to us. She developed her teaching concept at a Berlin hotspot school when all her previous methods failed.
The four democratic leadership jokers allow those being led to influence the leadership by providing direct feedback. These are four signalling words that every pupil can say at any time during the lesson to get involved:

• The «Tempo» joker indicates that things are going too slowly and that individual pupils or the class are feeling bored. It can be used, for example, to interrupt a discussion that is getting out of hand if several class members say the signal word «Tempo» to make it clear that they now want to continue with the material.

• The «Clarity» joker reports back to the teacher or a classmate that an explanation or assignment cannot be understood and requires clarification or another explanation. This joker is based on the basic attitude: «Those who lead are responsible for ensuring that everyone understands what the leader wants to convey.»

• The «Veto» joker allows the person being led to refuse an instruction. They may, but do not have to justify this. Saying the signal word «veto» would, for example, allow a pupil not to answer a question or to refuse a request to come to the blackboard to answer a question.

• The «responsibility» joker offers pupils the opportunity to raise an objection if they want to protect someone else and have the feeling that this person is feeling uncomfortable, but cannot defend themselves or bring themselves to «veto».

You may find it difficult to imagine that this type of leadership could work in a public school. In this case, we would like to invite you to think with us about the specific impact this approach would have had on your time at school.
We believe that our classes would not have used these jokers incessantly. But in moments when problems actually arose or injuries occurred, we could have used these signalling words to exert influence. As pupils, we realised that our teachers had to follow the curriculum and that we went to school to learn something. But when a classmate who speaks English badly and has social anxiety stands in front of the class, tearfully gives her presentation in a foreign language and ends up being beaten up in front of everyone, this situation could have been prevented with a «veto» or «responsibility».

This type of leadership requires courage, curiosity and trust in the classroom.

Teachers make themselves vulnerable when they lead in this way. They need courage, curiosity and trust in the class. But it would give the teacher the opportunity to reflect directly on their teaching and take the pupils seriously. The students could reveal what is bothering or hurting them instead of getting back at the teacher. We are convinced that this would benefit everyone.

About the authors:

Talk in the Kulturpark with Fabian Grolimund on the topic: «How does school succeed?»

We still have a few last places available for our «Talk im Kulturpark» with Fabian Grolimund next Monday, 2.9.19, at 19:30 in Zurich.

The topic: How does school succeed?

An evening for parents, teachers and anyone interested in school and learning. Secure your personal ticket! Click here for online ticketing.

More about schools and teachers:

• Highly sensitive pupils? Tips for teachers
  They often place perfectionist demands on themselves and can easily become victims of bullying - this guide helps teachers to deal with highly sensitive children.

• «There is no shortage of teachers»
  Beat W. Zemp presided over the umbrella organisation of Swiss teachers LCH for almost 30 years. He stepped down in July 2019. The educationalist talks about the pressure on teachers and the question of why he ultimately became a teacher and not a conductor.