Breaking the 'Them and Us' Culture

Posted by Paul Dix on 23 February 2012 | 0 Comments

First published in Education Business Magazine

The British have always had a penchant for using force to win their battles. Now we are engaged in conflict with a generation where force is simply paraffin to the flames. Battles like this are not won in a day. What is needed is more sophisticated than laser guided missiles or the latest set of behaviour management ‘tricks’. We need to break the ‘them and us’ culture between students and teachers that is the cancer of British state education.
 
Legislation on restraint, confiscation, stop-and-search in schools and colleges, CCTV and detention of students are symptoms of social and political desperation, a lack of control even. Teachers are regularly being told to avoid all physical contact with students (yes, all), while on the other hand given training to meet aggression with physical restraint. Many institutions have more security than a small airport. Hawk-eye CCTV cameras, metal detectors, ID swipe cards, a dedicated security team and cavity search booths, ‘Darren you’re next on the arse-o-scope’. (Ok that last one is not true, but watch this space). The children look on and see the adults retreating: it must look as if they have given up. The sad truth is that so many have.
 
We manage the symptoms of an increasingly damaged youth. A sense of shared responsibility and family left some communities a long time ago. A selfish pursuit of ‘stuff’ moved in shortly afterwards. Apart from isolated pockets, we live insular and protected lives with surveys showing that children play closer to their homes that ever before and few know the names of their closest neighbours. Childhood has become an indoor experience. As waves of media paranoia about youth crime erode any sense that the adult world is in control children are falsely protected and medicated with screens. As TV and video games dry the empathy from our children we attempt to replace it with educational programmes led by teachers who are themselves struggling to remain calm.
 
Truly emotionally literate schools are centered around adults who can model emotional patience, overtly and deliberately, every day.  It is not enough to just have good teaching resources or great schemes of work, if you want to improve the behaviour of your students you must first address how the adults behave.  Addressing the way that adults talk to students is at the heart of successful practice. Ineffective training for teachers coupled with well intentioned bolt on programmes leaves us with ‘You!  Sit down, shut up and do your emotional literacy worksheet!’ as an inevitable consequence.
 
The way that we talk to students reflects our values, our professionalism and our humanity.  The way that we practice emotionally and socially literate behaviour supports and protects students, colleagues and our own emotional well-being.
 
To create the conditions for lasting change, the first step is to design a genuinely consultative process. Engaging, empowering and motivating people to support changes in policy and practice needs so much more care than a ‘top down’ management delivers.  Magic bullets that emerge from clandestine management meetings are often shots aimed at the foot.  Children are tempted to subvert the dictatorial teacher, so it goes with teachers who are just told what to do.
 
Institutions that work up policy from successful practice emerge from a period of transition with policy that is tailored to their institution.  Those that install cure all packages find themselves frustrated with unsustainable ideas and inconsistent practice.
 
You can redesign the system, spend a fortune on tracking software, cameras, security gates and gnarled bouncers and make no sustained impact.  Or you could return to the idea of creating true consistency that ripples through the institution.  Consistency that is formed through agreement.  Consistency that protects vulnerable students and vulnerable teachers. Consistency that is in the rituals, rhythm and ethos of the institution.
 
What works to change behaviour is the relentless commitment of the teachers to train together, agree a plan together, stand together and intervene together. To make this consistency palpable in language, environment and classroom practice. To put aside idiosyncrasies and yes, at times, individual teaching styles, and give to the collegiate effort. Try it tomorrow.
 
Agree with all staff that you will tackle one behaviour that has been allowed to slip. Perhaps a behaviour that some have stopped addressing. Commit everyone to tackling this behaviour for the next 30 days. From the Principal to the site staff, teachers and assistants everyone will be dogged in cajoling, reminding and remonstrating with students who try to break the line. Lead everyone to give some effort to the common good. Remind everyone that when we stand together, are consistent and unified change happens, surprisingly quickly.
 
To break the ‘them and us’ culture we don’t need more of the siege mentality but a strategic pursuit of a more consistent, intelligent and caring approach.
 
Paul Dix is Managing Director of Pivotal Education. To find out more about how Pivotal training is transforming schools and colleges go to www.pivotaleducation.com
 
© Paul Dix