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14 MAY 2008
NO 1296
What motivates misbehavior
"Sammy talks
incessantly – nonstop! By the fiftieth reminder, I'm ready to stick a
sock down his throat!"
"Out of thirty kids in my class, at least ten are not following
directions or refusing to do things at any given time. As soon as I go
to one corner of the room, a brushfire starts in another."
"Tim is an eight-year-old who has tons of potential and shows bursts of
insight. However, most of the time he uses abusive language, falls out
of chairs, crawls around, leaves the room, won't leave when asked,
wrecks the restroom, and throws wet toilet paper."
"Leandra has a short fuse. She becomes physically abusive very quickly
and has bitten people, thrown objects, hit, scratched, and pushed
people."
"Joy complains about unfair treatment, makes noises, is unable to sit
still, destroys property, steals, lies, and denies."
Students have changed. Experiences such as these have become all too commonplace in our schools. Many teachers become exasperated with politically motivated exhortations for more academic excellence while increasingly feeling burdened with kids dipping out. They are disgusted with comparisons to Japanese and Korean schools which seem always to conclude that kids are doing better there than they are here. Often feeling pressured to cover the material so that scores will rise, many teachers are eager for the technique to use so that disruption to learning will end. There is no such technique! And this is neither Japan nor Korea. Children with behavior problems act out to satisfy their basic human needs, which too often are neglected by fragmented communities and unstable families. Solving discipline problems means doing things with kids that satisfy these basic needs. It means that teachers have no choice but to accommodate the diversity of today's youth. The alternative is business as usual, look for the quick fix, and burn out after a few years on the job. All kids need:
1. To feel and believe they are capable
and successful
2. To know they are cared about by others
3. To realize that they are able to influence people and events
4. To remember and practice helping others through their own generosity
5. Fun and stimulation
When any of these basic needs is unfulfilled, the child will seek other means of gratification. Some will turn to extended family members. Others will turn to friends, while some look to the streets. Gangs can be a powerful influence. So can teachers and schools.
ALLEN MENDLER
Mendler, A. What motivates misbehavior. Readings
in Child and Youth Care for South African Students: 1. Cape
Town. National Association of Child Care Workers. p. 162.
