I was utterly disturbed by a recent news bulletin, disclosing the harsh reality facing today’s youth. Their uncontrollable temperaments appear to have reached an all-time high, as a reporter stood before a charred school reduced to rubble and debris; an act meticulously perpetrated by the devious mind of a mid-schooler. The school, located in Itea, a coastal Greek town renowned for its tourism and majestic Aegean views, was burned to a crisp; even more appalling was the fact that school equipment had been vandalized or stolen; rendering the act all the more atrocious.
It has become painfully evident that students’ behaviours are escalating to unprecedented heights. Rage-baiting – the provocation of teachers in class with the ultimate goal of publicly humiliating them – has become a staple content on social media platforms. Many colleagues have been deterred from teaching altogether due to students’ increasingly provocative and uncontrollable stances, showing blatant disregard for both educators and school premises alike.
Thankfully, the extreme act of school arson is not the norm. Behaviour escalation in educational settings, however, certainly is. Provocative attitudes have become more frequent than ever before, with classroom confrontations amongst teachers and students turning into viral sensational material for content creators, degrading the educators’ worth in the eyes of their learners.
Which brings us to the matter of addressing behaviour escalation in the educational setting. Is it actually manageable? Or should we pursue new endeavours in a completely different field of occupation? Fear not, my disgruntled colleagues! No matter how bleak the matter might seem, it is not as dire as one may assume. Let us first examine the causes of today’s rebellious attitudes before alleviating anxieties.
Continue reading “From Rage Bait to Refusal: Behaviour Escalation Beyond Compliance”
Katherine Reilly 