Symbiosis

How do you create a situation at a school in which everyone (student, teacher, Education Support Staff, school management and parent) flourishes? How do you create symbiosis between everyone involved in a school? Central to this is an assignment that a teacher hands out if a student does not behave well or does not commit himself well. More about this in point 1.2.

Johan ‘t Hart – August 2, 2024

Symbiosis – the state of two different organisms living in close relationship, each benefitting from such an association” New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, Deluxe Encyclopedic Edition

Now follows the ideal outcome that Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT) strives for. This is followed by a description of how a school can achieve this ideal.

1 Ideal image

1.1 Student – around their words

I get along well with many students in my class. I haven’t noticed students bullying each other yet. The teacher explains everything well. I often get to decide for myself what I do. I do my best and get good results.

1.2 Teacher – around their words

I am happy with my students. They pay close attention, do their best and achieve good results. If necessary, I adress a student about behaviour or commitment.

The ‘Future behaviour letter‘ is central to FFT’s approach. When I ask a student to write such a letter to me, the student describes what happened and how it can be better resolved in the future. The student returns the letter to me at an agreed time. I then discuss the contents of the letter with the student. This assignment is effective for several reasons:

1. It costs the student time.
2. I involves the student in finding a solution.
3. The debriefing will be at a later date. The student and I are than no longer emotional. We want to put the event behind us quickly.
4. I keep the letter and can later remind a student of their intentions written down in the letter.
5. If a student does not hand in the letter to me, a senior member of staff will take over the handing it in for me. Only then, when the situation has been resolved, the student can return to class. This means that the student does not have the opportunity not to write the letter and to disrupt the next lesson (see 1.4).

1.3 Member of the Education Support Staff – around their words

Fewer students roam the school because teachers remove fewer students from class. Students are also more likely to be held accountable for their behaviour.

1.4 Senior member of staff – around their words

If a teacher asks a student to write a ‘Future behaviour letter’ and the student does not hand in the letter in to the teacher, the teacher notifies me. I then walk to the room where the student is currently having lessons and ask the student to write the letter under my supervision at the end of the school day. I than check whether the assignment has been completed satisfactorily.  I than put the letter in the teacher’s mailbox. The student than has permission return to class. All this gives me the following benefits:

1. My contribution to handing in the letter by the student takes me little time.
2. Students do not protest when I ask them to write the letter in my supervision.
3. Thanks to the collaboration with my colleagues, the ‘Future behaviour letter’ is effective and teachers at my school teach undisturbed.
4. Teachers who work with FFT send fewer students out of class. As a result, I now spend less time talking to students about incidents that took place and I have more time for educational tasks.

1.5 Parent – around their words

My child enjoys going to school and achieves good results.

So much for the ideal image of FFT

2 Steps

The steps a school takes to bring this ideal closer:

Step 1

The first step is to discuss a collaboration between teacher and school management in addressing a student’s behaviour and commitment.
This collaboration is crucial and ensures that if a student does not hand in a letter to the teacher, the teacher can count on a senior member of staff to make the student hand in the letter. This collaboration makes the ‘Future behaviour letter’ effective.

Step 2

FFT’s framework is Friendly and Fair. A teacher who will be working with FFT hangs the framework on the wall of the classroom. From that moment on the teacher and students try to be, and to remain, both friendly and fair.

Step 3

Staff, teachers and Education Support Staff agree to show the framework not only in classrooms but also in common areas of the school. Everyone can remind each other to remain friendly and fair.

So much for the three steps.

3 What does FFT mean for teachers

1. Teachers who start working with FFT can effectively remind students of their responsibility for behaviour and commitment.
2. For teachers who previously experienced problems in the field of classroom management, FFT is a relief. There is no need to be angry anymore.

4 What does FFT mean for a school?

In addition to the ideal image mentioned first, teachers and management acquire authority. With FFT it is no longer necessary to enforce authority.

‘It takes a village to raise a child’.

A school can be compared to a village. If teachers, Education Support Staff, school management and parents work together, the school contributes to an inclusive and tolerant society.

If a school has become accustomed to FFT after a number of years, it is expected that the aforementioned ideal image will have come closer. Then there is inclusivity. All students are given the opportunity to qualify and socialize. They also get the opportunity to give a personal interpretation to their education.

5 What effort does FFT require from a school?

1. Teachers and school management adopt a friendly and fair attitude. Students copy their attitude.
2. Teachers and school management ensure that a ‘Future behaviour letter’ is always submitted.

6 Why is a friendly attitude necessary?

A friendly attitude is, in addition to the ‘Letter about future behavior’, an effective means. A teacher can choose to use these effective resources. The effect of a friendly attitude can be compared to adopting a smile.

Strict teachers who do not experience problems with classroom management  are also successful. Qualification is paramount for these teachers. If these teachers are too strict and do not show a friendly attitude, this is at the expense of the educational goals of Socialization and Subjectivation.

7 Kevin Robinson

In the video below, Kevin Robinson shows that we should encourage ‘divergent thinking’ in education. He calls this a ‘paradigm change’ with attention to an individual approach to the student. He warns, among other things, against standardized testing.