Should Teachers Use Harsh Language to Motivate Students?

[Math Is Hard]

Shame on me for giggling at this.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/kettering-teacher-suspended-for-allegedly-calling-students-names-1221364.html

A letter sent to Togliatti on July 8 from Jim Justice, Kettering City Schools’ director of human resource services, contained specific examples of the some of the comments the district reportedly received from students.

“You demeaned and embarrassed certain students,” Justice wrote, by allegedly calling them “idiots,” “airheads,” and “freaking morons;” telling students to “shut up” and “repeatedly” using profanity directed at students.

“You told a student that nothing smart could ever come out of her mouth, and that nobody likes her anyway,” the letter stated.

 

[Evo]

Sounds like someone gave her a truth potion.

 

[BobG]

When I was in high school, teachers could use mild insults as long as they were used in an educational manner.

My most frustrating experience with this came in Spanish class. If you were foolish enough to just blow off your reading assignment, you could be sure the Spanish teacher was going to insult you in Spanish or tell some joke about you, using some of the words that you would have learned had you done the reading. You knew you were being insulted because the class was laughing, but you didn't even know why because you didn't learn the key words used in the punch line.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

In high school, our football coach, beyond the personal insults, would often threaten to p*ss on a rag and make us suck it dry.

When I started college I was a die-hard Republican. My first political science prof was a raging liberal [in fact he had ridden on the bus with MLK during his famous bus tour]. He and I were constantly getting into heated debates during the lectures, which often ended with him saying that all Republicans are sexually repressed. He really hated that I was his best student.

 

[Astronuc]

When I was in second grade, my teacher got exasperated with a slow student, so she put her hands around his neck, lifted him up off the floor, and banged his head on the blackboard. She felt terrible about losing control in like that, especially in front of the class. I did my best to console her. The kid was slow, and probably had a learning deficit, so I could appreciate her exasperation.

 

[DaveC426913]

The kid was slow, and probably had a learning deficit, so I could appreciate her exasperation.

What?

Her behaviour was criminal at the best of times. To lose it at someone who might have a learning deficit is ... (hm, what's worse than criminal) ... dark hearted.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Our English teacher called us lackadaisical snerds. She was right.

 

[Vanadium 50]

That teacher is sure a big bozo-head!

 

[lisab]

Our English teacher called us lackadaisical snerds. She was right.

All my teachers called us names. Michael, Susan, Jeremy, Peter, Angela...oh, the humanity!

 

[Astronuc]

What?

Her behaviour was criminal at the best of times. To lose it at someone who might have a learning deficit is ... (hm, what's worse than criminal) ... dark hearted.

That was a long time ago. The kid was difficult and I doubt learning deficits were understood back then. He was problem in class, in addition to being a poor student. I could understand why the teacher got upset. She just lost it momentarily. She knew immediately what she did was wrong. And she was a really good teacher.

 

[Proton Soup]

i think it's funny, too. i had a few weird teachers of my own. one smoked in class and told us stories about WWII and other personal antics. at least two crazy spinsters come to mind. and some of the ones that would speak quite frankly to their students probably played more of a mentor role than most people would realize.

 

[Dembadon]

"freaking morons"

 

[206PiruBlood]

Once when returning exams back to the students, one of my math professors provided McDonald's applications to those who failed.

 

[lisab]

Once when returning exams back to the students, one of my math professors provided McDonald's applications to those who failed.

Ouch!

 

[Pengwuino]

My hero!

 

[Evo]

Seriously though, withholding the truth about how dumb these kids are is a disservice to them. I think a blunt, honest appraisal, no matter how harsh it may seem is needed, because when they leave school and go out into the real world, they're going to find out too late that they should have tried harder. Enough with tucking our tails between our legs. We owe it to these kids to tell them they aren't cutting it.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Seriously though, withholding the truth about how dumb these kids are is a disservice to them. I think a blunt, honest appraisal, no matter how harsh it may seem is needed, because when they leave school and go out into the real world, they're going to find out too late that they should have tried harder. Enough with tucking our tails between our legs. We owe it to these kids to tell them they aren't cutting it.

There's a whole delicate psychology to this, though.

I think when a teacher loses it and starts hurling abusive names around they undercut their authority and reduce themselves to the emotional level of a peer of the student, and nothing is easier for a student to classify as "non-instructional" than the abuse of a peer.

 

[flyingpig]

Hold on, teachers making kids cry is okay? But telling the truth isn't?

 

[TylerH]

Wow, that's really bad. Teachers aren't even allowed to call a student out in from of the class at my school. The tell them to go outside (the door), and talk with them there, to avoid public humiliation, I suppose.

I honestly think that's the best way to handle it. Kids need to know when they're no performing sufficiently (if they are capable of doing something about it), but I know nothing would piss me off more than insulting me in front of my friends.

I remember once in my civics class, the teacher yelled "OUTSIDE!" so loud that I jumped, even though I was looking at him, and could tell he was about to yell. He was yelling at a 5th year senior(aka a senior that failed their senior year) that was always really annoying, so I can understand. It was actually pretty funny.

 

[Drakkith]

Seriously though, withholding the truth about how dumb these kids are is a disservice to them. I think a blunt, honest appraisal, no matter how harsh it may seem is needed, because when they leave school and go out into the real world, they're going to find out too late that they should have tried harder. Enough with tucking our tails between our legs. We owe it to these kids to tell them they aren't cutting it.

There is a difference to telling a student that they are doing poorly and telling them that nothing good will ever come out of their mouth. You MUST use tact or you will just turn the situation worse by making the student think they are actually stupid and cannot be anything better. They are just kids after all.

In the Air Force we are taught that whenever you council someone under you, you always explain what they did wrong or why their performance is subpar, what is expected of them, and how to improve. If I bring an Airman in and just yell at him and tell him he is a pile of crap, what good has that done? Usually Not much other than make him feel worse. (I'm not talking about discipline or counciling because they broke a rule, but about their work performance and related issues)

Nowhere in this would I hide the truth.