Peter Benyon

Are teachers to blame for poor student behaviour? This is how the idea goes: all behaviour is communication and poor behaviour is communicating that a need is not being met. A teacher’s job is to figure out what that need is and address it. Therefore, if kids are behaving poorly, the teacher has not done their job. This view is surprisingly prevalent. It is the cause of much shame and the reason why many teachers are reluctant to admit to having behaviour problems in their classrooms. It is convenient for a certain kind of senior leader because it absolves them of any responsibility. It is also completely wrong. ‘All behaviour is communication’ is just a slogan. To the extent it is true—all behaviour potentially communicates some information—it is trivial and meaningless. In the sense in which it is weaponised in schools, it is clearly false. Student behaviour is affected by the teacher, but more by how they set up the classroom and their attention to routines and boundaries than by assessing and meeting individual needs—although there is a place for that. However, behaviour is also affected by home life—what is going on for the kid outside school? It is affected by the human agency of young people—something progressive educators are so keen to highlight in contexts other than behaviour. If you work in a school that blames teachers for poor student behaviour then you have a choice—find an often maladaptive way to cope or leave.

Please read the following statement from the Review Chair, Donna Ockenden.