Police recovered a suicide note allegedly belonging to a Form three girl who died by suicide at Tala Girls Machakos county. The girl blamed the school’s administration for not believing her explanation when she tried explaining to them that she wasn’t involved in the theft she was being accused of. “I explain something, you create your own. I told you guys that I’m not responsible for the lost pencils, but you still believe in your own instincts that I am the one,” the note seen by the Star reads in part.
In her suicide note, she says that the administration didn’t give her a listening ear when she tried to explain that she didn’t steal what she was accused of and now she has no option but to take her life since she doesn’t want to trouble her mom and the school anymore.
It’s common for children to have some problems at school. Some problems are minor for example, missing classes and petty theft. The teacher and student can usually sort these ones out by talking and problem-solving together.
Some problems might be more complicated or long-lasting. When faced with such problems in school, what should teachers do to ensure the case is solved justly and no harm is done to anyone? Here are some tips on solving student problems in schools.
1. Identify the problem
Be clear and specific about what the problem is. A teacher can seek to know, what’s happening, who’s involved, and who’s affected. It’s also helpful to ask your student about the problem. This way you’ll hear about the situation from another person’s point of view.
2. Identify the major concerns
Allow everyone to identify their concerns and state what the problem is. Use sentences like ‘I understand…’, ‘I’m concerned about …’, ‘I need …’, and ‘I want …’. This makes them feel included and let things off their chest.
3. Come up with possible solutions
Work with the teachers to come up with a possible solution to the problem you can. The teacher shouldn’t be quick to judge before listening to both sides. The teacher also has strategies that have worked in the past. It’s very important not to judge ideas at this point. This increases the chances of finding the right solution to your problem.
4. Evaluate the solutions
Once you as the teacher have listed as many ideas on how to solve this case as possible, think about each solution’s advantages, disadvantages and consequences. If a solution has more effects than advantages, cross it off your list. Keep doing this until only the best solutions remain.
When you’re doing this, it’s essential to be realistic. For example, it’s not reasonable to expect a student you are not sure stole an item to forcefully produce it, but it’s reasonable to go and inspect the students belonging to see if you’ll find any item that doesn’t belong to them.
5. Choose one and give it a go
Pick the best idea, or a combination of ideas, to try out.
6. Assess how it went
Consider everyone’s opinions and acknowledge everyone’s efforts when you look at how well the solution has worked:
What has worked well?
What hasn’t worked well?
What could we do differently to help the solution work better?
If the problem still hasn’t been solved, you might need to get others involved to help generate possible solutions. These people might include the student’s parents. It’s a good idea to let the parent know you’d like to talk with them concerning a case involving their child.
Different students react differently to different environments. While some might grasp easily what the sensitivity and inclusion of other students are, some might take a little longer and they have to be considered. Including sensitivity training at an early age, helps shape them and avoid future problems as a child can easily learn compared to an adult.
