Teachers and staff at Washington High School are beginning to notice the number of students that struggle to keep their attention in class. School may be found boring and dull to some students, and maybe they need something to do or a simple break to refocus and gather anything that may trouble them.
“I think just for some kids in high school,” said Michael Moran, social studies teacher,” it isn’t the correct setting for students with behavioral problems.”
Our solution to this dilemma is a short 5-minute break or some period of time. Now some may say that that is a waste of class time, and that is understandable. Why take time away from a lesson or work time? We suggest that it only be once a day or more if the student qualifies.
“One of the biggest things is to have patience with them,” said Jordan Hill, mathematics teacher, “Being able to have a good relationship.”
While interviewing Hill, he had suggested the idea that the break somehow be integrated into the daily schedule here at Wash. Which, when taken into consideration seems like a plausible idea. When Hill was asked how often he teaches teens with problems keeping their attention, he responded strongly that he does, on a daily basis.
Both Hill and Moran remark that they deal with kids that have behavioral issues, whether they’re professionally diagnosed or not, every day they teach. We think it’s safe to assume that statement applies to all teachers at Wash. In fact some teachers already have their way of resolving the issue, for instance, Moran already does somewhat of a break for his students. Unfortunately, they don’t take that opportunity, Moran had wanted to “incorporate that into [his] classes more.”
So this problem is widespread in this school, whether if it’s as small as dozing off during a lesson or disrupting the class out of boredom, all students react differently. For some, a break may not be enough, but for the majority of the people, it’s just what is needed for the students at Washington High School.
CC image courtesy of メイン会場
Journalism 