Control starts with respect. Without respect, you're inviting trouble to come at any angle.
Problems
Security / faculty control
Control in the classroom?
Control in the classroom really depends on the teacher. A reputation is built. Are they respected by the students or not? As a teacher, they must show their authority on day one because students are scoping things out.
Having control over the class prevents trouble from occurring; but most importantly, it prevents students from being disrupted of their learning.
Low student maturity levels were the top reason why I hated high school. I can recall many times when these students would disrupt class with some stupid act. These acts ranged from paper airplanes and dumb questions to yelling outbursts and stealing the television remote to change the volume every minute during a video.
These are old acts that are almost expected to happen in high school. Everyone has a class clown right? Well, there comes a time when that line wears thin, and a teacher needs to put their foot down. Sometimes, it gets to a point where the teacher is just being walked on.
Control in the lunchroom?
Ahh, lunchtime—finally a break from the strict orders of the classroom! Students can eat, get their energy level back up by socializing with their friends, and roam around as they please. With so many kids in a small area at one time, student control is hard to keep up with.
From a survey I conducted, 29% of students said there is no control in the lunchroom. Some teenagers even commented on the dealing of drugs that occur and how students can do whatever they want. From experience, I can say that they're right.
Rules are not strongly enforced. I have witnessed many fights during lunch, and I have been bullied many times as well. The monitors in the lunchroom and hallways do not physically show any authority; if anything, they are intimidated by the students!
- fights
- bullying
- drug dealing
- clicks
- rumors
- the stress of if you can find a seat in the lunchroom
- the peer pressure
—oh yeah…trouble is bound to happen.
I'd like to quote one student in my survey who said “at least they try.”
You're right, but it's just not good enough.
