Classroom Incidents Essay

A classroom incident is an unexpected event that occurs in a classroom causing disturbance or presenting a safety risk. A classroom incident can affect a teacher, a student or all the members of the classroom. There are many critical incidents that have occurred between teachers and students or among students. A critical classroom incident either spoils the student-student relationship or the teacher-student relationship. Past classroom incidents can offer important lessons that can be utilized in adopting the right ways of managing similar incidents in the future (Levin & Nolan, 2010). Incident related to cheating Adam reported his classmate Moses to the class teacher because of his cheating habit. Moses often copied the work of his classmates. Adam also notified the teacher that Moses was cheating in exams. During exams, he would collaborate with other students to exchange exam papers. Moses denied all the allegations. He said that Adam was only afraid of competition. However, it was a fact that Moses cheated in class work and in exams. He was spending most of his time perfecting the art of cheating rather than reading. The teacher was mad at Moses and decided to investigate the problem. However, he was unable to catch Moses or any other student cheating. Ways in which things went well or badly. Many things went the wrong way during the critical cheating incident. The teacher was frustrated by the cheating allegations. His frustration was even more when he couldn’t unearth and stop the cheating. The teacher’s inability to catch Moses and his company could tempt other students to cheat too. Moreover, the fact that some individuals were cheating was a blow to the trust of the students on the school’s examination system. Nevertheless, the same incident had some positive aspects. It is evident that Moses and his group were driven by the urge to achieve better results. They went into cheating in order to have good grades just like the rest of the students. The teacher was also able to establish the cheating problem which needed an urgent solution. Lessons learned from the incident. The cheating problem occurred because the student involved had realized that he had a task to deliver. He had to be successful in school. The teacher’s inability to unearth the root of the cause or to catch the students red handed shows that a different approach should have been applied. Incase of uncertainty, it is wiser not to rush for a solution. Instead, take your time and come up with the best tactic. The teacher should have thought of the benefits and consequences of his solution before going to the ground. May be transforming the cheating behavior would be better than simply deciding to punish the offenders. It can be concluded that cheating is a common incident in many classrooms and that it should be handled with care to avoid the effects of the failure to curb it. Similarly, every other classroom problem should be handled with caution (Walters & Frei 2007). Incident related to Rudeness During an afternoon class, a teacher wanted to check the assignment of Brown, one of his students. Brown responded rudely to the teachers request using inappropriate language. The teacher was frustrated. The other students watched in dismay. Brown was known due to his bad behavior and attitude. He never appreciated the importance of his fellow students and teachers. He felt superior and had a big ego. He always kept showing off. He would disregard warnings from prefects and teachers. Ways in which things went well or badly. The incident was wrong. The teacher felt disrespected by a student. He was mad because of the way Brown responded. Brown’s actions were against the values of the teacher-student relationship. At least the teacher should have been treated with his deserved respect. The rest of the class felt unappreciated. At least, Brown should have shown his uncontrollable ego out of the classroom. The students were also disappointed by Brown’s attitude. They felt rejected and abused. This critical incident had interfered with the right values of the student-student relationship. However, the same incident still has a positive side. The differences between the students were established. Brown had a desire to establish his own status although he followed the wrong route. His ego could be used to show that he had a low-esteem. He hid behind his rudeness and pretence to retain a sense of respect from the rest of the students. Brown’s behavior had a positive message to the other students. Since he avoided the other students, he had no friend. A friend would have helped him with the assignment. Lessons learned from the incident. The student was an attention seeker. He exploded once he got the attention of the entire class. The teacher was wise enough not to react harshly. The situation could have been worse if the teacher had lost his tempers. The class could have been treated to a more dramatic scene. It is important to note that students come from different backgrounds. Different students also have different levels of self esteem. Teachers should try to know the kind of students they are dealing with in order to handle them accordingly. There is a need to engage the students in order to know their grievances. Had the students reported Brown’s behavior in advance, the incident could have been avoided. According to Dixie (2003), counseling is always applicable as a good method to discard bad morals. Brown could have been assisted through counseling. References Dixie, G. (2003). Managing your classroom. London [u. a. ]: Continuum. Levin, J. , & Nolan, J. F. (2010). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model. Boston: Pearson. Walters, J. , & Frei, S. (2007). Managing classroom behavior and discipline. Huntington Beach, CA: Shell Education.