Free Gift Included With This Blog!

Now, when I said INCLUDED, I actually meant EXCLUDED. But you got that, right? Of course you did! That’s why, in schools, when we EXCLUDE a child from class and place them in solitary confinement many schools choose to call that room INCLUSION. So obvious, isn’t it? It’s so obvious that I can’t believe anyone would be surprised not to get a free gift with a blog. There is nothing more transparent than describing something with a word that means the antithesis to what it actually is. Just because we give it another name it doesn't change what it actually is. Hence the image above.

I really hate some of the examples of language which are used around punishments. I really dislike some of the behavioural sanctions I have seen in place.

I really could go on about inclusion rooms all day. I could discuss who they benefit; is it the student who has been denied access to education? Certainly not. It does benefit the remainder of the class, theoretically, when a disruptive student is removed. I would, as always suggest that it is an example of ‘stick’ driven education rather than ‘carrot’ lead education. I believe in carrots. I believe that the educational experience should be the prize. When I taught in the mainstream system, I never sent a student to isolation/exclusion/inclusion/room-for-improvement. Not once. Genuinely.

A quick note on one of those terms. Room For Improvement. I was teaching in a school, delivering science lessons to a range of students. The class had completed a test. Some had done well, others not so well. I said to all the students, “There’s always room for improvement!” cheerily. The temperature in the lab dropped and meaningful glances passed between students. I asked them what was wrong and they explained with glances to the ceiling and, as it transpired, to the room directly above my lab. The isolation room was up there and was euphemistically labelled, “The Room For Improvement.” Dear God.

I have never sent a student to isolation, (I know other teachers may not believe me, but it is true) however I did bust a student out of isolation once. We were cooking that day and one of my best students was missing. I asked the class where they were. Isolation came the reply (It was probably called “The Room Butterfly Room For Rebirth” or something but I mentally translated it to isolation). Turns out they were bored by another teacher’s dissection of Keats or failure to challenge them sufficiently in maths. Whatever, it wasn’t for misbehaving in my class whilst surrounded by sharp and pointy objects, fire, and other hazards. So, I sent my TA down to the Room-of-Repentance-And-Morale-Realignment to retrieve my errant student. I got a phone call. After a brief chat, I got my student back. My justification was thus; if a student struggles in one class but excels in another, should they not be allowed to engage? Maybe they won’t end up as a novelist or statistician, but they could end up as a chef! There was the counter argument raised that food and nutrition is a ‘fun’ lesson, therefore I was rewarding them. All my lessons are fun, and I would have done the same if I was missing a student in physics.

If you, like I, follow lots of educators on X/Twitter, you will see that loads of teachers are defending their behaviour systems. They are defending their stance on students going to the toilet and the need to remove disruptive students. They are blaming parents. Some cite that since strict codes of behaviour have been implemented, grades have improved. I will guarantee that the same educational leaders who have implemented strict codes of behaviour have also implemented improved standards of teaching.

One last thing before I let you return to your normal lessons. I have also taught in several PRUs. If you don’t know, Pupil Referral Units are where permanently excluded youngsters end up. They don’t have Rooms-For-Re-Neducation or anything like that. They often have a praise point system whereby students accumulate points for engaging and contributing in lessons and win quite surprisingly extravagant prizes like iPads, pizza parties, and trips to the zoo. However, I still found that the best way to teach in that environment was to be engaging. Maybe I will tell you about my adventures in PRUland another day…