Strategies of Effective Communication with Students Undergoing a Crisis Situation: Best Practices for Teachers to Utilize in the Classroom

Developing classroom norms and expectations, constantly repeating them to students daily as a reminder, and being consistent with it is one key factor that can help set students up for success from the get-go. However, when it comes to students who may be undergoing a crisis situation in their lives (such as a serious health condition or family-related issues like living in an unsafe or abusive home environment) it gets trickier as there is a lot of grey area in how to properly communicate with the student in a way that will not add even more undue pressure or hinderance upon the student’s life and academic success. However, have no fear! Utilizing the below recommendations is a great place to start. If you have any further questions or comments on this topic, please feel free to leave a comment below.

• Stay calm and collected; Do not yell at him/her.
• Try to avoid calling the student out in front of the whole class if you perceive him/her breaking a classroom rule/expectation as this may embarrass them; Instead ask them to stay after class and speak to them privately about it.
• Pull higher school personnel in ASAP, informing them of the issue.
• Don’t assume negative intent, even if you believe it to be so.
• Be extremely careful and cautious of your tone of voice so that it doesn’t come off as ‘accusatory’. Do not speak in a tone of voice which implies that they are to blame or ‘at fault’ for anything.
  • Otherwise, you may be contributing to them feeling ashamed of themselves on top of other emotional problems which they may already be having difficulty coping with.
  • It’s important to remember that there may already be a great deal of self-blaming going on with the student.
  • Do not make a big deal out of it (better to minimize the issue than vice versa).
• When trying to set or clarify classroom rules or expectations, be as transparent as possible, explaining the reasoning or the “why” behind any “hard no’s” or things you believe they ‘shouldn’t’ be doing.
  • This helps them to see the situation more clearly and objectively rather than perceive you as being unjust, cruel, or believe you are trying to control them.
• Evaluate any biases you yourself may hold which could be impairing your own judgment of their actions or interpretation of their behavior.
  • It’s possible for you to unintentionally magnify the severity of the issue (or their wrongdoing) which could lead to severe negative consequences for the student both at school and with their parents at home.
• Do not use consequences as a punishment tactic.
  • Ex: “You must do this or else ___”.
  • Give warnings before going forward with any harsh consequences.
  • Instead, use rewards/incentives as a technique for motivation.
• Give the student the time and space to be able to reflect back on their behavior and allow them to explain themselves (if they feel the need to) instead of refusing to let them talk or being unwilling to listen to their perspective of the situation.
  • Be patient with them.
  • You may not agree with them, but do not argue with them.
  • Avoid any power play dynamics with them.
  • Be a listening ear; hear them out; they may be trying to subconsciously seek attention through their negative actions (attention they may be needing or not receiving enough of in their lives outside of school).
• Keep in mind that any inappropriate or ineffective communication with you on their end may be due to poor social skills rather than a desire to rebel or disobey instructions.
  • Do not take negative comments made towards you personally.
• Express your genuine concern for their wellbeing, educational progress, and success. Being open about this allows them to be able to understand your positive motivations behind any undesired tasks they have been given.
• Make room for mistakes and provide them with (a) way(s) of rectifying their wrongdoings.
  • Believing they have the opportunity to improve their situation helps them to feel empowered enough to make positive changes.
  • Ex: What are some actions they can take to be ungrounded?
  • If you make it impossible for them to get out of trouble, they will feel trapped, hopeless, and/or powerless to be able to gain your approval back.
• Make it about their actions rather than about them as a person: They DID something “wrong”/”bad” rather than they ARE bad.
  • They need to be able to differentiate the difference between their behavior versus who they are as a person.
  • The goal isn’t to make them feel ashamed as this can lead to the development of low self-esteem. Instead, we’re aiming to encourage constructive behavior that is in their best interest rather than destructive ones.
  • Be intentional with the vocabulary you use regarding their behavior. Do not use language which could potentially cause them to search for flaws within themselves or perceive themselves as flawed in any way.
• Majority consensus does NOT equate to truth or rightness. Therefore, don’t make judgements based on the consensus.
  • Ex: Multiple students in a class can claim that a student broke a rule by doing something inappropriate, but you must avoid jumping to conclusions because that does not automatically make it true.
  • If you do not have clear evidence of the action, you cannot assume that other students are telling the truth – it’s possible for a group of students to “team/gang up” against one student in particular or to distort the truth in a major way.
    • It’s more than likely for other classmates to not speak up against ‘popular consensus’ even if it is false or fabricated in order to try to fit in.
    • Keep in mind that there may be more to the story which has occurred outside of the school grounds between students that you are unaware of.
    • Realize the risks of ending up becoming part of a consensus opinion about someone that is neither right or true.
• Be a resource to the student by providing them with the tools and/or information they need to get the help/support they need.