LAUGH
Recently, Saturday Night Live aired a sketch in which cast members play a group of teachers who repeat the phrase, “Y’all won!” as a way of explaining that they are waving the white flag at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. It has been liked and shared on Instagram over 200,000 times–probably by teachers. The sketch is hilarious because the stories the “teachers” relay absolutely ring true–it is also deeply, deeply troubling for the same reason.
Y’all Won!: A joke and a reality
Even though the skit makes for a good laugh, the reality of the student behavior crisis is no joke. And make no mistake, the situation many teachers are facing is a crisis. Disrespect, a lack of accountability, apathy, entitlement, and other disruptive and destructive behaviors are making teaching and learning almost impossible. And while behavior issues aren’t the only reason that 86% of American schools struggle to find teachers, there’s no question that they are a contributing factor.
Anyone watching the “Y’all Won” SNL skit who isn’t a teacher might think that the writers are exaggerating for comic effect. In reality, they are only skimming the surface of what many teachers endure every day. Yet, even in the face of a national teacher shortage and numerous articles, videos, and pleas for help from educators, little is being done to effectively change student behavior. Certainly, there’s no easy fix, but we can start by debunking some of the myths that are contributing to the problem.
Myth #1: That’s just the way kids are today.
Being rude, inattentive, and demanding isn’t just the way kids are. It is the way the adults in their lives have conditioned them to be, and it’s what their parents and teachers have tolerated. Kids are rude because we tolerate rudeness. Children are inattentive because their brains have been negatively altered by too much time on the screens that their schools and their families provide for them. And they are demanding because they live in a world that tells them that their own comfort, entertainment, and pleasure are the most important things.
Myth #2: Every misbehavior means a need isn’t being met.
This is one of those gaslighting phrases that teachers hear in professional development. We are told that every time a child acts out in class it’s because he has a need that isn’t being met, and it’s our job (on top of teaching the material, making multiple accommodations, documenting everything, and meeting the needs of every other child in class) to figure out what this kid needs and work to fill that need. Then voila! No more behavior issues.
Sorry, but no, it doesn’t work like that.
Do some kids act out because they are hungry, feel insecure, or are sleep deprived? Sure. But often kids misbehave not because their needs aren’t being met but because their wants aren’t being met. Everyone who was ever a kid knows this. Kids will make a fuss just to get their way. The problem is that, for today’s kids, it works.
Myth #3: It’s all about relationships.
Speaking of gaslighting, teachers are often told that the best way to effect change in student behavior is to develop a good rapport with them. This is possibly one of the most condescending things people say to teachers. Most of us got into teaching because we like kids. We aren’t intentionally neglecting the relational aspect of teaching. We know our jobs are easier and more fun when we have a bond with our students. But strong student/teacher relationships are simply not possible when teachers spend the majority of their time just trying to get kids to sit down and listen.
Myth #4: Keeping kids engaged will cut down on behavior issues.
There may have been a time when that was true. But today’s children have been handed on-demand digital entertainment since before they were old enough to ask for it. We cannot be engaging enough to hold the attention of kids who have a 20-second-TikTok attention span. The key isn’t keeping them engaged. The key is preventing them from becoming un-engageable.
Myth #5: It’s the parents’s fault.
Of course, parents bear the primary responsibility for their children’s attitudes and behaviors. And far too many of them have abdicated their role in teaching their kids things like delayed gratification, work ethic, respect, and accountability. The good news is that many, many parents do still try to teach their children these virtues. The bad news is that kids, as a rule, tend to be followers. And now we’ve reached a tipping point in our classrooms where there are more kids misbehaving than not. This means that even good kids from families that taught them important values are now acting out in class and exhibiting many of the same disruptive behaviors as their peers.
The situation in American classrooms is a dire one, but it’s not hopeless. The first step toward improving student behavior is to stop hiding behind tired excuses and for adults to be willing to teach and enforce the hard lessons. SNL’s “Y’all won” skit might be funny. But in real life, when kids don’t get the guidance and limitations they need, no one wins.
