Teachers of English do not only teach a language

In 2008 I started working at New winds school. It was a school that used to accept children who were expelled from other schools where misbehaviour was not accepted. During their formal classes each grade had its Spanish teacher and an educational psychologist working together.
I was assigned 4th grade, they had English classes during the afternoon, from 13.15 to 16.25, from Monday to Thursday. They were 24 students, 12 girls and 12 boys. I really liked the idea of working there as I think that I am not only a teacher who “teaches” them a language but also someone who cares about their integrity, feelings and values. As Lanier (1997) states "Their (teacher´s) job is to counsel students as they grow and mature - helping them integrate their social, emotional, and intellectual growth" (New relationships and Practices, para. 5).
I was warned that it was the worst grade to work with as they had many discipline problems, they were talkative and used to challenge the teachers they had. There were some boys that had serious problems in class, specially one, Mauricio, who used to throw chairs and desks and hit his partners when there was something that annoyed him.
It was hard work. Plan lessons with a project format, which was new for me. The idea was to present the language in a natural context. I had to find the “what for” for every activity I presented. I maintained meetings with my coordinator every week as well as with the Spanish teacher and the educational psychologist every now and then. But as we know, hard- working experiences are fructiferous.
I will never forget the time that Mauricio had one of his many outbursts. His face was red in extreme anger. The headmaster had told him that he would be penalized. He was one of the responsible boys for having done something bad during the break. As usual, I had to leave the classroom with him. I could not stand seeing him that bad. I talked to him, he cried a lot, he was really in pain. I managed to calm him down, offered him a hug and continued with my work in the classroom.
I cannot deny that the episode was not very relevant but I can reassure that his behaviour had changed a lot by the last part of the year. I also know that I was not 100 % responsible for his change but I had contributed to it.
What would happen if, instead of going out with him those many times and showing him that I cared about his feelings, I would have stayed in the class saying “this cannot be tolerated, I do not work for this”? How many times do we hear that phrase? Is it that we only teach English? Or do we really want to work hand in hand with children so they do not feel frustrated?





Footnote: all the names were changed to preserve identity.



References

Lanier J. T, (1997) Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession.
. Michighan State University.
Retrieved October 2011, from http://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher.