Power struggles in the classroom…ready, set, DISENGAGE. We have all been there, especially me during my first few years teaching. I cringe at the rigid perspective I once clung too. The good news is that there are ways to decrease those classroom power struggles you may be experiencing. Below I’ve listed some ideas on how to avoid or disengage in those power struggles.
1. Offer Controlled Choices
Students who don’t want to give up control, want control. So give them frequent opportunities to feel in control like choosing their seat, choosing their writing utensil, or choosing the next assignment they do. This helps give them control in positive ways for both you and the student.
2. Validate Feelings
There is always a reason behind every behavior. There is a reason behind kids who don’t want to give you control. It’s important to honor this by listening to their concerns or thoughts and validating their feelings. I like to use statements like, “I hear that you are frustrated, how can I help” or “I understand that this made you upset and it’s okay to feel upset”.
3. Reframe Your Words
Instead of repeating the same phrase or set of directions when faced with a power struggle, reframe your words. Whenever faced with a power struggle over something minor such as “first work then play”, I’d simply reframe my words to “right after this we will play” instead of repeating myself.
4. Use Less Words
Repeat after me…saying the same prompt over and over will get you nowhere. Repeating yourself implies that they didn’t hear you. That is definitely not the case in a power struggle. Model what you want done. Use a gestural prompt. Use a visual prompt. Or just wait. There are plenty of other options than repeating yourself. Side note- I am linking this morning work below. It’s my very favorite resource I ever used for morning work!
5. Pick Your Battles
If you’re someone who frequents those power struggles, this tip is probably the most important. If a student wants to bring their little animal figurines to the work table and you don’t want them to, this may be one of those battles to just let go. For the sake of what is getting accomplished, this battle simply isn’t one worth choosing. Picking your battles, is definitely something to consider and think through before encountering power struggles.
The bottom line when it comes to power struggles is that you can’t make anyone do anything but you CAN control yourself. It has taken me years to understand all five of these things but by implementing these, I’ve watched power struggles decrease greatly in my classroom and I hope they do the same for you too.
If you enjoyed reading this, be sure to check out my other special education teacher tips.
Happy teaching!
Sofie
