I began my teaching career in 2016, freshly graduated from university. A little boy, Sam’ was brought to my class in the middle of Term 2. He came with a district official and his grandmother, who both told me he was “troublesome.” All children are ‘naughty’ I thought, and as a teacher I thought I had enough tricks up my sleeve to get the learners to work and do what was expected of them.
The district official also informed me that ‘Sam’ witnessed his mother die in a horrific car accident and was later diagnosed with severe depression and ADHD. Time went on and I got to experience some of ‘Sam’s’ bad days. This made me already assume that everything that went wrong in the classroom was ‘Sam’s’ fault, misbehaviour, fights, things missing, you name it and all the learners in the classroom had adopted this too.
It was easy to blame him because he was ‘naughty’. He felt unheard and it began to show because he did not care about anything anymore. ‘Sam’ would intentionally do all those things because he knew that he would be blamed for it all, this made me overlook all his good qualities; he was an excellent learner who performed academically, and he played soccer very well.
I am sharing this short experience with you because, unfortunately, many learners like ‘Sam’ are dismissed and placed in a corner because they are ‘naughty’. They are not given a chance to prove themselves. It may not be academically, but each learner has a unique gift that they are born with. Every learner has something special—whether it’s singing, dancing, drawing, or sports. It is your role as the teacher to help learners realize these talents and help nurture them with the support of their parents.
I hope this story makes you think differently about so-called “troublemakers.” Let’s be more understanding and give these students the grace and space they need to thrive.
By: Rachel Rikhamba
ECE Lecturer