Having read, shared and listened to many stories over the past year, a toxic school culture is defined as an environment where professionals are not on the same page; do not trust each other and where the performance and mental health of teaching staff has impacted in a negative way.
Signs of a toxic school culture
According to the ASDC (2019), there are 10 signs to look for: No clear sense of purpose. Hostile relations among staff, students, and parents. Emphasis on rules over people or mission. An absence of honest dialogue.
Write your teacher an apology note.
This means no making excuses or putting the blame on someone else. Use proper spelling and grammar. Don't write "Sorry I made U mad. =( " Instead, write "I apologize for disrupting class. It won't happen again."
Confront negativity and hostility head-on and work to redirect negative energies. Protect emergent sources of positive focus and effort. Actively recruit more positive and constructive staff. Vigorously celebrate the positive and the improving sides of the school.
In negative learning environments students may feel uncomfortable, confused, unsupported and afraid to make mistakes. This environment does not force students to “toughen up” or “put in more effort.” Instead, they are likely to judge the course or themselves negatively and become unmotivated or even quit.
“You feel on your own when you've lost someone, and we all need to come together. So I'd say to teachers: cry with the children. If a child sees a teacher crying, that's teaching the child that it's OK to feel sad, it's OK to show it, and it's OK to talk about it.
Comfort the genuinely distressed child.
If you conclude, the student is upset about something and is not crying just to get her way or gain your attention, respond in a soothing manner. Dignify her distress by letting her know it's okay to cry, but also tell her that you want to help her. Ask her why she is upset.
Resist the urge to yell back.
Instead of yelling back, your goal should be to deescalate the situation as much as possible so that the stress that causes you to want to cry goes away. Being cooperative and polite in response to your teacher's yelling is usually a great way to do this.
Common ACEs include physical and sexual violence, verbal abuse, food insecurity, and housing insecurity. Sometimes trauma is school-based. Harassment, bullying, shaming, social isolation, academic failure, restraint and seclusion, and sensory overload can be traumatizing.
Long before covid-19 exacerbated the current mental health crisis among children and teens, studies consistently found that a toxic culture of pressure and measurement in our schools is a key culprit contributing to student stress, anxiety and depression.
A toxic person is anyone whose behavior adds negativity and upset to your life. Many times, people who are toxic are dealing with their own stresses and traumas. To do this, they act in ways that don't present them in the best light and usually upset others along the way.
A student will behave in a respectful manner toward teachers/staff/administrators and other students. Examples of disrespectful behavior are walking away, talking back, refusing to identify self properly, rude behavior, spitting, and challenging authority.
The toxic traits of a toxic person include unsupportive and unpleasant behavior, being manipulative, judgmental, controlling, and self-centered. Such people can be the cause of various negative feelings and emotions that you may be experiencing like depression, anxiousness, worthlessness, and unhappiness.
In other words, most experts today agree that it's okay to let our kids cry. In fact, it's healthy and beneficial to let them do so within our caring presence. Crying is our body's way to release upset feelings.
The reasons behind such tears are varied. The student might have had a hard day at work or school, be experiencing family conflict, a breakup, or even feel sad about the death of a loved one.
Although crying is a perfectly normal human emotion that we all experience sometimes, it can be embarrassing to cry at school. Fortunately, there are a number of tips and tricks that can help you to hide your tears at school if you are having a rough day but don't want anyone else to know about it.
It is definitely normal to have crushes on teachers. It is normal to have crushes on anyone in high school, but when someone stands in front of a classroom, is confident in their teaching, and is passionate about their subject, it is very understandable that they would be admired.
Many of us are living with depression (a mental illness referred to as a mood disorder) and it is more prevalent among education staff than the general population.
Academic stress and its impact on mental health is a well-researched topic. Research shows that academic stress leads to less well-being and an increased likelihood of developing anxiety or depression. Additionally, students who have academic stress tend to do poorly in school.
Toxic positivity demands that we ignore, suppress, or deny negative or critical emotions, and it is often a precursor to manipulation, overwhelm, and even in some cases even abuse. Unfortunately, even the most well-meaning teachers and school leaders can promote toxic positivity.
The following are considered to be examples of unacceptable behaviour: Teasing / unkind behaviour. Disruptive behaviour. Poor attitude / work rate. Failure to do homework.