Classroom Management: De-Coding the Young Ones of Room 1202

Abstract

In this poetic inquiry I explore the complex relationship between teachers, administrators and students as they build trusting, caring and critically-minded relationships in the classroom. This is important because through its hermeneutic interpretation and poetic representation, the piece speaks back to the prevalence and popularity of instrumental and formulaic solutions that purport to mitigate challenging behaviours in classrooms, particularly in classrooms populated with students from gender, ethnic, ability, and other marginalized groups. This piece deconstructs and interprets what are commonly perceived as individualized “behaviour” problems in classrooms, but are often rooted in much deeper kyriarchal issues of privilege, power and control.