An environment that is attuned to students' needs and claims the students is the only environment that allows students to relax enough to let go of old defensive behaviors and feel safe enough to try new behaviors. A number of rules and structures need to be in place in order to create a claiming milieu.
Safety is the first and foremost need of all students. Students can't acquire knowledge or develop as people if they are preoccupied with concerns about their safety. Many students with behavioral or emotional problems have lived in situations where their physical and emotional safety needs have not been met. They have been witnesses to, or victims of, physical and/or emotional abuse. This leaves them feeling vulnerable, and hypersensitive to safety issues.
Creating an environment where students trust that they are safe means enforcing strict limits or rules around any behaviors that could make them feel unsafe. These behaviors include verbal threats, menacing or aggressive gestures (even if made in a joking manner), throwing an object in someone's direction, pushing furniture, horseplay that invades body space, sexual gestures and any physical aggression. We think students need to know that these behaviors are not acceptable or negotiable in your classroom.
Safety includes creating clear boundaries regarding body space. It is a good idea for students to stay at arm's length from one another, unless they've asked for and received permission to be closer. An overall rule should be, "Whenever you wonder whether a safety line has been crossed, assume it has!" It can't be overstated that creating a safe classroom is the single most important thing that can be done to ensure a claiming environment.
Our students may complain that we are too strict or are overreacting. However, it has been proven repeatedly that students come to value having a safe classroom. Over time they understand that they can relax and let down their guard, because everyone's safety is going to be honored and protected. Eliminating ridicule will also help students feel claimed and promote safety. Ridicule can be quite subtle and seem rather harmless. Many of us have "kidded" a student or tried to get his attention with seemingly harmless comments. Everyone laughs, perhaps even the student, but he will likely feel the sting of our comment for days.
Every time a teacher makes a sarcastic or ridiculing comment to a student, a victim is created. The student can't make a comment back without risking further consequences. The teacher's comment may be made out of frustration or annoyance, or just to be funny. The intent is not to wound the student, but it is important to recognize that this is in fact what happens. It is also imperative not to allow students to ridicule each other. You must insist on an atmosphere of mutual respect. Students won't risk asking questions or volunteering answers if they are concerned that others will make fun of them. This is especially true of students who have a damaged or fragile sense of self-esteem.
We can be attuned to students in a variety of ways. Some of these you may take for granted. Here are just a few examples of being attunement to our students and taking steps to show they are being claimed:
The pace at which you speak is also a part of being attuned. A pace that is perfectly fine for most students may be too fast for students whose emotional stress makes focusing difficult, or for students with auditory processing problems. Presenting material in multi-sensory ways to accommodate differing learning styles is another example of attunement. All efforts you make to understand and accommodate students are examples of attunement.
Like safety, consistency is crucial in creating a claiming environment. Many children come from inconsistent homes. A behavior that is rewarded on one day may be punished the next. Rules come and go with the parent's mood. The children may be shown affection or abuse without being able to predict what is coming, or when.
Students can't relax and learn in a classroom where the rules and boundaries keep changing. Your expectations and rules need to be clear and consistently enforced. Your students need to be able to rely on the fact that you will remain neutral in your tone and approach regardless of their provoking behavior.
Consistency does not conflict with adjusting a student's program or other ideas presented on fairness. Our expectations should stay consistent, but adjustments can always be made to students' programs so they can meet the expectations. Students must know that if they break rules there will be consequences. The consequences you assign can be tailored to the specific student's needs.