Extreme Teaching

I gather there are these things called extreme sports. And there are people who love to do them, to risk their lives in activities that take them to the razor’s edge between life and death.

What could be more fun?

Obviously?

Anything.

I am not into extreme sports. I cannot imagine heli-skiing (there’s a reason auto-correct changes that word to “hell-skiing”) or climbing the face of El Capitan.

There are undoubtedly teachers who like doing extreme teaching. In fact, I know a few teachers who are great at it: teachers who can handle the most outrageous student behaviors, who are not put off by or afraid of students who are behaving in extremis. These teachers know how to hold students at their worst and turn unbearable physical and emotional experiences and behaviors into learning.

Into healing.

These are amazing teachers.

(I’m going to be interviewing one of these teachers very soon. Look for the interview on my podcast, Teachers’ Lounge with Betsy Burris!)

But I’m guessing most teachers did not sign up for extreme teaching. If you are one of those teachers, I imagine you are feeling deep distress right about now at what you are seeing in your schools or feeling in your communities, things you have never encountered before — or haven’t encountered at the rate you are now. Things like

• vicious fights in the cafeteria

• cutting in the bathroom

• students being led away from school in handcuffs

• teachers getting injured by students

• students going catatonic or blacking out when triggered

• parents threatening to harm school personnel

What to do in the face of extreme teaching?

Obviously?

Get psycho-coaching.

Like Leona did.

Leona is the star of my most recent podcast episode. She found herself doing some extreme teaching when a student threatened to hurt her. Listen to see how she turned a student’s frightening rage into connection and, well,

snotting.

Her story might be able to help you with your own extreme teaching. I hope so, anyway.