Introduction
As a substitute teacher I constantly find myself deciphering nonverbal messages from students. I feel that because of all the exposure to student’s nonverbal cues, I’ve become fairly advanced at reading their thoughts. But every now and then, I come by a student who teaches something new. And I learn again and again that students all behave differently for particular reasons.
Gym Class
This past week, I was hired to teach a gym class for an elementary school. As I read over the teacher’s notes, I quickly realized that every student was encouraged to participate and that no one was to sit out.
The morning started off well; a few students, here and there, asked to sit out because their stomach’s hurt, but I was able to convince them to participate. So far I had accomplished the teacher’s instructions and was able to report back of complete class involvement. The afternoon, for the most part, worked in the same fashion. It wasn’t until the late afternoon, that I had trouble with a certain female student.
As she walked in the gym, I noticed she was a little chubbier than her classmates. She didn’t speak much to her fellow classmates and carried a look of timidity on her face. As her class began to stretch, she walked over the steps of the gym and sat down. Not saying a word, I closely watched over her for the next few minutes as her classmates continued stretching. She sat with her hands crossed and pretended that she was listening to music, bobbing her head from side to side.
At first thought I read the girl to be self-conscious of her physical capabilities (because of her size) and that was the reasoning for her actions. I then walked over to her and quietly explained that if she did not participate in warm-up that she would not be allowed to participate in gym at all that day. She didn’t seem too upset by it and shrugged her shoulders.
At second thought, I imagined this had become a common conversation between her and her everyday gym teacher (Hints to the teacher’s instructions). After that, I told her it was her choice: she could either participate or go to the office. She reluctantly got up, stomped toward her classmates and began stretching.
At the end of the day, I went to check out with the front office and told them of this particular student. I figured that because the girl was a little chubbier, she was shy and did not want to participate and therefore decided to put on an act in order to get out of class. The front office attendant informed me that this was very unusual behavior for this child and that she usually is very active with her classmates. I later found out that the night before I taught, her father was arrested. She was upset the entire school day and was merely acting out for attention purposes.
Conclusion- Lesson Learned
I quickly learned from this misinterpretation of nonverbal messaging that every student reacts to change in a different manner and I should never try to assume I know why they act a certain way.
Nonverbal messages can be confusing at times. And I believe it is best to learn from each misinterpretation to better prepare one’s self for the next occurrence.
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