Last Friday, I decided to stay in my room during lunch time because I had to check on my emails, download something from the web, and update my test items for the upcoming midterm examinations. I forgot to lock the door and so came my students who had just taken their lunch at the school canteen. They asked if they could stay inside, rest awhile and read their notes. How could I refuse?

While I was doing my work with my computer, I could not help but get drawn by some of their conversations. I heard the usual topics like boys, girls, sports, homework, teachers, and student life in general; but I also heard some disrespectful comments made by one student to another. Generally these are not wounding comments that will disfigure an individual for life, but they are offensive, disrespectful, sarcastic, and basically inappropriate comments for anyone to make to another. So I stopped awhile with my work, went to the group and started talking to them, and gradually drilled on the comments made. I asked a lot of questions, mostly on details, and they responded well. But maybe they realized I was disturbed by the comments made that they began being too careful with their verbal responses. I did not finish what I had to do then, but we had such an in-depth discussion and some soul searching that the bell rang for us to stop and attend to our classes. When they left the room, I began pondering upon my real role as a teacher and the number of times I have ignored or even contributed to such verbal abuses.
Our job as teachers is not only to provide the opportunity and information to learn--it is also our job to provide a safe and constructive school and learning environment for our students. The majority of us are swift to stop utter aggressive behavior or violent talk, but far too often the more mild disrespectful and sarcastic comments are allowed to go unchallenged.

As behavioral role models to our students, if we allow or ignore disrespectful comments between students, regardless of how mild, we are sending the message that these types of comments are acceptable. Our ignoring or refraining from commenting upon these comments actually reinforces this behavior, increasing the likelihood that such comments will continue to be made. As teachers, we can't control what happens in a student's life at home, at work, or even in the hallway--but we can control what happens in our classrooms.

As educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that all students are treated with basic respect while in our classroom and in our presence. A classroom is a "theatrical stage" that must be designed in advance to make students feel comfortable with their instructor, peers, and environment. How we structure our classrooms and what types of behaviors and conversations we allow has a significant impact on the perceived safety of our classroom. Keep in mind that safety and trust are determined individually by each student in the classroom. Although we may believe our classrooms are safe and each student feels he/she can take risks in the academic and social environment, this may not be the case. Our students may be physically safe, but if basic respect is not mandated in our classrooms, then many of our students will feel emotionally unsafe, which will negatively impact social and academic growth.

As students come into the classroom, they bring with them years of experiences and issues from the outside world. They have interacted with each other on many levels outside of school. Along with these outside interactions come deep-seated feelings about certain classmates. Regardless of whether these feelings are warranted, it is unlikely that we can change them. What we can change are the behaviors our students exhibit in response to those feelings. Basic respect should be a bottom-line requirement for all individuals, adults and students alike, who enter our classroom. Students do not have to like everyone in the class, but they should be required to give basic respect to everyone.

Classroom discussion about the rules and formal procedures that will be followed for the whole duration of the school year should be undertaken. Many of the classroom rules and rituals should be developed by and in cooperation with the students so there is a feeling of ownership, but not all rules should be negotiable. Classroom safety and basic respect should not be negotiated, and it should be made very clear that violation of these two bottom-line rules will not be tolerated. Students need to know that rude, sarcastic, threatening, mean-spirited, or negative comments, whether said in jest or not, will be met with consequences.

Today’s media expose many students to learn to use sarcasm as a form of communication and humor. Sarcastic humor is one of the most sophisticated forms of humor and most students and adults do have the social and emotional skills to use this form of humor correctly. Many individuals use sarcastic humor to veil threats, belittle others, point out flaws, or improve their position in a social group, all under the guise of humor. To allow such “humor” in our classroom sets a dangerous precedent. It sends students the message that they cannot be openly disrespectful, but they may be covertly disrespectful if they cloak their comments with sarcastic humor.

The likelihood that some or most of the faculty also use sarcastic humor on each other and on their students is also high. When a teacher does not hold students to this high standard of respect, your job becomes much more difficult. Obviously, if this were a school-wide policy, students would learn to be respectful in all school situations. The fact that it will not be enforced by all faculty should not deter you from requiring basic respect in your classroom and in your presence. If as teachers we hold firm to the basic respect rule, our students will feel safer, and that feeling of physical and emotional safety will afford them the learning environment that will maximize learning and positive academic outcomes.