School safety, security, and violence prevention resource

 

De-escalation in the Classroom.  An Unnatural Act.

 

I make a living teaching physical subject control and self defense systems to law enforcement and the public, but, despite that, I will always insist that maintain control anywhere, especially a classroom, consists primarily (97 to 98%) of verbal not physical skills.  The key revolves around an educational professional (administration, teacher, security, Resource Officer) establishing and maintaining Professional or Command Presence, which is the perception of professional control and respect by virtue of how the professional presents him/herself.

 

Make no mistake, defusing an aggressive student in a classroom setting stocked-full of peers often egging him or her on, is not an easy thing.  Which is exactly why I call my Advanced De-escalation Techniques program An Unnatural Act. 

 

Why an Unnatural Act, you ask?  For the answer we can return to my last post regarding VAPS (Verbal Attack Patterns).  You might recall that the goal of a VAP is to elicit a prescribed response from the professional.  In the case of a violent or disruptive student, the goal of a VAP is to force the professional to misuse his/her words and/or actions to such a point where all vestiges of his or her professionalism is destroyed.  The student’s words or disrespect, intimidation, threat and/or personal insult causes the professional to react with unprofessional profanity, threats, intimidation, defensiveness and, all too often, violence.  More often than not, the professional’s reaction is twice as profane and out of control as the student’s initial outburst (for effect, I speculate).

 

Let me ask this:  In essence, in this situation, who is in control of the interaction?  Correct.  Certainly not the professional.

 

Taking the student’s disrespectful words personally is a natural act.  To react naturally is to react immediately, spontaneously, automatically, and emotionally (all unprofessional reactions).  The first words that come to your lips immediately after being personally attacked are always fighting words attacking the aggressor’s personal face.  And, Hammer Fans, anytime Face is involved it is always a Fighting Situation. 

 

A Natural Reaction almost always short circuits the Neo Cortex, or Smart Brain.  It is Primitive Brain centered because the professional reacted before the necessary cognitive circuit of the brain and the Central Nervous System could complete itself.

 

The teacher who wishes to stay above the fray must allow the Neo Cortex to do its job and must orchestrate his or her response in a professional, measured, logical manner using professional language at all times.  It becomes an Unnatural Act because it is a highly unnatural act to maintain one’s cool when the vilest personal insults are hurled from every direction.  But maintaining one’s cool is exactly what must be done. 

 

Some of the De-escalation Tactics that help accomplish this considerable feat are:

 

• Cycle Breathe and Think To Keep Your Cool.
• Depersonalize.
• Depreciate the Verbal Icon (let the words bounce off you).
• Encourage the Student to Vent (allow steam to be released from the Pressure Cooker).
• Empathize.  Understand Feelings.  If the student is that upset to attack you, he or she must be feeling something important to him or her.  Don’t have to agree to empathize.
• Ego Suspension.  The lower your ego in a confrontation the more power and safety you will have. 
• Ask Artful Questions.  Always Find Out the Facts before taking action based upon assumptions, bias and emotions.  Also, asking artful questions breaks the student’s focus, weakens his or her resolve, etc.
• Listen.  Silence often works to form a “Firebreak” in the rage.  Also, by listening to his or her words, you almost always can find a solution.  You cannot listen with the Primitive Brain and I say that you can always find the solution in his own words!
• Distract and Redirect:  One of the keys to defusing a classroom or person is to change the focus of their anger or attack.  If I am the target, I want to change the channel of the attacker to the one he or she wants to be on to another channel.  Bang.  All of a sudden I have shattered his script I have slowed him down; and, better, I have weakened him a bit.

NEXT POST:  More Super Secret Hammer Stuff To Save Your Bacon.  Until then,  Stay Safe.

 

HAMMER

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted on January 21st, 2009 by Harry A Widger
Filed under: Administrators, Bullying, College, Fighting, High School, K-6, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Security, Students, Violence