Ashley Jaron, a high school teacher, and Courtney Linsey, AKA Professor Whoa, an artist and educator, delve into the harsh realities students face today. They discuss the normalization of violence and how students use humor as a coping mechanism, highlighting the emotional toll these experiences take on young minds. This video offers a rare glimpse into the challenges teachers face in creating safe, nurturing environments amidst such realities and sheds light on the resilience and struggles of today's youth.
Transcript:
Behavior Speaks: A New Age of Understanding
"My students now, the way we talk with each other about mass shootings and just, and just then the general violence that is very normal to them. It's almost like, It's almost like a joke as like a coping mechanism. I don't think they're really joking, but like I had a fight in my classroom and I had the largest reaction to it. Like I was the one with an emotional reaction to like the violence suddenly happening in this safe space that we had created over months. And, it was very shocking to me. And all of them were just like, are you okay? And they were checking on me and they go, well, we know we're, you're not used to this kind of stuff. And they are. I have a lot of kids who, uh, who have gone through more than I've gone through at 13, 14, 11. And just to understand that their behavior speaks, their behavior is speaking as well. So all behavior speaks. So even if we don't know what they're saying or why they're doing what they're doing, just them acting in a certain way is evidence of something going on."