Ambivalent Feelings in the Classroom

My friend was a teacher. Many years ago when she was a form-mistress in a grammar school he had to deal with the problem of 'crushes' with a class of 15-year-old girls. In this class having a 'crush' on the teacher had become a preoccupation, with a result that the academic standard of the class had deteriorated. This deterioration was actually discovered by the headmistress and, with her support, she discussed this matter with the girls and stressed the importance of being able to concentrate on one's work even if one has intensive feelings, be it towards a teacher or towards a boyfriend or husband later on in life. The following term many of the girls had improved considerably and some did better than ever before.

In this case the expression of feelings had not led to behavior problems, but to deterioration of work, which can, of course, also be seen as an expression of hostile feelings. When a pupil's work deteriorates the teacher is inclined to blame the child for the deterioration but he inclined to blame the child for deterioration, but he also blames himself and feels it to be a rejection although he is not always sure of this. She cannot remember having had any feelings about her own failure in her teaching of those girls, but this might be due to the very skillful support of the headmistress. The important thing was, maybe that she could discuss the matter without reproaching the girls and without blaming herself. She was able to accept both their hostile feelings and their feelings of love by discussing the problems in general terms and by making clear that everybody else, myself included, had to come to terms with this conflict. On the surface the conflict appeared to e about concentration and preoccupation with other feelings, but it can also be seen in terms of liking a teacher and rejecting her, after all these girls loved their teachers, their hostility was expressed via the deterioration of the work they did for them. Of course they were not aware of this nor was my friend at the time.

If a teacher suppresses all expressions of feelings and will not have any of it the activity of the class, that is, the learning will be adversely affected. On the other hand permissiveness will only be beneficial within reason; there is no doubt that it is a most difficult task for the teacher to allow the expression of unacceptable feelings such as hostility within a 'safe' framework. It is often impossible to do so if these feelings are directly expressed. However, teachers can help their pupils to express them in more indirect and more acceptable ways, namely through the curriculum itself.