Taming the little troublemakers of the classroom
Print Edition
Zhou Bing, 12, is no longer a tearaway at school, maddening teachers with unruly and often violent behavior.
The Wujing Town youngster returned to classes this autumn behaving almost like a model student. The transformation came after he was placed in a three-month tutoring course at Hongqiao Leaf Home Service Center, a special education facility in Minhang.
“He used to have problems managing his anger,” said Sun Juan, a teacher at Leaf Center. “Whenever he was dissatisfied, he immediately lost his temper. He was like a walking time bomb.”
Zhou was sent to the center in April for special help through the auspices of the Women’s Federation and Education Bureau in Minhang.
At first, it was touch and go. Early on, he broke the alarm system in the building, which activated the signal and summoned police. But gradually, teachers at the center helped him to control his rages.
Start with own son
Leaf Center was founded five years ago by Liu Yan, a former university education professor.
“We did an evaluation of Zhou, and found this 12-year-old boy’s psychological age was only six,” said Liu.
The center staff traced some of the boy’s problems back to his home life. His parents were divorced, his father was stern and unsympathetic, and his grandmother was over-doting.
“We found that he kept repeating the songs of his childhood,” one teacher said. “Zhou neither wanted to grow up nor face the reality of his life.”
The situation showed some significant changes after six weeks. Zhou became more calm and friendly. He started to communicate better with his teachers and to express his feelings and emotions in words, not violent behavior.
As the course continued, Zhou gradually became more involved in more group activities. He started participating in music and athletics classes with other students.
“He became happier,” Sun said. “He learned to say ‘thank you’ and distance himself from hysterical students.”
Leaf Center was set up to help problem students cope with the real world, communicate with parents and teachers, mix with other students and feel better about themselves.
Liu said she got the idea for the school from her son, who was subject to tantrums.
“I realized I didn’t know how to cope with my son’s education, and he was only four years old then,” Liu recalled. “It was hard to get him to put on clothes. He couldn’t be persuaded unless I really browbeat him.”
Frustrated and lost, Liu and her husband, who both hold MBAs from the prestigious Fudan University, realized they needed to find a better way to communicate with their son.
Liu did a lot of research on children’s education, both on the Internet and by attending workshops sponsored by an American education institute in the Philippines. She also sought out the experiences of other parents in the community who were facing similar problems.
At Leaf Center, professional teachers also hold sessions for the parents of problem children, teaching them better methods of communicating and understanding their offspring.
“We are not replacing parents,” Liu said. “Home is still the best school for children.”
Continuing tutoring
Although Zhou has “graduated” from Leaf Center and returned to normal school, tutoring for him and his family has not stopped. Liu and her colleagues have set a regular course for Zhou’s father, trying to change his hard attitude and ease family pressures. The center also contacted Zhou’s mother and persuaded her to visit her son more frequently.
“The case of Zhou is very typical at Leaf Center and also in this society,” said Liu. “Extremeness in children mostly stems from the wrong approach to problem children, both at home and at school.”
The center charges minimal fees for participating families. Most of the costs are borne by donations. Leaf Center has expanded its reach with a new project launched in conjunction with the Minhang Women’s Federation.
“Our hope is that parents with problem children will come to us for advice as soon as these situations begin to manifest themselves,” Liu said. “After all, a happy, health life for children is a goal we all share.”
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