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Non-violent intervention training eyed for teachers
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Posted on Sep 26 2005
Public school teachers in the CNMI would soon be equipped to deal with aggressive and violent behavior of students through a new training program dubbed “Non-violent Intervention.”
PSS behavioral specialist Steve Nguyen presented the proposal to 20 public school principals last Friday during the regular principals’ meeting held at the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning Center in Marianas High School.
Nguyen said he and some team members have already submitted a proposal to the Board of Education for the training of PSS teachers and other staff. He said he is keen on holding the training sometime in February next year during the teachers’ professional development training months.
He said Non-violent Intervention training would be helpful for teachers because it would help them handle students who are aggressive and sometimes incorrigible.
“It is important that teachers know how to talk and calm down the students by not hurting them,” he said.
For starters, Nguyen said verbal intervention should always come first when dealing with misbehaving students.
“We have to talk to the students first before laying a hand on them,” he said, adding that teachers should no even attempt to grab students because they could possibly be sued for physical injuries.
Nguyen said the training would equip teachers with skills on how to handle such behavior in the classroom. He said the training would provide video clippings and booklets on the subject matter.
He said the proposal for Non-violent Intervention training is now with the PSS for its approval.
Nguyen, who has been on the island for one and half year now, said he has neither observed nor heard of any instance that a PSS teacher has hurt a student, but he said teachers still need to be reminded of their responsibilities, both as a teacher and a disciplinarian.
