How Teacher Anger Can Harm Students and Violate Laws
Teachers are human beings who experience a range of emotions, including anger. However, when anger is expressed inappropriately or excessively in the classroom, it can have negative effects on students’ well-being, learning, and behavior. Moreover, teacher anger can also violate laws and policies that protect students from abuse and misconduct.
The Negative Effects of Teacher Anger
According to research, teacher anger is the most frequently experienced negative emotion in the classroom, and it has mixed effects on student engagement. On the one hand, some studies suggest that strategically expressing, faking, or hiding anger can help teachers achieve instructional goals, foster student concentration, and facilitate student engagement. On the other hand, habitual experiences of anger (trait anger) can exhaust teachers’ cognitive resources, impair their pedagogical effectiveness, and lead to poor student engagement.
However, when teacher anger goes beyond the normal range and becomes violent, abusive, or threatening, it can have serious consequences for students. Some of the negative effects of teacher anger are:
- Damaged student-teacher relationship: Teacher anger can harm the trust, respect, and rapport between the teacher and students. Students may feel afraid, resentful, or alienated from the teacher who displays anger. This can affect their motivation, participation, and achievement in the class.
- Decreased motivation and engagement: Students may lose interest in the subject and show disengagement, boredom, or defiance in response to teacher anger. They may also develop negative attitudes toward school and learning in general.
- Increased anxiety and stress: Students may experience fear, anxiety, or stress when they witness or are subjected to teacher anger. This can impair their cognitive, emotional, and social development, as well as their physical and mental health.
- Lowered self-esteem and self-efficacy: Students may feel humiliated, ashamed, or worthless when they are yelled at, insulted, or punished by an angry teacher. This can damage their self-esteem and self-efficacy, or their belief in their own abilities and potential.
- Impaired moral judgment and social skills: Students may learn to model the aggressive, hostile, or disrespectful behavior of the angry teacher. This can affect their moral judgment and social skills, as well as their relationships with peers and other adults.
The Legal Basis for Teacher Misconduct
Teacher anger can also constitute misconduct, especially when it involves physical, verbal, or psychological abuse of students. In the Philippines, there are laws and policies that prohibit teachers from doing so, such as:
- The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670), which states that teachers have the duty to maintain discipline among their students, but they shall not inflict corporal punishment upon the students or make deductions from their scholastic ratings as a punishment for acts which are clearly not manifestation of poor scholarship.
- The Child and Youth Welfare Code (Presidential Decree No. 603), which declares that every child has the right to a well-rounded development of his personality to the end that he may become a happy, useful and active member of society, and that the state shall provide him with adequate care, assistance, and guidance.
- The Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10627), which defines bullying as any severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of causing physical or emotional harm or damage to the student’s property; placing the student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or of damage to his property; creating a hostile environment at school for the student; infringing on the rights of the student at school; or materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school.
- The Student Discipline and Teacher Protection Act (House Bill No. 5735), which is a proposed measure that seeks to institutionalize measures governing student discipline and mechanisms for classroom management, establish support for public school teachers and school personnel, and provide for their protection in cases related to student discipline and classroom management.
If teachers are found guilty of violating these laws and policies, they may face administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions, such as suspension, dismissal, fine, or imprisonment.
Conclusion
Teacher anger is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can have both positive and negative effects on student engagement. However, when teacher anger becomes excessive, inappropriate, or violent, it can harm students in various ways, such as damaging their relationship with the teacher, decreasing their motivation and engagement, increasing their anxiety and stress, lowering their self-esteem and self-efficacy, and impairing their moral judgment and social skills. Moreover, teacher anger can also violate laws and policies that protect students from abuse and misconduct, and subject teachers to legal consequences. Therefore, teachers should be aware of their emotions, regulate their anger, and use positive discipline methods in the classroom. They should also seek professional help, support, and training if they have difficulties in managing their anger or dealing with student behavior. By doing so, they can create a safe, respectful, and conducive learning environment for their students.