Everybody needs a voice to which others will listen respectfully.
When that’s denied and sticky suffocating silence stifles communication then wordless physical reaction will take the lead and shout on behalf.
Look-at-me substituted speech often reveals itself negatively. There’s plenty to observe with body mutilations, acting out, eating disorders, anti-social behavior and multiple psychological disturbances leading to depression and contributing to suicide.
This list is possibly endless and gets added to when voices are silenced, leaving in it’s wake no purpose, no communication, no opportunities, no hope. When given a chance dumbed-down mindlessness seizes the opportunity to slip in almost unnoticed.
Although many students may arrive as damaged goods, their mental use-by-dates may be over-written carefully, enabling them to become active participatory learners.
One artist suggested the natural urge to do anything may be represented by a metaphor of two vents of a volcano, one destructive and the other creative. She spent her professional teaching career diverting school entrants’ energy into the creative arts by deftly unpacking their vivid expressive imagery and using that as working material, such as learning to write.
On many occasions positive outcomes emerge from gentle, respectful redirection. It all starts from where students are already, then by listening to what they are saying moving forward together constructively.
[Prepared and written by John@designschool.ac.nz, one of the course designers, without any assistance from AI GPT]