troubles with self-esteem

One young man is really struggling with life, self-esteem and the need to be liked and included. I think I could help him achieve at least half a GCSE if I can help him apply himself to some work and let him feel that learning can be rewarding.

I think he is also struggling with his sexuality. The other pupils find him very challenging and frustrating. He drains my energy at times and there have been lessons after which I feel that other pupils have got a raw deal.

I want to help him but not at a high cost to the other pupils. What strategies could you suggest that would enable me to allow for personal development whilst still creating a learning environment for them to achieve a pass at GCSE if they (and he) so choose? PS, the pupil in question was being weaned off of Ritalin last term.

Corinne Abisgold, Jft's educational adviser, replies:
There is a complex picture here that needs unpicking strand by strand and generates other questions which you will need to explore.

You seem to be questioning in your mind your role as a teacher to this pupil. Are you there to support him therapeutically through art or to help to achieve a qualification?

I think you can address both as long as you create very clear boundaries for acceptable behaviour and clear goals for the student. It isn't appropriate or helpful to anyone involved that his behaviour is so disruptive no matter what the underlying issues.

You need to talk to him about what your expectations are of him in lessons and what he can expect from you in return. You need to be very clear about the expectations and boundaries that you set within the learning environment you offer and why this is the case.

It may be appropriate to offer him some 1-1 time when he can explore his feelings in a private situation. However you do need to talk to the other staff involved and see if this is already being offered elsewhere.

Given that you are working in a unit for school phobics, I would anticipate this has been built into his support. You cannot deal with his personal issues within lessons but you can recognise the need, discuss it with colleagues and with the student to acknowledge the concern.

You say that his difficult behaviour arises from a desperate need to be accepted. This needs further exploration. Does he behave like this in all lessons? Which lessons does he behave best in? Does he respond differently to male/female teachers.

Identify the strategies/structures that produce the best behaviour and replicate them as much as possible in your lesson. If it hasn't already been done, the best idea is to set up a behaviour plan to think about targets for behaviour in lessons and rewards and sanctions. This needs to happen alongside the provision of therapeutic support if this is felt to be needed.

You could also enlist the help of the other pupils in the group. Discuss with them on an occasion when he is not present how they might support him in lessons to behave more appropriately. You can talk with him first and ask him to identify the goals for change in his behaviour. After consulting his peer group you can feedback to him the ways in which you will all be helping him to achieve his goals.

Success is very therapeutic. I agree with you that his achievement within your subject is important. There is nothing to be gained from his poor behaviour and lack of achievement other than reinforcement of a negative self-concept.

If you feel there are concerns in relation his sexuality then this also needs to be raised with colleagues and addressed through the PHSE curriculum and individual work with him.

You need to liase with the medical professionals about his Ritalin and ask them for feedback on their involvement, and the reason why they felt it was appropriate to take him off medication. Find out such things as how long he's been on the medication.

Again it is very important to have an overview of his behaviour across contexts at school and ideally feedback from parents about behaviour/issues at home. If there has been deterioration across all contexts, the health professionals need to know.

I hope this is helpful. If you need further support please write in again.