Reader Stories 1: The Introverted Students’ Reward
by Michael Smith
“All right, you lot, settle down. I said, quiet! You’re not going to learn anything while behaving like this!”
This is a widespread classroom scenario when a class becomes noisy and excited, and the teacher grows concerned that some form of critical mass is imminent, where law and order might collapse. For a teacher, confronted by up to 30 mid-teens, the natural instinct is to raise one’s voice in an attempt to restore order. However, I was growing increasingly unhappy with this method; surely, there had to be a better way.
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In an attempt to alter the narrative, I fought against instinct and forced myself to become still and quiet, so I could simply observe for several seconds. I looked around the room at each student, gauging their level of participation in the mayhem. I was amazed at what I found. I then shared my findings with the class (once I’d got them quiet, of course). It went something like this:
“I’ve just been watching you all during that spell of rowdiness. It was very interesting. You heard all that noise, yes? Well, do you realize that all that noise was created by only about a quarter of you?”
Faces now displayed the sort of curiosity a teacher hopes will be reserved for the curriculum. I continued, “I must admit I was going to tell off all of you for being so noisy, and not doing your work. But that would be wrong, because most of you, the majority in fact, were sitting quietly, either continuing with your work or waiting for the noise to die down.”
Then, rather than admonishing the noisy minority, I addressed the silent majority with, “So, instead of telling off the class as a whole, I want to thank those of you who were behaving well and waiting patiently to continue your education.”
And then it happened. As I looked around the stunned classroom, the introverts began to smile. Only slightly, but nevertheless, they were smiling their tiny, genuine smiles. They had been caught doing something good, behaving well. They had become, albeit momentarily, the positive focus of the lesson. The noisy quarter of the students began to realize that their attention-seeking tactics were out-of-place in this classroom; they too became thoughtful.
And how did I know I had been observing the introverts? As an introvert myself, I knew exactly what to look for. However, if you’re reading this as an extrovert, I can recommend you start to proactively look for these introverts. They are not difficult to find – you just have to want to see them. Maybe the following might fill in some details.
Many years ago I participated in one of those Myers-Briggs personality tests (we’ll leave discussion of the efficacy of such tests to those who like to argue). By the end of the afternoon, I had been labelled “Extreme (I mean, “off-the-chart”) Introvert.” But I was okay with the diagnosis. It made sense.
Once I had accepted this label, I began looking more closely at the traits making up those of us who make a conscious decision to live on the apparent edge of sociability. And anyway, being on the edge makes it easier to see in, rather than being in the noisy mix, always looking around to find from where the next stimulus might be emanating.
I rarely saw being introverted as a disadvantage. It offered me an objective perspective on life, free from the clamoring noise of the opinions of others. I felt independent.
Strangely, I had embarked on quite a public career path, entering the wild world of secondary education. Once I had mastered the basic mechanics of running a lesson, I was able to fine-tune my style. But, subconsciously at first, in each class, I began looking out for my fellow introverts. And I knew where to find them. These were the students who, quite literally, sit on the edges of the classroom.
Assumed teacher wisdom is that one needs a seating plan to maintain control. As a young teacher, I used to start each new academic year armed with one of these per class. However, as a consequence, I was missing out on valuable information – where a student chooses to sit can inform the teacher of the child’s potential personality.
The basic pattern is that the trouble makers aim for seats at the back of the classroom, the keen, nerdy types want to sit at the front, but the introverts make for the safety of the room’s periphery. Recollections of my own schooling seemed to confirm this. (At the end of the first lesson I even thank the ‘back row’ for identifying themselves as the trouble makers.)
Being an introvert helps in my job. I can relate to, even empathize with, those students who, by choice, sit on the edges of the classroom. They’re my clan. I “get” them. It’s easy for a teacher to focus their attention on the boisterous trouble makers at the back, while wanting to feed the eager nerdy types sat with wide-eyed expectancy at the front. But this is to the detriment of the quiet, introverted students who have deliberately located themselves out of the teacher’s direct eye-line. Don’t they, the so-called average ones, deserve just as much teacher attention as the others?
At that moment in my career, I decided to turn my focus on these introverts with as much frequency and regularity as I could manage.
Then, over the course of the first term we developed our own subtle communication system. For example, if the introvert feels confident that they can offer something out loud to the class, they will smile and give me a small nod of their head. On the other hand, if they wish not to be called upon, that’s okay too – they know that an almost imperceptible shake of the head will render them safe in the class.
I’ve used this tactic consistently since my epiphany, and the effect is always the same, and the genuine smiles of the introverts never fail to warm my heart.
British writer Michael Smith’s fiction has appeared in several literary journals. He has also published Gruseltal (a humorous novel), two short story collections, “Fonts” and “Songs,” and is about to publish his second novel, “Dinner Time,” all available from online bookstores. His website: https://frucht-schleifen.weebly.com/
Reader stories
In this new series of posts, I would like to feature your insights and experiences related to being an introvert or dealing with an introverted spouse, child, employee, boss, neighbor, etc. The more specific you are about the setting and the relationship dynamics involved, the better.
Please send your essay/article/post to innies@yudkin.com.
Target length is 700 to 1500 words. If I use your post, I will of course credit you with a byline and a brief bio.
Thank you in advance for sharing your story.
- Marcia