Before starting this article, I think it is vital to make clear that I understand why teachers shout. Being a troublesome student myself, I used to get on my teacher’s nerves.

I would often push the barrier because I knew there was only a limited amount of things the teacher could do to me. I would say and do things I would never think of in my parent’s house.

However, shouting is a poor way to communicate. We let children know that from when they are young by asking them to use their indoor voices. Our speech is staggered, and it is harder to understand because we have to get over the noise.

Also, as we got older, we found teachers who shouted a lot quite humorous. When a teacher yelled, we would giggle amongst ourselves. The teacher would be up to their ears in anger, but we found it funny. Unfortunately, the teacher would only get more frustrated.

Of course, we were immature teens without much of a care in the world. But one thing we did know is that we did not like getting shouted at. Sometimes the teachers would tell us to shut up or get out, and that made things worse.

I understood why teachers shouted, but it never solved any problems. And the facts show that shouting at students tends to have effects in the long run.

According to Healthline, children become more aggressive if they are constantly yelled at. In turn, this leads to worse behaviour in the future. Also, it can lead to children feeling insecure, which makes them more susceptible to bullying.

I would like to think that both teachers and parents use shouting at children as a last resort. But some of my teachers seemed to go straight to yelling with no pre-warning.

We can all agree that shouting at children is not the best way to communicate. So, here are two ways I found some of the other teachers dealing with disruptive behaviour without shouting. They were may more effective, and it led to more obedience in their classes.

They Were Honest About Their Emotions

All the teachers I gained a lot of respect for were open about their emotions. They constantly let me know when they were about to get angry with me or were upset.

One of my earliest encounters with this was when I was nine years old. I was not paying attention in class, and I was distracting my peers. The teacher, in a stern tone, said my name and walked over to me.

Since I was used to getting shouted at, I was ready to retaliate in anger if she raised her voice. But instead, she knelt beside me and let me know that she was upset.

She explained that she wanted to teach the class, and my actions were making her angry. Then, she let me know that she did not want to shout or make the situation worst, but she needed me to corporate with her.

After her little speech, I was stunned. I agreed with her and apologised. A situation that looked like it was going to turn sour became controlled.

Communicating with me in this way allowed me to connect with how my teacher was feeling. Being shouted at often made me feel small, insecure and devalued. It led me to retaliate because I wanted to guard myself against the accusation.

However, her coming over and speaking to me allowed me to step back from the situation. I learned that it was not me that was the problem, but my actions. Also, by reassuring me that she did not want to shout, she took the tension out of the situation.

They Gave Me a Voice

When a child is shouted at, they are silenced. Teachers do not mean to do this, but their voice and anger is expressed in greater volume than the child.

I used to have a teacher that would bang the table and shout over everyone when he was upset. It silenced all of us and made us feel scared about what he would do next.

He was happy that the class became silent. However, striking fear into a child is not the ideal way to cause them to be obedient. The best situation is co-operation and mutual respect.

When teachers shouted at me, I felt insignificant. It was almost as though my point did not matter because they could always scream louder than me. Yes, the teacher is the authority in the classroom, but showing it this way does not help anything.

My favourite teachers always gave me a chance to explain my behaviour after class. Instead of shouting at me during the lesson, they would pull to the side after class and have a conversation.

Although not all these conversations were productive, my teachers would let me voice why I was behaving the way I was. I would say things like I was bored or my friends were distracting me. In response to these, my teachers would always have a solution.

Whether that was changing the seating plan or getting me more involved in the lesson by asking me questions. They would always act on my feedback, and I appreciated it.

Instead of seeing me as the problem, they made me a partner in solving it. That way, we came to a solution that satisfied both of us.

Closing Thoughts

In the real world, people do not communicate effectively by shouting at one another. When we have problems, we sit down and discuss them to find a solution.

If you are a teacher who loves to shout, I hope reading this has given you a broader view of the negative effect you could be having on your students. And if you do shout sometimes, hopefully, you have learned a few things you can do.

After all, we are only human, and we will make mistakes sometimes. When these mistakes occur, it is good to be open with your students and apologise for letting your anger get the better of you.

By creating an environment of co-operation, you allow students to feel valued and heard. And that is the best way to ensure that your students respect you and themselves.