Backing the Ump: From the AFL to the Classroom

I'm not sure that I've ever really written much about sport, let alone Australian Rules Football. And I didn't think that it would inspire me to write a blog.

However the an incident from last week's matches has got me thinking... 

The short version of events is that an umpire reported a player for "abusive and insulting language towards an umpire." The umpire's microphone didn't pick up the comment, so it's become a case whether you believe the umpire's word or the player's.

Usually, such an incident wouldn't bother me at all. In fact, most weeks I wouldn't even realise such a thing had occured. But it must have been a slow news week in footy land because the media have become obsessed with the incident and how it has been dealt with.

And for those of us in education, it's all far too familiar.

How often do teachers get questioned about whether or not a student actually  said something offensive?
Did the student actually throw something?
Did the student actually punch someone?

And in education, we don't have the luxury of an umpire's mic. All too often, it is our word against theirs.

Teachers are the umpires of the classroom. We are the ones who maintain the flow of the game (of learning). We're expected to enforce the rules so that everyone can enjoy the game. And we're expected to step in when necessary.

However, the media's response has highlighted how tricky this is. They have jumped in quickly to defend the player and suggest the umpire was overstepping.

It reminds me of the "my son wouldn't do that" line that is too familiar to teachers.

Instead of trusting the professional whose role it is to ensure that the game is played fairly, we start criticising them.

Teachers feel this deeply. When every classroom incident is framed through the lens of "the school was too harsh" or "the teacher should have de-escalated better," teachers being told they are responsible for the incident. Meanwhile the student who instigated it is not held responsible for their part.

We need to move beyond this.

We need to support schools by:

• Trusting that schools are setting boundaries to keep the whole community safe, valued and learning (not to just target a student)
  
• Understanding that seemingly small incidents may need a consequence to prevent them becoming the norm
  
• Recognising that teachers aren't obstacles to students' learning: we're the ones that make the game possible.
  

If we want our schools to be safe, calm, centres of learning, we have to start "backing the umps." We need to trust the professionals who make the game of learning possible.