While school is an environment for learning and growth, it is also a place where children acquire many undesirable behaviours. Children are impressionable, so they are many times influenced by the behaviours of their peers, whether it is good or bad. The behaviours are also influenced by social dynamics and individual responses to stress. Since people can address these behaviours more effectively by understanding them, here are seven negative behaviours that children adopt at school.
1. Bullying or Teasing
One of the most alarming behaviours children can adopt from educational environments is bullying. Children may develop aggressive behaviours because that is what they see at school. When they mimic these behaviours, it is sometimes used to instil fear into other students or to gain social dominance at school. Bullying can be verbal, physical, or emotional, and each of these can leave a damaging impact on the victim and the bully.
To prevent children from mimicking aggression towards other children, parents and teachers can encourage empathy. They can also create a safe space for children to discuss their feelings. Children can see how bullying affects people through role-playing and other fun activities; meanwhile, parents and teachers can maintain open communication to discuss children’s performance.
2. Peer Pressure
Children are often led astray by their friends due to peer pressure. Driven by the desire to fit in, children often ignore homework, skip class, talk back to teachers, or experiment with risky activities. Peer pressure plays a role in shaping children’s personality and identity during their school years. When they idolise their peers, they are more likely to adopt the characteristics of them.
It is crucial for parents and carers to encourage children to make independent decisions. They should help their children build self-confidence so they do not conform to harmful behaviour. Parents should also teach children that saying no is normal and that they should not give in to peer pressure.
3. Dishonesty
In educational environments, many children resort to lying or cheating. Lies are often told to avoid punishment, and cheating occurs to gain favour or achieve academic success. Students at times feel pressured to lie about homework they did not complete or cheat on a test if they doubt their abilities or if other students succeed with getting away with it.
To prevent children from living a dishonest life, they should witness others around them, whether parents or teachers, modelling honesty. Honesty should be discussed in conversations, showing them the importance of integrity and the consequences.
4. Disrespect for Authority
When children see other students defying authority figures, they learn how to challenge their teachers, school staff, and parents. The disrespectful front is often used to appear bold or rebellious.
Parents and schools should emphasise the importance of respect and the consequences of disrespect. Children should be taught how to respectfully express themselves. Parents should also create a safe environment where children can effectively learn communication skills and how to navigate conflicts constructively.
5. Exclusionary Attitudes
At schools, children also learn about cliques and social hierarchies. They conform to these practices, excluding other children from their groups based on their appearance, interests, or socioeconomic status.
To resolve this issue, parents should encourage diversity at home, teaching children valuable friendships that can be formed with those from different backgrounds. Parents can teach children this by also diversifying their own friend groups.
6. Over-competitiveness
Schools foster a competitive environment, and students often feel pressured to surpass others in class. As a result, many children become overly competitive, which often leads to jealousy and anxiety. When children are fixated on winning, they can also become hostile towards peers. Schools foster a competitive environment, and students often feel pressured to surpass others in class.
To address this concern, parents can emphasise the importance of effort rather than focusing solely on winning. They can teach them about personal growth and embracing others’ accomplishments to share their joy.
