Has Maslow ever been more appropriate?
I think every teacher in the world has come across Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs (if not, there is a handy picture below); and most of us have probably even witnessed its power in the classroom. The student who is being left out by their friends because of something they have or haven't said or done to this or that person: that is the same student who noticeably lacks concentration and effort during the lesson. Even worse are the students who come in wearing the same stain on their blazer because none of their clothes get washed: they very rarely contribute and tend to walk around school with their eyes on the floor - or sometimes aiming to cause the most mischief.
Simply put, we can't move up the hierarchy until we have fulfilled all of the needs at each level - or colour as it may be on the picture below.
So where does that leave us now? As teachers, the overwhelming majority of us are fortunate to have our bottom two colours filled in consistently without too much worry. The third stage up can become challenging - particularly at certain points in the school year where my friends and family might forget I actually enjoy spending time with them as I am either at school or on my laptop at home for 99% of the time. But on the whole, we tend to tick that box too. This leaves us ready and able to work hard on fulfilling our green boxes and reaching the top of the hierarchy. It can be probably be argued that teachers on the whole do reach the top of the hierarchy which explains our constant desire to reflect on our teaching and learn from one another to make sure we are doing the best we can!
But at this moment in time, how many of us are even getting up to the yellow? I am very fortunate in that myself and my partner both have jobs which are still paying us in full and we can afford to pay our rent, We can still afford our (increasingly expensive) food shop each week - who knew lockdown would turn us both into such snack fiends?! The next rung up the ladder isn't as easy though. I take care of myself: I run, meditate, eat healthily and have lots of hobbies to drag me away from work. So my physical and mental health are usually very well taken care of generally speaking.
Enter Covid-19.
I wake up every single day with the same thought: is everyone still okay? Has anyone developed a cough or fever over night? Will we get to tomorrow with everyone still being healthy? Although the rational side of me knows that the chances of contracting the virus whilst adhering to lockdown rules is minimal, I still have the fear. And if I have that fear, I know the students I teach must be experiencing the same thing. How can they feel content and safe when their basic needs are not being met? None of our basic needs for safety and security are being met!
This type of remote teaching and learning requires high levels of self-efficacy, resilience and strength which most students struggle with anyway. Asking them to be able to develop these skills in an environment where their physiological needs, safety needs, and relationships may all be a little shaky seems like madness! And yet that's what we are doing. That's what we are expecting. And believe it or not...most kids are doing just that! They are getting on with it, having some dips in attitude and mood but overcoming it by taking a day or two out, or emailing their teacher to ask for help. We might be sceptical of how much a teenager will do without pressure from an adult - and a lot of the time we may be right in our scepticism! I have always commented on the ability of young people to just 'get on with it' and never has that been demonstrated more. I am currently interviewing people who work in education for an article I am writing and this has come up again and again: the maturity and acceptance of the young people in the last few days we were at school. It wasn't treated as the end of term, but instead as a solemn and sad situation which we needed to work through. There will be lots of kids out there who aren't able to do the work for a myriad of reasons. But on the whole, in my experience, kids are striving to meet our new expectations. Just as we, as teachers, are.
More is expected from us all in a world where our basic needs are not being met. But instead of giving up, we are stepping up and finding a way to climb the rungs of Maslow's hierarchy of needs - together.
Simply put, we can't move up the hierarchy until we have fulfilled all of the needs at each level - or colour as it may be on the picture below.
So where does that leave us now? As teachers, the overwhelming majority of us are fortunate to have our bottom two colours filled in consistently without too much worry. The third stage up can become challenging - particularly at certain points in the school year where my friends and family might forget I actually enjoy spending time with them as I am either at school or on my laptop at home for 99% of the time. But on the whole, we tend to tick that box too. This leaves us ready and able to work hard on fulfilling our green boxes and reaching the top of the hierarchy. It can be probably be argued that teachers on the whole do reach the top of the hierarchy which explains our constant desire to reflect on our teaching and learn from one another to make sure we are doing the best we can!
But at this moment in time, how many of us are even getting up to the yellow? I am very fortunate in that myself and my partner both have jobs which are still paying us in full and we can afford to pay our rent, We can still afford our (increasingly expensive) food shop each week - who knew lockdown would turn us both into such snack fiends?! The next rung up the ladder isn't as easy though. I take care of myself: I run, meditate, eat healthily and have lots of hobbies to drag me away from work. So my physical and mental health are usually very well taken care of generally speaking.
Enter Covid-19.
I wake up every single day with the same thought: is everyone still okay? Has anyone developed a cough or fever over night? Will we get to tomorrow with everyone still being healthy? Although the rational side of me knows that the chances of contracting the virus whilst adhering to lockdown rules is minimal, I still have the fear. And if I have that fear, I know the students I teach must be experiencing the same thing. How can they feel content and safe when their basic needs are not being met? None of our basic needs for safety and security are being met!
This type of remote teaching and learning requires high levels of self-efficacy, resilience and strength which most students struggle with anyway. Asking them to be able to develop these skills in an environment where their physiological needs, safety needs, and relationships may all be a little shaky seems like madness! And yet that's what we are doing. That's what we are expecting. And believe it or not...most kids are doing just that! They are getting on with it, having some dips in attitude and mood but overcoming it by taking a day or two out, or emailing their teacher to ask for help. We might be sceptical of how much a teenager will do without pressure from an adult - and a lot of the time we may be right in our scepticism! I have always commented on the ability of young people to just 'get on with it' and never has that been demonstrated more. I am currently interviewing people who work in education for an article I am writing and this has come up again and again: the maturity and acceptance of the young people in the last few days we were at school. It wasn't treated as the end of term, but instead as a solemn and sad situation which we needed to work through. There will be lots of kids out there who aren't able to do the work for a myriad of reasons. But on the whole, in my experience, kids are striving to meet our new expectations. Just as we, as teachers, are.
More is expected from us all in a world where our basic needs are not being met. But instead of giving up, we are stepping up and finding a way to climb the rungs of Maslow's hierarchy of needs - together.
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