Teen angst needs mature response

Involvement is needed to ensure drug-free culture in schools, writes Tony Humphreys

The recent public and legal controversy on the expulsion and subsequent reinstatement of a second-level school student who had shared cannabis with some fellow-students presented quite a moral dilemma for many.

What was extraordinary was how the school principal's decision to expel the student was most favoured by the public (as witnessed on the Late Late Show and media reporting).

I must say I found the boy's father very reasonable and balanced and I wondered if he had dressed and looked more conventional would he have received stronger support? It was clear that Pat Kenny was surprised at the audience's overwhelming support for the school principal.

There is no doubt that the situation did throw up a dilemma for the school principal in terms of his dual responsibility to the rest of the students and the students who perpetrated the illegal action.

However, both sets of responsibilities could have been managed. Certainly, the physical, social and educational welfare of the majority of students who did not experiment with cannabis deserved a strong commitment and firm action that would protect them and the school from further drug violations.

Involving the discipline committee, parents' association, student committee, student counsellor, police, drug-addiction services and community resource centre could have gone a long way to ensuring a drug-free culture in the school. If such holistic actions are taken, I do not see the benefit of expelling a student. Furthermore, the suggestion that the student join another school is a case of "passing the buck" on to another school - and what about the threat to students, teachers and parents associated with that school? I totally agree that at no time can the problem of a student (or teacher or parent) be allowed to threaten the progress of other students and teachers. However, surely the student who violates school rules also deserves care and all the school and professional help that can be given to bring about responsible behaviour?

Understanding and compassion underpin a mature response to a student's problematic behaviour. To understand means to get beneath the presenting difficult behaviour (illegal or otherwise) and to attempt to discover possible causes and also to detect the intention of the threatening behaviour. During this process the student would need to be supervised closely, even temporarily suspended until co-operation and certain assurances are in place.

Liaison with the boy's parents is vital so that a full explanation of what has led the student to act in such a way can be pursued. When parents refuse to co-operate then the school may justifiably claim that they are not in a place to take full responsibility for their son's (or daughter's) behaviour. However, in the case being discussed, it appears the boy's parents were very willing to co-operate.

It is not possible to generalise on what leads a particular student to engage in problematic behaviour, as no two students are the same or have the same biographical history. What is certain is that reasons and intentions lie behind all difficult behaviour.

Determination of the causes of behaviour certainly aids the process of gaining co-operative behaviour. An equally powerful source of information is the intentions of a problematic behaviour. For example, the intention of some troublesome behaviours of adolescence may be to bring recognition to their own troubled spirit or a troubled family situation or gain recognition from their peer group. All sort of possibilities abound! A counsellor who can gain the trust of a young person who has perpetrated the threatening actions can usually help the student to articulate what are often subconscious attempts to compensate for unmet needs.

Two good questions to ask are: "What does the difficult behaviour stop the person from experiencing?" and "What does it make him do?" Possible answers are having to no longer experience anonymity and seek help for his unhappy state.

Mistakes and irresponsible behaviour need to be seen as opportunities, not only for the overall progress of the person who has engaged in the violations, but for the family, school, community and, sometimes, society.

No person is an island and no action on the part of one person does not reflect in some way on the whole of society and its sub-systems.

Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist and author of A Different Kind of Discipline