Like every other aspect of human society, broken relationships are the root cause of most behavior problems in the classroom. Christian educators have a better framework to address the underlying broken relationships, one which offers the reconciliation and restoration needed for lasting change.

Conservatives are quick to blame the systemic failings of U.S. public schools on “wokeness” and other progressive indoctrinations that masquerade as education. And rightly so. However, another widespread and more fundamental problem to plague America’s schools is destructive classroom behavior by students. According to a post-COVID survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, which included nearly 15,000 pre-K–12 teachers, administrators, school staff, and counselors,

33% of teachers reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or violence while 18% of school psychologists, 15% of school administrators, and 22% of other school staff reported at least one violent incident by a student.

The survey also revealed that nearly 50% of all teachers hoped to quit or transfer jobs due to school safety concerns.

The most important cause of student behavioral problems in or out of the classroom is, of course, the widespread breakdown of American families. However, the adoption of behavioral strategies based on Critical Theory have made it worse. These behavioral adjustment approaches often go by names such as social and emotional learning, restorative justice in education, and restorative discipline. Despite Christian-sounding “re” words in the titles, these approaches center around redefined notions of fairness, empathy, oppression, privilege, justice, and inclusion. In some schools, these ideas are baked into every part of the curriculum, even math. Secular educational models operate from a naturalistic worldview, specifically secular humanism, which holds that humans (who exist without a Creator) naturally bend toward kindness, altruism, and fairness. In this view, students are not responsible for bad behavior but are themselves victims. Rather than facing serious consequences, which parents often do not support anyway, students need to be understood and reminded to act justly.

Read More