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Guarding Against Depression

© Thomas Robertson

When the class is acting unruly is no time to get depressed. But how can you help it? It might be easier than you think: just be on the alert for cognitive distortions, or unfounded thoughts which tend to induce depression.

Here are some of the most common cognitive distortions as enumerated by David D. Burns (1980. 1985). I have applied each of these cognitive distortions for the present situation.

emotional reasoning

This is the tendency to say "I feel depressed, so I must have reason to feel depressed." Before I learned that I created my own feelings of depression, I thought that feelings of depression were planted in my mind as a punishment from God.

If student misbehavior depresses you, that could be because you are applying one or more of these cognitive distortions.

labeling

This refers to the tendency to slap uncomplimentary nouns and adjectives to yourself. If the students are currently misbehaving, that means you're weak and you're a lousy disciplinarian, right?

Before you say yes, let's apply that question to another teacher. If another teacher's class misbehaves, would you be so quick to label that teacher?

discounting the positive

This refers to the tendency to belittle one's own accomplishments or one's own good points. If a class has behaved before, you might say "that doesn't count."

should thinking

This is the tendency to take on inordinate responsibilities. Do you feel obligated to have all of your students behaving consistently? If you can, then either you're in a highly selective magnet school or you deserve to be canonized.

mind reading

This is the tendency to make hasty assumptions about what others are thinking of oneself. You have undoubtedly heard burnout victims say, "These kids are going to get you any way they can!"

I hope you will never say that. You will burn out a lot faster if you do.

emotional reasoning

This is the tendency to say "I feel depressed, so I must have reason to feel depressed." Before I learned that I created my own feelings of depression, I thought that feelings of depression were planted in my mind as a punishment from God.

If student misbehavior depresses you, that could be because you are applying one or more of these cognitive distortions.

fortune telling

This is the tendency to make gloomy predictions for oneself. Just because the class is misbehaving now, does that mean that the class will misbehave for the rest of the year? Not necessarily. When you are out of the classroom and free from the pressure, a simple solution may dawn on you.

The copyright of the article Guarding Against Depression in Classroom Discipline is owned by Thomas Robertson. Permission to republish Guarding Against Depression in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.