Shoving our way into young people’s lives

Abstract

This paper uses Sizer and Sizer’s concept of ‘shoving’ to examine the school experiences of a group of young people who left mainstream school early and some time later enrolled in an alternative educational setting designed to reengage early school leavers in formal learning. ‘Shoving’ is a way to explain why so many young people feel alienated in the school setting and consequently disengage from formal learning. It is used here to describe the rude, confrontational, disrespectful behaviour that many young people experience at school from peers, teachers and rigid school systems. For the young people involved in this study, the dominant school culture is perceived as ‘aggressive’, unfair and condescending; as a forceful political and relational dynamic where interactions are typically battles for control. Like any rich metaphor, ‘shoving’ is multi‐dimensional and ambiguous. It also has a crucial dimension; a sense of being proactive and deeply moral. If educators intend to combat issues related to disengagement and early school leaving, they must position themselves to shove on behalf of young people.

Keywords:

• students
• disengagement
• alienation
• relationships
• school culture

Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank the students and teachers at Connexions for their insightful contributions.