Exploration of Teachers' Metaphorical Images of Anger: Helping Teachers Support Students

Abstract

Anger has become a serious problem in today's schools. As children and youth carry their anger into the classrooms and onto the playing fields, educators experience increasing levels of stress, tension, helplessness, frustration and, at times, fear. Attempts to address this problem generally require introducing anger management programs into schools. This paper describes a study that explored the use of metaphor as a strategy for enhancing teachers’ capacity to work with students as they express and learn to manage their anger. The participants reported that they found the process highly effective for themselves and, very frequently, for their students. Metaphors were used as an avenue for detachment which provided a clarity and lead to alternatives previously thought not to exist. Metaphors were also utilized by the educators as a means of reflecting on themselves as well as on their students, and in one case, as a communicative device. This process helped to transform the educators’ relationships to anger and to their angry students.

Key words:

• Anger
• images
• teachers