Handling difficult situations at school

Abstract

This article deals with teachers’ conditions for handling the multi-faceted purpose of the school and working with situations where children experience problems at school. When age is used to divide children into classes, this seems to have the consequence that the teacher often stands alone in teaching situations and therefore deals with the many challenges and dilemmas in relation to the purpose of the school. Some situations may seem so difficult and deadlocked that they lead to mutual powerlessness and resignation among both children and adults. By analysing a different way of organising a school, this article illustrates how teachers at this school have different conditions and opportunities for handling difficult situations at school. In this connection, it seems that conditions for collaborating and organising in flexible ways make it possible to initiate processes, which lead to new understandings and opportunities for participation for children who experience problems at school.