How can I help my Rebel / Reactor child succeed in a Workaholic / Persister education system?
Step One – Awareness: Educate your child about the Workaholic / Persister personality types. A Rebel / Reactor student is going to hear a lot of “you need tos,” and “you shoulds.” When you help your child understand the language and behavior of stressed and distressed Workaholics and Persisters, then they have the power of knowledge and the ability to not take things personally.
Step Two - Self-Care: Teach your child how to survive and be self-ful. Persisters and Workaholics make up a large portion of teachers and administrators, especially in secondary and post-secondary education. Only when the teachers are getting their psychological needs met can they make the necessary adjustments to connect with the Rebels and Reactors in their classrooms. Teach your child to get his personal psychological needs met before, during and after school in healthy, appropriate ways. Rebels need Playful Contact. Your rebel can make a game out of how many times he hears the word “need.” He can keep a stress ball to squeeze during class. Encourage him to listen to music between classes or at lunch. Reactors need Recognition of Person and Sensory. She will feel energized when she can wear clothes that are comfortable and make her feel good. She’ll be able to focus better when she is able to spend time socializing with friends during breaks and lunch.
Step Three – New Skills: Teach children how to connect with, and motivate their Persister and Workaholic teachers. In business we call this “leading up.” It happens through channels, perceptions, and motivational needs. To the Persister teacher, your rebel could say, “What do you believe would be the best way to prepare for this test?” or “I really appreciate your dedication to helping me.” To the Workaholic teacher, “What information do you want from me?” or “Thank you for all the time you spent with me.” While it may not seem like it should be the student’s job to meet the teacher’s needs, doing so can help the teacher more easily adjust their style to meet the student’s needs. And, it helps students feel empowered to influence the outcome of their education.
Step Four – Share your success stories! If you have a success story or technique for helping different personality types succeed in the classroom, will you submit your comments? Also, we recommend the book, Here’s How to Reach Me: Matching Instruction to Personality Types in your Classroom.
