The Big Problem of Student Behavior

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Breakpoint
Host: John Stonestreet (Colson Center)
Episode Title: The Big Problem of Student Behavior
Date: March 27, 2025

In this episode, John Stonestreet examines the overlooked roots of destructive student behavior in U.S. public schools through the lens of a Christian worldview. While progressive ideologies and systemic issues within education often receive the blame, Stonestreet argues that the real and prior problem stems from broken family structures and a flawed understanding of human nature in secular educational models. He advocates for a Christian framework in education that recognizes the relational, fallen, and redeemable nature of humanity as the solution for lasting change in classroom discipline and culture.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Widespread Behavioral Problems in Schools

Timestamp: 00:00 – 01:00

• Stonestreet cites a post-COVID survey by the American Psychological Association:
  • 33% of teachers reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or violence.
  • Up to 22% of school staff experienced some form of student-initiated violence.
  • Nearly 50% of teachers considered leaving their jobs due to school safety issues.
• He frames destructive behavior as a widespread, urgent challenge in U.S. schools.

Quote:

“Another prior and perhaps bigger widespread problem is destructive classroom behavior by students.”
— John Stonestreet (00:16)

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2. Progressive Approaches and Their Limitations

Timestamp: 01:00 – 02:20

• He critiques current popular responses to the crisis:
  • Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), restorative justice, and restorative discipline practices focus on fairness, empathy, anti-racism, privilege, justice, and inclusion.
  • These philosophies are embedded in curricula, sometimes even in subjects like math.
  • They are rooted in secular humanism, assuming humans, left to themselves, will naturally choose kindness and fairness.
  • This leads to a reluctance to hold students meaningfully responsible for poor behavior, seeing them as victims of circumstance.

Quote:

“Secular educational models like these operate from a naturalistic worldview... a worldview that believes that humans who exist without a supreme Creator will naturally bend toward kindness, altruism, and fairness.”
— John Stonestreet (01:41)

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3. The Christian Worldview: Relationships and Restoration

Timestamp: 02:20 – 03:30

• Contrasts secular and Christian understandings of the human person:
  • The Christian worldview highlights our four foundational relationships: with God, with self, with others, and with creation.
  • Human beings are relational, reflecting the relational essence of the triune God.
  • The breakdown of these relationships due to the Fall is at the heart of destructive behavior.
  • Restoration, rather than just pragmatic conflict management, is what’s truly needed.

Quote:

“Just as God is relationship in his very essence, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so also humans do not merely do relationships. We are relational. The core of our problem is that, broken by the Fall, our relationships are also broken, and what we need is restoration.”
— John Stonestreet (02:36)

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4. Critique of Pragmatic Secular Solutions

Timestamp: 03:30 – 04:10

• Challenges the effectiveness of secular disciplinary policies:
  • They may work in the short term, especially when student behavior is managed or even medicated to reach compliance.
  • However, they fail to address the underlying reality of human brokenness.
  • Real and lasting change can only happen when the deeper spiritual and relational issues are healed.

Quote:

“Pragmatic approaches... might work in the short term, especially given our propensity... to medicate students so quickly toward acceptable behavior, but they do not address the core of who human beings are and what they really need.”
— John Stonestreet (03:37)

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5. The Opportunity—and Responsibility—of Christian Education

Timestamp: 04:10 – 05:00

• The current dissatisfaction with public education creates a unique moment for Christian schools and educators.
• Christian education can and must offer a better, fundamentally different vision, grounded in true anthropology and the possibility of redemption and reconciliation.
• References T.S. Eliot: "Every answer to the question what is education? Is based on an answer to a prior question: what is man?"
• Invites teachers to a Colson Center program designed to help them integrate Christian worldview into their teaching and classroom culture.

Quote:

“The current widespread disillusionment with the educational status quo... offers an incredible opportunity for Christian schools and Christian educators. However, that means that Christian education has to offer something substantially different and something substantially better.”
— John Stonestreet (04:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the core issue:

  “Like everywhere else, broken relationships are the root cause of most behavior problems in the classroom.”
  — John Stonestreet (03:53)

• On the basis of education:

  “Every answer to the question what is education? Is based on an answer to a prior question, what is man?”
  — Quoting T.S. Eliot (04:34)

• On what Christian educators should offer:

  “A framework that offers reconciliation and restoration, the real kind that’s needed for lasting change.”
  — John Stonestreet (04:06)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Destructive student behavior statistics: 00:15–01:00
• Critique of secular behavioral models: 01:00–02:00
• Description of the Christian worldview of relationships: 02:20–03:30
• Critique of pragmatic, short-term fixes: 03:30–04:10
• Opportunity for Christian education: 04:10–05:00

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Tone & Language

Stonestreet’s commentary is thoughtful, rooted in Christian doctrine, and both critical and hopeful. He balances critique of secular models with a positive vision for Christian education, using scriptural references and gentle exhortation to encourage listeners.

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Final Takeaway

Stonestreet argues that student behavior problems are symptomatic of deeper relational and spiritual brokenness—issues best addressed within a Christian framework of education. He suggests that the failures of secular educational models present a significant opportunity for Christian schools to step in with approaches focused not just on outward behavior, but on the restoration of relationships and whole persons.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to breakpoint, a daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. Conservatives often blame the systemic failings of US Public schools on things like wokeness or other progressive indoctrinations that masquerade as education, and there's plenty of blame to be laid there. However, another prior and perhaps bigger widespread problem is destructive classroom behavior by students. According to a Post Covid survey conducted by the American Psychological association, which included nearly 15,000 pre K12 teachers, administrators, staff and counselors, 33% of teachers reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or violence, while 18% of school psychologists, 15% of school administrators, and 22% of other school staff reported at least one violent incident by a student. End quote. The survey also revealed that nearly 50% of all teachers hope to quit or transfer jobs due to school safety concerns. While the root cause of student behavior problems is the widespread breakdown of American families, the adoption of critical theory adjacent ideology in the classroom have only made it worse. Behavioral adjustment approaches that often go by names like social and emotional learning or restorative justice in Education or restorative discipline in the classroom. Reframe classroom discipline around notions of things like fairness, empathy, anti racism, privilege, justice, and inclusion. In some schools, these ideas are baked into every part of the curriculum, including math. Secular educational models like these operate from a naturalistic worldview, specifically ideas that were birthed from secular humanism, a worldview that believes that humans who exist without a supreme Creator will naturally bend toward kindness, altruism, and fairness. In this view, students should not be held responsible for bad behavior, at least not in any significant way, because they themselves are victims rather than consequences which parents often do not support anyway. Students should be understood and reminded to act justly within a Christian worldview. There is a radically different understanding of human relationships, what has been broken between them and how they might be restored. A central aspect of being made in God's image, at least according to the opening chapters of Scripture, are four created relationships that we all relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, with others, and with the rest of creation. Just as God is a relationship in his very essence, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so also humans do not merely do relationships. We are relational. The core of our problem is that, broken by the Fall, our relationships are also broken, and what we need is restoration. This understanding of humanity offers a far more accurate context for human behavior. In a naturalistic worldview, human beings are merely highly functioning animals, so conflict resolution is a matter of pragmatism whatever works, brings peace, as if student behavior can be corrected through broad disciplinary policies in which no one is really guilty. Now, pragmatic approaches like this might work in the short term, especially given our propensity these days to medicate students so quickly toward acceptable behavior, but they do not address the core of who human beings are and what they really need. Like everywhere else, broken relationships are the root cause of most behavior problems in the classroom. So Christian educators have a much better framework to address the underlying broken relationships that are at stake, a framework that offers reconciliation and restoration, the real kind that's needed for lasting change. A central reason that reimagined secular models do not deliver the results that they promise is that they are based on a flawed understanding of the human person. After all, as T.S. eliot observed decades ago, every answer to the question what is education? Is based on an answer to a prior question, what is man? The current widespread disillusionment with the educational status quo in America offers an incredible opportunity for Christian schools and and Christian educators. However, that means that Christian education has to offer something substantially different and something substantially better. The Colson Educators Program forms Christian teachers to offer what is different and what is better. Educators can begin with a free online self paced course called Worldview Formation 101. In this course, educators learn to understand the ultimate goal of worldview formation, develop lesson plans that incorporate Christian worldview, and create a classroom culture where students faith can grow deep and wide. Sign up for this Worldview Formation course [e-mail] that's colsoneducators.org for the Colson Center. I'm John Stonestreet with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co authored by Billy Hutchinson. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast, and to learn more about the Colson educators program, visit colsoneducators.org.

[B]

We'Re not living in a Christian Friendly Culture what does it look like for the church to be faithful in a culture that doesn't acknowledge Christianity as a good thing? To answer that question, we're offering a new free ebook, Being the Church in a Post Christian Culture. This short, clarifying book provides an explanation of the church's identity and mission according to scripture. Because if we misunderstand the purpose of the church, we will fail to represent God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. If you want to help the Church be the church, download your free copy of Being the Church in a Post Christian [e-mail] church.