Troublemakers Discussion

“Troublemakers is in many ways an exploration of the ways in which schools are too often institutions of separation, erasure, and exclusion, not love and freedom.”



Throughout Troublemakers we are introduced to the lives of students who are often labeled as a "troublemaker" by their teachers and peers. The first time a student is labeled as a troublemaker is when the separation from their peers begins to happen. Usually when a student acts out in class the teacher disciplines them by sending them to "take a break". By doing so the student is already being separated from their peers physically and there is an unsaid label being placed on them that can cause separation socially.

Teachers are in a difficult place when it comes to discipline because they have to adhere to the schools' rules even if they know that it is not the most beneficial approach. There can be classroom rules, however in most schools the classroom rules are based off of the school.