Without a sense of class unity the classroom atmosphere will either be teacher dominated, or one of restlessness. Many classrooms hover somewhat uncertainly between these two extremes.

Where there is harmony and a sense of togetherness an enormous amount of energy is set free which can be devoted to rewarding tasks.

'If there is any other situation and as fraught with danger for mental health as that of the class held rigid by fear, it is the class exposed to the anxieties engendered by unlimited or undefined freedom. There is nothing so terrifying to the immature human being as a completely unstructured situation. Without it (a recognisable structure), they feel the teacher has abandoned them - and so he has - to their own impulses, all of which are by no means always constructive'.

Mental Health in the Classroom. B Morris