How to Deal With a Difficult Child at School
Occasionally teachers encounter difficult children who don't abide by the rules. While challenging students make the day more difficult, don't take it personally. Children frequently act out, without taking into account your own feelings. After all, they are children and don't have full control of their emotions yet. Limit situations by creating a daily schedule so students know what to expect throughout the day. Let students know about changes in schedule ahead of time as this gives them the chance to switch gears, making it not such a shock.
Instructions
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Create rules for classroom behavior, and ensure that the students understand proper behavior.
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Monitor behavior. Offer rewards for good behavior and consequences for bad behavior. Institute a rewards system for good behavior as this focuses on the good instead of the bad behavior. For example, say something like "I really like the way Jenny is sitting up straight and doing her work quietly." Most students will sit up straighter and focus on their work more when you point it out.
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Minimize distractions by removing the loud student from the situation. Deal with the student in a less-public place where it won't disturb the other students from learning.
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Investigate to get at the root of the problem. Perhaps the child does not feel well or does not understand the classroom material. Learning disabilities or lack of understanding contributes to a lot of classroom behavior issues.
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Publicly praise the student for things well-done. This builds a relationship of trust and shows the student, and others, that you don't just keep track of bad student behaviors.
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