Here at SCM we’ve long lamented strategies that limit the freedoms of difficult students. —Which include: Permanently moving their desk nearest the teacher. Not allowing them to work with certain students. Restricting their activities, movements, or access afforded other students. Now, it’s important to … Read more
Charming, stylish, and often athletically talented, entitled students believe they’re special and not subject to the same boundaries and expectations as others. Thus, they skirt the rules. They do less work. They speak and move as if princely treatment is their royal birthright. And … Read more
Here at SCM, we’re used to hearing horror stories from teachers. But the sheer number of emails we’ve received this past school year is like nothing we’ve ever seen. Students were different. There is no doubt about it. How? Just more of everything: Aggression … Read more
So you’re cruising along having a good day and a student pokes you with a stick. “What you said isn’t true.” “Shelby didn’t deserve a consequence.” “My old teacher did it this way.“ Statements like these, spoken with attitude, are meant to goad you … Read more
Since returning to in-person learning, respect has taken a nosedive. Students are just different. We all see it. We all know it. The question is, what to do about it? Well, the usual keys are still in play. Clear Boundaries 100% Consistency Calm Enforcement … Read more
My gosh, how they’re bounced around like a ship in a storm. Rewarded one minute, lectured the next. “Caught being good” then counseled. Punished then praised. Scolded then appeased then forced into another humiliating behavior contract. Tighten and loosen, tighten and loosen. Difficult students … Read more
It’s popping up more and more in IEPs and 504s. Called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), it’s marked by disobedient behavior toward authority. But what is it really? It’s a student who doesn’t want to be told what to do. They don’t want rules or … Read more
Extreme behavior. Impulsivity. Disrespect. Poor motivation. Attention issues. Hyperactivity. You name it, doesn’t matter. There is one strategy that works better than all others combined. It isn’t even close. Boasting maximum influence, this one thing renders every other effort to change behavior hardly worth … Read more