So you have this student who seemingly at every break wants to share critical information with you. Sometimes it’s an observation. “The heater is making a strange clicking sound.” Sometimes it’s a suggestion. “I think you should line the class up in alphabetical order.” … Read more
You give and you give. You give your patience and humor. You give your positivity and respect. You give your heart and hope for their future. And they discard it. They crumble it up and toss it in the trash. They meet your smile, … Read more
You can encourage them. You can empathize with them. You can coax and cajole them. You can gently ask if there is anything bothering them or keeping them from trying. You can lighten their load, bribe them with incentives, or offer choices, accommodations, and … Read more
Neediness can seem amplified the first month of the school year. Your new class is younger than the group you finished with just weeks before. And many come to you from teachers who coddled, over-helped, and rewarded them into apathy and dependence. Even if … Read more
It’s normal to feel angry. How could you not? You have a student who is ruining your school year. They’re disruptive every day. They’re rude and disrespectful. They cause more problems, more chaos, and more disorder than the rest of your class put together. … Read more
Difficult students feel different from their classmates. As if, they don’t quite fit in. They don’t have the same capabilities. They don’t have the same level of self-control or interest in school. And yet, the most common advice given to teachers to help these … Read more
I often hear from teachers who in long missives describe awful behavior towards them. They describe angry, argumentative, and aggressively disrespectful students. Students who tell them off and try to disrupt and sabotage their class. Students who roll their eyes and refuse to look … Read more
There is a strategy that builds strong, behavior-influencing rapport with virtually any student. Guarded, angry, painfully shy, behaviorally difficult . . . It works with even the most challenging students. It doesn’t take much time or forethought to put into practice. But it can … Read more