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
It’s among the most requested topics we have yet to cover. How do you handle a student who questions you, your decisions, or the way you run your classroom? How do you respond when you know their motives are less than pure? When you … Read more
So you have this student who disrupts your class every day. They’re a constant annoyance. You spend more time dealing with them than any ten students put together. You think about them in your off hours. You talk about them with your spouse. They … Read more
It happens every day in classrooms from Fresno to Kathmandu. The teacher pulls aside their most difficult student for a private meeting. Sometimes it’s a lecture. Sometimes it’s a pep-talk. Sometimes it’s to threaten or praise or question like a trial lawyer. But in … Read more
Eye rolls, deep sighs, melodramatic body language . . . They’re responses to teacher requests or reminders (i.e. “Please put your backpack away.”) that aren’t quite disrespectful. But darn close. Sometimes they’re accompanied by a sarcastic “Sorry!” or “Oh my gosh!” They’re delivered indirectly … Read more
You offer encouragement. You give reminders. You supply wisdom and inspiration you hope will make an impact. But your words fall on deaf ears. Nothing you say to your most challenging students seems to make a difference. They continue to misbehave, ignore your advice, … Read more