Let’s face it—students get into trouble. And when they get into trouble, you call it out. And suddenly, you’re the problem. It’s your fault. They did absolutely nothing wrong.
“What did I do?!”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Ugh!”
It can make you feel frustrated, angry, weak, and small.
But before you feel it, you should address it. Let’s run through some common scenarios that teachers face today, as well as some quick tricks to try the next time it happens.
What Behaviors Should Teachers Address?
It’s not IF a teacher will deal with behavior issues on a given day—it’s when and what kind of behavior they will see.
Extreme behaviors need to involve administrators and parents. For this article, I’d like to focus on the behaviors you can handle within your classroom:
- talking back
- sighing
- groaning
- clicking their tongue
- kicking walls/tables
- stomping feet
- tapping pencils
- blurting out
- talking with their friends during instruction
- sneezing ridiculously loudly
- getting up for no good reason
- throwing things
- poking each other with pencils
- crinkling water bottles
And the list goes on.
I want you to know you are not alone. The truth is, students want control, and some students will run you into the ground to get it.
If you have a student who constantly asks “Why?” when you tell them to do something, or groans, rolls their eyes, and flat out refuses to do it, please understand that this is usually because they have not set their own moral boundaries.
It is not your job to teach them these basic human skills, but it is your job to set up consequences and keep order.
How to Address Behavior: the Quick Rundown
There are a few simple steps to turning things around in your classroom. Here’s my cheat sheet:
- Make a list with the class of hurtful and disruptive behaviors that make learning and teaching difficult
- Set a clear routine for when students commit one of those acts. Here are some possibilities. Have the student:
- Redo the task
- Sit by themselves for the current task
- Go to a Buddy Room
- Contact their parents about their behavior
- Sit in assigned seating
- Walk laps at recess
- Give assigned consequence after ONLY 1 warning
- Praise ALL who are following the rules with crazy positivity
- Always say thank you to students after they’ve fixed their behavior
- Tie everything into their future. “If you did this at a job, what would happen?“
And that’s it.
Let me walk you through a few examples.
Addressing the Behavior: Scenario 1
We come in from recess, and my class gets noisy. I countdown from 5, then use my attention grabber, but I only get one student to respond. “Thank you, <student>! Class, <attention grabber>!”
And by then, I may only have one or two students still talking through it. I then remind those specific students, calling them by name, my expectations for my attention grabber and maybe give them a quick chance to practice my expectation.
I begin talking, but so does one of the students that kept talking earlier. I call them by name and ask them calmly to go sit at my spot that I have reserved for students who need time to sit alone.
I then continue my instruction.
Addressing the Behavior: Scenario 2
We are walking into the class when a student decided to run or jump or do something else disruptive on the way in.
“<Student>, come try again.”
Student talks back, “What?! I didn’t do nothing! Ugh!”
Without breaking eye contact, I point to where I need them to come back to, and remind them my expectation is for them to follow my directions. They did not follow my directions the first time, so they will need to try again.
Sometimes, I don’t even respond verbally to backtalk, because it may give them more fuel.
Addressing the Behavior: Scenario 3
Students come into the classroom and begin to put their bags in their cubbies. Two of them square up to play fight.
I walk in, and clearly call their names.
“<Student 1>, go to Room 112. <Student 2>, go to Room 113.”
After the two of them have successfully made it to the assigned buddy rooms, I send a note to the teachers in those rooms with an explanation, as well as a simple think sheet or paper and pencils.
When they finish, they come back. I have them sit by themselves until I’ve had a chance yo process with them.
I ask, “Why did I send you to the buddy room?”
If they answer honestly, they can return to their seat with the expectation that they will not be repeating the behavior.
If they shrug or refuse to answer, I tell them, “I can see you’re not ready to process with me. I’ll come back.”
I follow up after each class activity.
Pro tip: Address Behavior Without “Mercy”
The only tough part about this method is actually doing it.
You may feel tempted to let things slide, or not actually follow up with the expectations you set. Students can come up with a million excuses as to why they broke your rules, with each one getting more and more convincing.
But remember, giving them a free pass now is teaching them that you don’t really mean it.
You must be a brick wall that they can’t break down. They need to feel how firm your expectations are. When they do, you’ll start to feel a change.
Wrapping Up
Don’t give up! You are strong enough, smart enough, kind enough, and good enough for this.
Whenever you start to feel frustrated, re-evaluate. When they stop listening, bring the rules you set up together back up. They need several reminders.
Be patient. With them and with yourself.
And…
Be firm and unyielding. Set a consequence, then do it.
Good luck! Happy teaching!
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