Being an elementary grade school teacher is never easy. We face constant lesson planning, late night grading, and endless times of needing to use the restroom. Yet, the hardest things that we face are the daily behavior problems that come across us during the day.
We face a student struggling with pushing through tears. We interact with a student who screams and yells at the top of their lungs. We encounter a student who throws things out of their desk and refuses our help. So how do we handle these situations? What do we do to continue through our day and keep our class focused and on schedule?
Here are the Top 3 Easiest Ways to Solve Behavior Problems:
1.Check it Out
Check the Situation and ask yourself these questions:
What’s causing their conduct? What started it? Was it another child? Is the student feeling frustrated because they don’t understand the material? Are they angry because of a mistake they made? Are they internally battling something? Why is the child exhibiting this behavior?
Are they stopping other children from working or learning? Is their behavior distracting the other students? Are the students unable to focus? If so, then make sure the behavior is dealt with right away. Any behavior that inhibits learning is a detriment to the class’s productivity.
Are they going to hurt other students? Are they kicking or hitting? If so, make sure they’re separated from rest of the class and everyone is safely out of the way.
Are they going to hurt themselves? Are they hitting themselves up against something? Are they saying something that sounds like they may danger themselves? If so, restrain the child from hurting themselves and inform the principal and parents right away.
2. Call Out for Wisdom
Ask God how to handle it!
Seriously though, every child and situation we face will be different. Ask God not only what to do and how to do it.
What will work best for the student and the scenario? Honestly, the easiest thing to do is to ignore it. Most of the time (not all of the time), the student is doing it for attention. When they are ignored they usually stop, regroup, and join into the lesson.
However, that doesn’t always work. Sometimes (well…let’s be honest, all of the time) we need to ask God for help. Asking Him to give us wisdom on whether to use a stern voice or a comforting tone. Asking Him to give us wisdom on whether or not to keep teaching or to tune into the child. Asking Him to give us wisdom on what kind of discipline to implement or whether we should contact the parents or get the principal involved. Asking Him to give us wisdom, power, and strength enables us to do our best for Him.
3. Continue!
Get together with the parents, the principal, and the administration and come up with an action plan. Make sure the action plan includes a punishment for misbehavior, an incentive for good behavior, and a way to keep a child accountable to the parents and teacher. Once you have an action plan, stick to it!!
Don’t give up on your action plan after day two or three. Stick with it for at least two weeks before adjusting or making changes!
Many times, teachers change their discipline tactics around time and time again because they don’t results right away. But why don’t they see results right away? Easy, it’s because the child doesn’t know what to expect next. The child continues with their behavior simply to see what happens. Children need consistency, so give it to them. Make sure the repercussions are clear ahead of time, that they have something to motivate them towards good behavior, and that they understand that their parents and the principal are involved in rooting them on.
Those are the Top 3 Ways to Solve Behavior Problems! So don’t give up! Don’t give in! God can use you in your students lives to change them, mold them, and shape them for His work and His use!
What works in your classroom? What tips and tricks have you used? Comment below and share with a fellow teacher. Let’s help each other teach creatively!
Teaching Creativity 