This is the second column addressing how to manage difficult and reoccurring problems with students in classrooms and other places in school.

Calling Out/Not Raising Hands: 
Make this part of the classroom rules on the first day of school. highlight this infraction as serious to classroom operation and manners. One verbal warning results in removal from the class. Talk with students about manners and success in the workplace. Be respectful of those who have the courage to share their opinions with the class and use good manners by raising their hands. 

Hyperactivity:
Let students sit wherever they want on the first few days of school to allow them to get comfortable.  Once this has happened, they start to fall into their own habits. This becomes the best sign for a teacher to see who is causing the distractions or is more hyperactive than another. Now is the best time to change their seat. Sit boys between girls who they don’t like. The same goes for hyperactive girls. Placing them between boys they don’t like usually brings the noise level down.  In Physical Education, you would have the students stand next to their friends, then count every other head and have that be the seating arrangement or team.  This way the “friends” are a distance from one another and the distractions are less.

Obscenities/Bad Language: 
Immediate intervention when seen or heard is absolutely necessary. Verbally warn the student in front of the class so everyone sees by your immediacy and public sanction how serious this infraction is. Demand a public apology.  Make sure the student understands that you will make an immediate referral if it happens again. Write up the referral slip and leave it on your desktop. Bad language is a habit that can be corrected with consequences and practice. If bad language is ignored, it will become more frequent and offensive. 

Problems in the Hallway:
Stand in the hall and welcome students to your room on the first day of school. A welcoming teacher face can calm and relieve a student. Most problems occur between students passing in the hallways. The hallway/door positions the teacher to see and listen for problems in the hallway. When the bell rings make sure the hallways are clear and close your door behind you. The door closing signals to the class that you are ready to open the session and their attention required. 

Talking Back: 
Under no circumstances should a teacher allow a student to be verbally disrespectful.  If it happens, and you feel when it happens, the best approach is the following: “Regardless of the issue at hand, what you just said to me has moved us to another level of consequence. Pick up your stuff an wait for me outside the class.”  This is why you have Building Principals or Dean’s of Students. Phone or call someone to come to your room.  Hand them over to whomever comes. Call or email their parents and describe what happened. Demand an apology in front of the students who heard the disrespectful talk.

Class Clowning: 
All the students in the class know this student and not every class has one. This is probably a smart student with a sense of humor who has established some identity based on their behavior in other classes.  An out-of-control classroom clown is someone who makes jokes at the expense of others. They make fun of student questions or answers. This needs to be stopped immediately. Stop the behavior in class and tell the student after class that you do not appreciate and will not allow making fun of student questions or answers.  Make the consequences serious and enforce the expectations. This is “soft bullying.” The student with humor has become the student who hurts people’s feelings. 

Bullying: 
We are going to devote a couple of columns to bullying, in part because it takes so many forms, but, for now, know this: Bullies know when and how to bully outside the surveillance of teachers and administrators. So, teachers must present themselves as safe harbors from bullies and bullying. Tell your students that if they feel they are being bullied or observe and bullying, they can and should come to you with the problem. The information age has introduced an entirely new form of bullying that is borderline undetectable and uncontrollable if it is not reported.  You must be someone students can trust to talk to about what they see and hear at school.

School Fights: 
Fights are frightening. Girl fights seem to start faster than boy fights. But, they are no less consequential.  If you are in the hall, you can hear one start. Move quickly. Yell  Tell some students to go get a teacher or administrative help.  Separate kids as best you can. Get kids near you to help if they will. Your presence and voice will often stun fighting students into stopping. Once it has stopped, and help has arrived, try to find out what and who started it.  

Recess/Gym/Band/ Sports:
There is no substitute for surveillance and proximity.  If you are engaged with the students in their games, you have an even better chance of controlling things.  Stand where you can see the places hardest to see.  If you get caught up talking with colleagues, you will lose sight of the trouble makers. Taking the time to observe a difficulty student in gym, band practice or during after school sports gives you something to talk about with them besides schoolwork.  They will see you and appreciate the fact that you took time to enjoy what they enjoy. 

Part 1 is here.

Sean Brooks is a Health Education teacher at Punta Gorda Middle School in Punta Gorda, Florida. He advises the Conflict/Violence Prevention Focus Group for participating PGMS students and coaches intramural sports. He is an Associate with Partners In Learning.

 
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