I deal with students like this everyday. If you kick him out of the class then sure enough this is exactly what he wants, as it will bring alot of attention from you and others. Dont give him this satisfaction.

There must be some underlining factor to his behaviour. You need to get his file and do a little investigating. If you cant then refer him to the school counsellor and make sure you follow up on it.

It is not wise to get physical with this child as it will only cause matter to get worse. What you need to do is to help him as best as you can. Speak soflty to him and do not shout even when he is at the top of his voice. Do not act intimidating or condescending either, just show that you care and inspite of his actions you will not give up on him.

Do not allow him to see that his beahaviour is causing you to get upset. Believe it or not, many students love to see when their teacher is upset as it means that they can push them around.

Since you cannot ignore the behaviour completly, you might want to try and treat the issue with a lot more care. First off, try to be kind to him/her. Do not treat this child the way he treats you as this will not give him any alternatives to his actions. Be gentle and firm with the rules and make no exceptions.

You may also try to find out the reasons beyond his behaviour. Somehow i believe that he has a lot going on for him now. Find out if he behaves like this in other clases. Maybe he just needs someone to talk to.

I really do wish you all the best.

I’m a teacher at a title 1 school (poverty). This last year I had two students who were defiant, problematic, violent, etc. In the beginning I yelled, this was a huge mistake. I learned to stay calm, whisper whenever possible, draw as little attention as possible to the student, and use a lot of positive reinforcement.

I hope by now you also have contacted the parents. Don’t make excuses for not talking to the parents. I have to get translators every time I have a parent meeting, and sometimes I even have to meet them at a different location. Also, problem children and their parents BOTH need positive reinforcement. Find something to compliment at EVERY meeting. Example: John is very smart, I can tell you work with him at home, however, …….

When your dealing with defiance tell the child what to do in a stern, quite voice and immediatley say thank you before they ever do the task. This makes the child feel obligated to do it.

Every Friday I give “rewards” to the students. Find some reason to give your problem child something. I did this and the little girl was so shocked that when she came to class monday she would not stop talking about the reward she got.

I am a teacher in New Zealand and know how you feel. We have a saying here- ‘dont smile till Easter!’ As our year begins in February we are strict on the first day, and then at around easter time we ease back abit, but still remain firm and fair. From day one you dont let the kids move an inch. On the first day you tell them the rules, your expectations and standards and what the punishments are if they step out of line. You stamp on every thing- no matter how small and you have to ‘Stick to your guns’ and follow through with punishments- I swear it works, in the long run your class runs smoothly, behaviour isnt a problem and your kids respect you for it! Ive found kids love boundaries- not only so they can see how far they can push them and break them, but because they want to see if you really care enough to stop and disipline them. Hope this helps 🙂

It seems the School’s social environment makes it impossible to connect with an individual Student anyway. If there is no model of conduct to be found and most of your job is trouble shooting.

I have dealt with similar situations in the classroom but only by the skin of my teeth as we say!.I would ask my class a serious of random questions of a Topical or current nature, (some even provocative but within measure), at the beginning of every lesson. I did not single out the Firestarter in each case but simply monitored his reactions , eventually i could get him interact, at first in conflict but within time, constructively. The entire class had also settled into a simple, passive routine which made an enormous and positive difference to the whole classroom dynamic. It required a lot patience and tolerance however and some intensive research into what’s ‘cool’ or topical and not forgetting the Students friends and aquaintances, that’s always good feed-back.

It’s a small hope…but, it worked for me.

I hope it inspires an idea at least, Good luck!

I think that if a teacher has a rebellious student they should talk to the parents and try doing things for her /// Getting her involved in the class situation as much as you can. Let her awenser problems and if she gets out of hand set after school detention or a slip to go see the principal or Guidance councilor. Students like this need to be handled we have way to many of them, but the secret is that some children or teens may have things going on that they don’t like either friends parents or a difficulty in school and they take it out on other things and get mad and moody that is why you should try talking to her after class reassuring her that you are there to talk any time she needs to. That is also very important that a child or teen knows they have somewhere to go

Usually these kids are the ones that have been talked to the most, but listened to the least. They are neglected at home and are trying to get any kind of attention they can wherever they go. The solution is to meet with the student after class (if possible) and try to get the student to do the talking. If you can get this student to open up to you, you may be able to gain their respect and cooperation in class. However, it will require a great deal of patience on your part. Ask the child to help in class whenever you think they can handle it and call on them when you feel that they may be prepared to give appropriate answers. This may help to give them some positive attention (that they are probably in great need of) and to boost their self esteem.

The administrators and the counselors of your school should help you out! I’m wondering, is this a regular school? I had students like that when I was teaching in classrooms that were part of a psychiatric hospital for children and teens. We always had “backup” nearby, people who were there just to handle kids who were out of control. If others (teachers, counselors, administration) are not aware of this kid’s behavior problems, bring this to their attention immediately. Teachers should not be asked to put up with this behavior, since dealing with it takes time from other students and stresses everyone out. You and your other students are in danger of being harmed by this student. He needs special attention, but not in your classroom!

i teach in an alternative school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders… believe me – i know what you are feeling.

you need to set up a strict behavioral plan. use rewards. use lack of those rewards as consequences.

one idea… give green chips (or laminated paper circles) for positive behavior, and red for negative behavior. at the end of a week, 2 weeks, 1 month… have an auction. the green chips and red chips kinda cancel each other out. if the student is positive, he can buy something.

have a Fabulous Friday. if the student does A. B. and C. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning, then the student can play games or watch a movie on Friday afternoon. the entire middle school where i work does this.

i use a point system. students can earn 216 points in a day based on their behavior. those points add up from day to day. they are allowed to use their points to “buy” things such as candy, chips, pop in class, computer time, free time, wearing a hoodie in school, listening to IPOD during the day… if they loose to many points in a day, deliberately break the rules of “buying” things, or get into a physical restraint, i do not allow them to buy anything on that day or the following day. in addition my students work every 3 weeks for another reward such as a pizza party or ice cream party. they must complete all their work and earn an average of 90% of their points.

It sounds as though this student may have welfare issues that are affecting his ability to be an effective student. You also need to consider whether the work is too hard? What style of learner is he? Does he like the more tactile type of tasks? His behaviour is attention seeking, masking other issues. Have you tried a one to one chat and maybe try to work out some goals with him?

It’s difficult dealing with such students and you usually have to try various strategies…Good Luck

The first thing I see here is you need to win the trust of this individual. Break up the class into groups (at least three more is better) and have this individual be the group leader. Have this individual make some sort of a conclusion and have him discuss it in front of the class. Good luck!