Have you heard of pressure passes? They’re slips of red or yellow paper that allow difficult students to leave your classroom anytime they like. Yep, they just flash you the pass and then walk out. They’re all the rage among counselors and administrators, who … Read more
Difficult students need your leadership. They need your consistency. They need your honesty, your forgiveness, and your unwavering belief in them. They need your fixed boundaries, your steady, predictable presence, your faithful accountability, and your commitment to doing what is right by them and … Read more
Much of your success with difficult students hinges on what you don’t do. But this is no easy task, because some of the most popular and commonly used strategies fall into this category. When seemingly everyone around you, including your closest teacher chums, is … Read more
So you have this student who seems determined to ruin your school year. He (or she) is blatantly disrespectful. He makes fun of and laughs at other students. He’s rude and silly. He’s argumentative and attention-seeking. He is well known by every staff member … Read more
The student stands wordlessly, eyes averted, still smarting from yet another backslide as the earnest teacher softens the blows of the student’s many transgressions. Listing positive attributes, offering reassurances, buoying spirits, the teacher seeks the slightest spark of understanding, the slightest recognition indicating that … Read more
Effective classroom management requires you to hold difficult students accountable beyond just the four walls of your classroom. Washing your hands of misbehavior that “technically” doesn’t happen on your watch—at recess or with the art teacher, for example—sends the message that you don’t really … Read more
So you have a new student this year who is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It’s as if he (or she) has never been to school before. He is needy, highly emotional, and aggravating to other students. He misbehaves when you turn your back. … Read more
We had a large email response to a recent article called, How To Talk To Difficult Students. Most readers emailed to express how much easier dealing with difficult students had become after putting the suggestions to use. But others wanted specifics. They wanted to … Read more