Things to avoid

• Yell at a student… ok to raise your voice to get attention but yelling at a student is not ok
• Avoid belittling students in front of others… try and address behaviour separate from the main class
• Avoid favouritism and sarcasm

You are the authority in the classroom responsible for their safety, so do address unsafe behaviour quickly and appropriately

Students learn better in a safe and respectful environement

• Our goal is to have a safe and respectful environment for our students
• We need to set the example of respectful interactions.
• I have seen many times where teachers demand obedience and respect without giving any to the student
• It is particularly hard to do this when a student is already being disrespectful

It all starts with expectations

• Make sure you set everything up well at the beginning of the year and remind students of the expectations frequently
• Possibly mention each relevant section for each lesson
• Then stick to what has been set up, but apply it with equity NOT equally
• Explain “fair” to the students it will help them understand your approach

Address root-causes NOT just the symptoms

• Poor behaviour is often the result of something else this could be:
  • Feeling disempowered
  • Broken relationships (family, romantic, friends etc)
  • Medical reasons
  • Learning difficulties
  • Boredom 
  • Etc

Provide a correct way they could address the cause

• Once the root is identified, provide the student with various ways they could have expressed or addressed this that is safe and respectful:
  • Make a clear statement
  • Ask the teacher for help
  • Alert the teacher of a need to “escape”
  • Organise a meeting to address the issue
  • etc

Restore relationships – Where appropriate

• Have the person who was disrespected or worse provide a description of what they would like to happen to the student (not that it will happen but to identify the level of offense etc)
• Hold meetings with the students that seek to allow both sides to communicate their perspective on what happened, and how it made them feel.
• Try to develop empathy and perspective with each student or even the teacher and the student and find a solution that will allow them to move forward
• Consequences should still follow and should aim to help restore the relationship that has been broken, and develop the student’s maturity.

Students learn through the issue

• Not only does poor behaviour impact the classroom, but it is important to remember that students will learn how to deal with conflict by how you model it to them.
• We are teaching students how to modify their behaviour to be respectful and safe and they are learning
• The system is against us. If kids have been sitting still for 6 hours, you are bound to have a difficult last period of the day… so plan for it. Do something that meets them where they are.