What not to do

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What not to do
By Carol

Let me share a No NO with you, at least for me. I find that children who misbehave are looking for attention, much of the time. Not giving it to them will help tame the behavior. After all, why do it, if you are not
getting the desired result.
OTOH, the child is crying out for recognition and this should be given but not at the expense of the class time. You could speak privately to the child but even better is to make the child important in the classroom. Give him a job (he has to earn it - you cannot reward a child for bad behavior), call on him a lot, praise him, find ways to focus on him in

a positive way. Everything must be honest though. False praise is easily seen through.

We do not want disruptive children to steal learning time from other children so if it is possible to deal with the behavior out of the classroom time or by a more subtle action take it. I tend to walk over to where the child is sitting and keep teaching. I don't say or do anything but I stand by the desk and continue the lesson. Most kids don't misbehave when you are in their "space".

One other suggestion is clarity and structure. Children like to know what is expected of them and if you are organized and expect this from them also, you have a much better chance of running a class that works well.

Keep the class busy. There always should be activity going on. Transitions must be smooth. Don't leave time for misbehavior. This is not as easy as it sounds but if you make it a priority, you can do it.

Good luck to you. Just get that discpline quickly. It is a lot harder to get a class back then to start off on the right foot.