February 2, 2010

Handling Misbehaviour in Class

Dominique Thoughts

It can be extremely torturous dealing with a hyper lot in class. The different personalities and upbringing of the 42 individuals in my class often leads to classes of opinions.

Almost daily I have to take the role of judge and jury as I try to maintain peace within the four walls.  It is really mentally and physical exhausting having to deal with the same errant children over and over again.

Through my career I have come across three main types of students who constantly misbehave in class.

The Clown

This student loves having attention on himself even though it maybe for the wrong reasons. He does silly actions and loves to have other pupils laugh at his lame jokes or behaviour.

The Elephant

This student can and does get physically or verbally abusive with other pupils in class. He enjoys playing the bully and destroying other pupils property and happiness.  He behaves like a bull in a china shop leaving a trail of destruction.

The Mad Hatter

The typical chatterbox who will talk about anything and everything. He doesn’t have an “off” switch and the volume which he talks can be extremely loud and distracting for others around him.

What I have realized is that there are similarities between these three personalities. What these students  are craving is for immediate attention and positive or negative affirmation. They may not receive “sufficient” love and attention at home, therefore they seek such “attention” in class.

To keep misbehaviour to a minimal in the class I have set  class rules since the start of the term.

The students follow a 3 strike system.

Strike 1– Verbal warning  is given to the student to stop the misbehaviour.

Strike 2– The student’s name is written on the board and he would have to stay back after class for a “talk”

Strike 3– The student’s parent is called up and told about the misbehaviour in class.

By implementing such a system it has helped me keep my cool and get less distracted by these “side attractions” in class.

How do you handle misbehaviour in class?