Daily Helping:
Week 05 (January 29 - February 04):
During this 7 day period, consider the need for understanding difficult students. Often, teachers will resort to yelling and other behavioral manifestations that only make things worse. Students can undoubtedly have frustrating behavior and our response as professionals is such that we must do everything we can to encourage our youth and model for them the more excellent way. What is the more excellent way in relationship to confronting and dealing with difficult student behavior? First, it is important to note that often times adults who are inconvenienced by student behavior(s) respond to the behavior not because they care about the needs of the student but because they are annoyed. As understandable as this can be, we need to be concerned with the cause behind the effect of difficult student behavior. What if your student, as a child, is dealing with a dysfunctional home life? Consider an elementary student in the lower peninsula of Mid-Michigan where he is tossed around each week on different bus schedules because parents and/or guardians are constantly switching roles of responsibility for him. This precious second-grader does not know from one day to the next which bed he will be sleeping in at night and who will be protecting, encouraging, teaching and loving him. This kid is a behavior problem in class each day and with a little discernment his teacher is able to recognize that he is intelligent, kind and genuinely wants to help. How should the staff and administration in a school district handle such a student, knowing the struggles he/she is facing and the unfortunate disruptive behavior that they manifest each day in class? We may have cheap answers, but until the correct questions are asked in this area of need in society, we will fall short on making the impact that we as citizens need to make through self-sacrifice.
During this 7 day period, consider the need for understanding difficult students. Often, teachers will resort to yelling and other behavioral manifestations that only make things worse. Students can undoubtedly have frustrating behavior and our response as professionals is such that we must do everything we can to encourage our youth and model for them the more excellent way. What is the more excellent way in relationship to confronting and dealing with difficult student behavior? First, it is important to note that often times adults who are inconvenienced by student behavior(s) respond to the behavior not because they care about the needs of the student but because they are annoyed. As understandable as this can be, we need to be concerned with the cause behind the effect of difficult student behavior. What if your student, as a child, is dealing with a dysfunctional home life? Consider an elementary student in the lower peninsula of Mid-Michigan where he is tossed around each week on different bus schedules because parents and/or guardians are constantly switching roles of responsibility for him. This precious second-grader does not know from one day to the next which bed he will be sleeping in at night and who will be protecting, encouraging, teaching and loving him. This kid is a behavior problem in class each day and with a little discernment his teacher is able to recognize that he is intelligent, kind and genuinely wants to help. How should the staff and administration in a school district handle such a student, knowing the struggles he/she is facing and the unfortunate disruptive behavior that they manifest each day in class? We may have cheap answers, but until the correct questions are asked in this area of need in society, we will fall short on making the impact that we as citizens need to make through self-sacrifice.
© 2009-2013 J.T.A.S.P.
Last modified: January 13, 2013
