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T O P I C : How Far the Troublemaker? Stephanie describes the issue: How far do you let things go with a troublemaker in your room before sending them to the principal? I have always been of the opinion that teachers should handle discipline problems themselves, rather than letting an assistant principal handle everything, but that was before I found myself alone in a classroom! I have one specific student who pushes me to my limits. He is openly sarcastic and very disrespectful to me in front of the entire classroom. He has become so disruptive, we aren't getting through our lessons, and the other students are asking him to stop! Last week, I asked him to sit in a desk right outside our door when I had finally had enough. Unfortunately, the principal walked by and saw him there. He (principal) asked what was going on, got both sides of the story, and placed the student in ISS. Once the student was there, he got an additional day for bad behavior in the ISS room. He was not allowed to play in the football game Thursday night, and mom was called. I feel extremely guilty that I couldn't handle this myself, and all of these repurcussions happened because I was ineffective at disciplining this student! Sidenote: I was subbing these two days while my mentor was at LitLab, so there was no back-up! Posted October 5, 2008
 R E S P O N S E : Two Practical Suggestions Lindsay Smith writes: First of all, Steph, I think you did the right thing by putting your student in the hallway. It is so easy to say that you will handle discipline issues yourself and not send students to the principal. Then you find yourself in situations like this and you just want to send them straight to the principal’s office! I know you probably have a good rapport with this troublemaker, so it’s hard to decide when too much is too much. If he is constantly disrupting the class and if other means in the classroom haven’t worked, my first instinct would be to remove him from the situation. If he is disruptive in the hall or starts roaming the halls, then I would send him to the office. The principal seeing him in the hallway and having a conversation with the both of you might have been the best thing for the student. You removed him from the situation because he was disrupting the learning environment, and the principal took it upon himself to further the disciplinary actions. If you tried to control the problem inside of the room first, and then sent him into the hallway, do not feel guilty for the consequences of his actions. It seems that he didn’t quite learn his lesson in ISS, so it was probably a good thing his mother was called. The only thing I could suggest would be to contact the parent sooner before you have to send anyone in the hall, especially if they are disrupting other students’ learning. Also, did you ever figure out why he was so disruptive? Was he bored, unable to concentrate, tired? Did you ever have a one-on-one conversation with him about his behavior? DO NOT feel guilty! I’m finding that experience is everything. Posted November 10, 2008
R E S P O N S E : You Did the Right Thing. Katy Henry writes: First off, you should not feel bad about getting this kid in trouble. I'm sure that this is not the first time that your principal has seen a student sitting in the hallway. You sent him out there as a way of handling the situation; you did not know that the principal would walk by and see him. Maybe this is just what he needed to straighten him out. If he got ISS, his mom got called, and (gasp!) he missed the football game just because of his disruptive behavior, then he'll probably think twice before trying something like this with you again. At least now he knows that he WILL be punished for disrupting your class, and he probably won't try it again. Maybe he'll even be scared of you! I know that you didn't intend for this chain of events to occur, but sometimes it takes something like this to get a kid's attention. The principal didn't give him much leeway, so he has probably been a pain in other teachers' classes as well. I think you did the right thing, and I hope everything works out for you. Posted November 17, 2008
R E S P O N S E : Don't Let the Class Suffer Laurie Trahan writes: Were you allowed to give detention? Or was he a student who probably wouldn't respond to detention? Well, whether he was or wasn't, I think that if a student's discipline problem becomes such an ordeal that the entire class is disrupted and constantly affected, then that student does need to go to the office. I made the mistake many times of giving so much attention to the troublemakers, trying to get them to behave, that the other students were neglected. Just remember that even if it makes you feel guilty, sometimes you have to take greater discipline measures with one student in order to be a better teacher to the rest of your class. It's not fair to make everyone else in the class suffer because one student wants to constantly misbehave. Posted November 25, 2008
R E S P O N S E : Lay Out a Clear Plan. Katy Moore writes: I feel the same way about asking for help from administration with discipline problems! I am glad I am not alone. However, I think that most principals want to help, and are there for the teachers. I spoke with several seasoned teachers during my last rotation (where I had several of the same situations) and talked to them about my fears and guilt about sending students out for further disciplinary action. They all told me that principals respect an attempt at disciplining, but when that fails, they want to help. I would lay out a clear plan for opportunities for the student -- i.e., 1 disruption = warning, 2 = new seat, 3 = hallway, 4 = principal -- and share this with administration. Then, when the student arrives at the principal’s office, the principal has an understanding of the level of disruption this student has caused. Also, students know what can happen (particularly football players) if they misbehave, so you should not feel guilty about this student’s punishment. If, however, you are still worried, then remind the student of the consequences of his actions when you lay out your plan for him. Good luck! Posted November 28, 2008
R E S P O N S E : Send in the Coach! Tonya Seaton writes: Stephanie, in the future, I would suggest talking to the football coach. Have him come and sit-in on your class. Have him talk with the student. Maybe doing several pushups at the end of practice will help out with the student's classroom behavior! Posted November 29, 2008
R E S P O N S E : Increase the Peer Pressure Grace Pendergrass writes: Steph, I have had a similar problem in my second rotation as well. I wouldn't say that I “lost it,” but I did give a little speech that went something like this. "If you don't want to learn, that is your problem. As a matter of fact, I have a degree in English, and I like to hear myself talk. I could talk to the wall all day. What makes me angry though is that there are people in this class that care. There are people here that want to learn, that want to make an A. There are people here who will see this material again on the final and probably in college. So, you have to be here, and as long as you show up, you will respect your classmates — even if you don't respect me." When I finished, the class was quiet and I was able to complete my lesson and meet my objectives for the day. One of the disruptive students came up to me after class, apologized, and has not caused problems since. The other two ... well ... they remain “trouble makers.” Best of Luck, Grace. Posted November 30, 2008
R E S P O N S E : Accept No Disrespect Deanna Bunch writes: This disrespectful troublemaker scenario is very frustrating. I prefer the "accept no disrespect" motto, but it does seem unrealistic with classrooms full of 30 students. I had a similar situation with a young lady yesterday (this was the first time I was alone without my mentor this rotation). I assigned this student detention and sent her to the hall for the last five minutes of the period. We talked about the situation after the bell rang and she was extremely disrespectful. Fearing a similar situation when subbing today, I asked for my mentor's advice. She suggested that I find another teacher who would be willing to let this student do seatwork in his or her room if the student acted up today. So, I asked around and found a female teacher (with an MAT) who would be willing to accept this student into her room if necessary. Having this back-up option made me feel so relieved. Thankfully, I did not need it today. It seems like your troublemaker is a consistent problem, so it might be a good idea to arrange something similar with a teacher at your school. Posted December 5, 2008
E-mail your suggestions and comments to fbowles@uark.edu 
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