Managing Problem Behaviors

When managing problem behaviors as a teacher I would have to determine whether the
problems are minor, moderate or extensive to determine what steps to take to stop the behavior.
If there was a problem such as a child talking in class or causing disruption then my next step
would be to use a minor intervention like using nonverbal cues such as eye contact, lightly
touching the student or standing closer to them to stop the behavior. I would also plan my
activities so that there is not enough time to allow the students to cause disruption in between
transitioning to the next activity. I would remind the students what they should be doing if they
are not following instructions and repeat instruction if they seem to get off track. If the problems
continue to occur then I would give the student causing a problem a choice where they can
decide to do as I say or receive a consequence (see rules and procedures tab for list of
consequences).
In the case of moderate misbehavior I would take away the students recess or something
else that the students may be doing for fun during the school day and during that time have a talk
with that student on why they are misbehaving. If the students may not have recess or a fun
activity planned that day then a detention will be assigned and we will have a student & teacher
discussion then about what they are doing wrong and how we can fix the problem together.
If the problem continues or a bigger problem like fighting happened then I would have to
use more extensive interventions. I would try my best to use the principal as my last form of
intervention because the matter should only be extremely serious to have to refer the student to
the principals office so I may use intervention such as a parent conference or the Think Time
strategy if I was able to have an agreement with another teacher to do that. The Think Time
strategy is when one teacher partners with another when a student in the classroom is
misbehaving they can send them to the partner teachers classroom so that they can think about

what they did and come up with a solution to their problem. The partner teacher should have a
designated area for Think Time students to sit where they will not cause distractions or
disruption. After a few minutes the partner teacher will give the student the option of having a
conference with their teacher or having the student fill out a form that makes them explain what
they did wrong and what they should do when they reenter their original classroom. If the
teacher feels that the form is acceptable then they will send the student back to their original
classroom. This strategy is made to teach the student self control and to prevent the teacher from
having to constantly punish a student. It also is made to prevent misbehaving students behaviors
from escalating into a bigger problem. The student would not enjoy this strategy because they
may not like sitting in a kindergarten classroom or any other class below their grade.
I would hope that I would never have to go to such extensive punishments but I know as
a teacher that I have to be prepared for any type of misbehavior within my classroom.