Carl Darren Dimaala
Giselle R. Tapawan
Motivation: Alien Words
WORKING TO RESOLVE TROUBLESOME
ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS
Tips on Handling Troublesome Attitudes and
Behaviors of Students
Teaching a lesson to your class can become quite a
challenge when you have to deal with the constant
disruption of a difficult student. It may seem like
you have tried every behavior management tip
known to man, along with trying to provide an
organized routine to help the student manage their
responsibilities. Inevitably, when everything you've
tried fails, keep your head up and try again.
Effective teachers choose discipline techniques that
will encourage positive behavior and motivate
students to feel good about themselves and the
decisions that they make. Use the following five
tips to help you combat classroom disruptions, and
deal with those difficult students.
 Define Expectations
Specifically, define your expectations and help
students understand there are consequences for
unwanted behavior. When students break the rules
they need to be ready for the consequences. Clearly
write out and define each expectation you have, and
post them in a visible spot in the classroom.
Common Student Expectations for the
Classroom:
o Stay seated during classroom activities and
events
o Raise your hand before speaking
o Show respect for school property and
students
o Wait to be dismissed
o Be prepared for class
o Be considerate and respectful
 Parent-Teacher Communication
Get parents involved in their child's education. A lot
of the time the students that are being disruptive,
may not be getting the attention that they need from
home. By communicating your concerns with the
parents, you may find there may be something
going on in the household that is out of your
control. Find a way to keep parents informed of
their child's behavior at school.
Communicate with Parents by:
o Creating an open-door policy
o Email, text or instant message
o Weekly or monthly newsletter
o Progress report
o Parent conference
Once you find a way to communicate with the
parents of the difficult child, next you must consider
what words you will choose to say to the parents.
Present the facts of the unwanted behavior, and be
prepared to communicate with the parents how you
plan to change the student's behavior. Knowing how
you are going to deal with the parents, will help you
address the needs of the child for behavior
modification.
 Model Expected Behavior
Set a positive tone by modeling expected and
appropriate behavior. When you are dealing with a
difficult student, explain to them why you don't like
the behavior they are displaying, and model for
them the behavior you would like to see. (Example:
"I did not like that you yelled out in class without
raising your hand." "The appropriate way to talk in
class is to raise your hand and wait to be called
upon.") By modeling the expected behavior, you are
showing them exactly what you expect of them.
Children Learn From:
o Seeing
o Listening
o Copying what they see
o Actions
o Attitudes
 Reward Acceptable Behavior
Sometimes when the students that are not behaving,
see the students that are behaving get rewarded for
that behavior, it sets a positive example. Setting up
a hands-on behavior management plan can help
students physically see and track how they are
behaving throughout the day. This, in turn, can
make them re-think how they are behaving and get
rewarded for acting appropriately.
HOW WILL YOU COMMUNICATE WITH
PARENTS REGARDING TO THE
TROUBLESOME ATTITUDE AND
BEHAVIORS
How to Talk to Parents About Their
Misbehaving Child
Many teachers, even seasoned veterans, have a fear
of talking to parents about their child’s misbehavior.
Generally, they’re afraid of three things:
 The parent (or parents) will get angry and
defensive.
 The parent will question their competence.
 The parent will complain and make
demands.
These fears are well founded.
While discussing behavior, teachers tend to say
things that rub parents the wrong way. And because
the topic of conversation is their child, their beloved
flesh and blood, parents respond by fighting back.
Their protective instinct kicks in, their emotions
flare, and in an instant you find yourself
backpedaling, apologizing, and explaining away
your decisions and methods.
Or worse, you bristle at their angry tone, become
defensive, and drive a wedge through the critical
teacher-parent relationship.
It’s also avoidable. Regardless of who the parents
are, or how bad (or good) their reputation is at your
school, it’s possible to discuss behavior in a way
that leaves them both supportive of you and eager to
help their child improve.
Here’s how:
 Be friendly
It’s a mistake to be grave or overly serious when
speaking to parents, which causes them to put up a
wall of defense before you even get to the purpose
of your meeting. Put them at ease from the
beginning. Say hello, smile, and maintain a friendly
attitude throughout the conversation.
 Inform
The sole purpose of talking to parents about
behavior is to inform. That’s it. Keep your thoughts,
opinions, and advice to yourself. Despite what you
may think, sharing them isn’t helpful. If, however,
you’re asked your opinion after the conference, then
proceed cautiously.
  Stick to the facts
Tell the parent precisely what happened—or what
has been happening—that prompted your call.
Leave nothing out but add nothing more. Stick to
only what you know to be true, leaving out any
rumor, gossip, or innuendo.
 Watch your tone
A common mistake teachers make is that they affect
an attitude of “so what are you gonna do about it”
when speaking to parents. It’s almost as if they
expect parents to make sure that it doesn’t happen
again. You should have no such expectation.
Note: A core principle of Smart Classroom
Management is to never take misbehavior
personally. This should come through loud and
clear when talking with parents.
 Shoot straight
You can and should say, “This is the behavior I’m
seeing, and any behavior, like this, that interferes
with learning is not allowed in this classroom.”
Don’t hold back in this regard. Be a straight
shooter. The plain, unvarnished truth is the most
helpful and influential language you can use with
parents.
 Explain how you’re handling it
After giving the facts of the incident/behavior, let
the parent know how you’re taking care of the
problem at school. Include what rule(s) the student
broke and how he or she will be held accountable.
Assure them that you’re doing your part to help turn
the behavior around.
Note: Sending a classroom management packet
home during the first week of school is an effective
hedge against parents being surprised or angered
during this step.
 Be brief
Your conversation with parents should last no more
than five minutes. As soon as you finish explaining
how you’re handling the misbehavior, say, “Thanks
for your support. Call me or come see me if you
have any questions.” Then hang up the phone or
lead the parent to the classroom door.
 Talk To Parents With Confidence
When you follow the guidelines above, you’ll
discover that conversations with parents are nothing
to fear.
You’ll leave them with little to get angry over,
complain about, or be unsatisfied with. In fact,
they’ll come away from your talk impressed with
you and more willing than ever to support your
classroom.
Activity: Drama Presentation (see attachment for
the rubrics)
Evaluation:
1 to 5 -True or False
Write T if the statement is TRUE and write F if it’s
FALSE.
1. Sometimes when the students that are not
behaving, see the students that are behaving
get rewarded for that behavior, it sets a
negative example. (F)
2. You can define your expectations and help
students understand that there are no
consequences for unwanted behavior. (F)
3. A lot of the time the students that are being
disruptive, may not be getting the attention
that they need from home. (T)
4. Set a negative tone by modeling expected
and appropriate behavior. (F)
5. Many teachers, even seasoned veterans,
have a fear of talking to parents about their
child’s misbehavior. (T)
6 to 12- Enumerations
 Answer the following:

 Give at least three (3) tips on handling

student’s troublesome attitudes and
behaviors.
 Give at least four (4) ways on how to talk to
parents about their misbehaving child.