What do we need to do in order to prevent behaviors from becoming safety issues?

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Polly answers the question: “I send high schoolers down to the office when they act up in my class and it doesn’t seem to make any difference! So I wonder if I should just save the office for really higher level stuff so the kids know when they have truly gone too far?”

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Look at a child’s behavior. Is it a disruption? Disrespect? Refusal? Safety? The problem a behavior creates is a lot more important than the behavior itself.

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Polly answers the question: “I was walking down the hall with a colleague and a group of 8th graders started mocking our conversation as we passed. What would you have done in that situation?”

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We don’t want to overuse the terms “Be safe!” and “Be careful!” because they actually plant imminent fear and danger in a kid’s mind.

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Polly answers the question: “Why can’t our kids play? Is it video games? They are so aggressive. We can’t play kick ball anymore in our school or four-square anymore or any of those types of games because they just can’t seem to handle it. Do you have any ideas?”

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If a kid is so disruptive that you have to remove them from the classroom, be careful it doesn’t backfire. How?

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Polly answers the question: “How do we get high school students to treat paraprofessionals with respect? I hate to see kids using abusive language and saying things like, “You’re not even a teacher.””

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If a child’s behavior happened on your watch, but you need someone else to give the consequences, then it’s important that you reconnect with that child!

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Polly answers the question: “I’m a middle school teacher and I am fed up! How do I get my students to treat me and each other with respect?”

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