Since transitioning from a teacher to a Behavior Specialist, I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve face-palmed and thought If only I had known this when I was in the classroom! I truly believe that teaching is hands-down the most amazing, rewarding job in the entire world. However, I believe that it is equally mentally, physically and emotionally draining on those who do it “right.” We love, hug, listen, laugh, cry, protect, console, advocate, nurture, and inspire. Throw the actual “teaching” part somewhere in the mix and we have barely enough time or energy for much else… Not to mention grading, researching, planning, data analysis, conferences, PD’s, Faculty meetings, emails… I could probably devote an entire post to the endless list of tasks on a teacher’s plate, but I’ll stop there for now. In the midst of all of this, you’re trying to manage a full class and there is that one kid (or group of kids if you’re super lucky) that DO. NOT. LISTEN. They are jumping over desks, yelling out, pushing, talking constantly, refusing to complete their work, calling you every name in the book, distracting their peers, breaking things, you name it. It is exhausting, frustrating, and defeating when you are at a loss of what to do or how to get through to your kid(s) so they will BEHAVE. I know, I have been there. I would venture to say that anyone who has spent an adequate amount of time in a classroom has been there at some point in time, so relish in the fact that WE are the company to your misery! Now, I am not going to pretend that there is some magical manual that will tell you exactly what to do to make your kid(s) “be good.” However, here is what I can tell you: there are evidence-based practices that WILL improve a student’s behavior significantly. I wish I could go through and explain the entire science of behaviorism, but this is probably already too long for a Blog Post, so we will have to save some information for another day. For now, I have provided you with five common beliefs regarding problem behavior in the classroom and some practical advice on how to transform your mindset into a more behavioral perspective. By doing this, my hope is that you will have a foundation that will help to start you in the right direction toward improving the behavior of your most challenging students.

1. “They do it for no reason.”

I read this on behavior reports CONSTANTLY. It makes me laugh honestly because I’m sure a year ago, I would’ve put the same thing. However, I now know that behavior never happens for no reason. Behavior, in simple terms, is a form of communication. Most of us have learned that the best way to communicate our needs is through words. We tell the gas station attendant how much gas we need, we pay, and they set the pump accordingly. Many living things, however, don’t always use or possess the ability to communicate in this way. When a baby cries, he or she is telling you that they need something— even if they aren’t sure themselves yet what it is. When my dog scratches at the door, she is communicating that she needs to go outside. We may assume that our students are perfectly capable of TELLING us their needs, but the fact that they are engaging in problem behavior proves that this just simply is not the case. So you may be asking, where do I start? You start by figuring out the “WHY?” of their behavior.

Ask Yourself:

• What need is being met when the child engages in this behavior?
• What does he/she “get” from doing this?
• Are they getting attention?
• Are they getting sent out of the room?
• Are they getting out of their work at least for a little while?
• Are they making you frustrated?
• Are they getting the object they want afterward?
• Is there a specific request or event that seems to cause the behavior?
• Does he/she do it more often during certain times, situations, or activities than others?
• Does it appear that there is a specific skill they are lacking?

Once you figure out the “why” you can move into looking at the behavior with more clarity rather than labeling it “disruptive” or “disrespectful.” You begin to look at exactly what they are doing and are able to hypothesize why they are doing it. This can help you to determine where to go from here. Do you need to teach them a more appropriate way of accessing the item? Do you need to adjust the environment around them? Do you need to give them more attention or breaks periodically? Are they struggling with the content and not wanting to ask for assistance? Knowing what they are “wanting” out of the behavior can assist you in helping them meet their needs appropriately and can keep you from inadvertently rewarding the inappropriate behavior.

2. “I’ve tried everything… It seems like NOTHING works.”

I am sure that many of you have a full repertoire of behavioral strategies that have worked like a charm over the years. It’s easy to feel like you’ve tried everything because you are probably right—you HAVE tried everything you’ve known to be effective in the past. The problem with this is that just because a child’s behavior may look the exact same as another, doesn’t mean it’s occurring for the same reason. Effective strategies and interventions are based on WHY it is occurring–this is why knowing the “why” (from above) is critical to determine before trying to decide what will actually work to improve the behavior. Often, a strategy that was completely successful with Student A will only make Student B’s behavior worse. Why? Because they are engaging in the behavior to meet totally different needs.

→For example: If Johnny is doing flips across the room to get attention, then sending him out in the hall may help to decrease the behavior. However, if Billy is doing gymnastics in the room to get out of having to do his work, then sending him out of the classroom is likely to send him the message that flips=getting out of work. What do you think he will do the next time he doesn’t want to finish an assignment? More times than not, it’s hard to see the situation objectively when you’re the one having to deal with the stress and frustration every single day. It. Is. Hard. Hopefully these next questions can help you get a clearer picture of why what you have done thus far hasn’t seemed effective:

Ask Yourself:

• Again, what does he/she “get” from engaging in this behavior?
• What do you do/how do you respond when she/he does this?
• Has the behavior gotten worse/better since you started responding in this way?
• What do the other kids do when he/she does it?
• Is there a more appropriate way they could “get” this?
• Could you prevent inappropriate behavior by making sure they are “getting” plenty of what they want when they are engaging in good behavior?

3. “I will reward for exemplary behavior, but I’m not going to reward someone         just for doing what they’re supposed to do.” 

I’ve heard many professionals say that they only reward for exemplary behavior. I COMPLETELY see where they’re coming from and have gone back and forth on how I feel about this. (I won’t even get into my thoughts on participation trophies.) However, I will merely stick to the facts here: Reinforcement is statistically proven to increase the probability that behavior will happen in the future. Simply put, if you want someone to do something more often, you need to reinforce or “reward” the behavior.

I also know that providing plenty of attention and praise (these are common modes of reinforcement/rewards) sporadically throughout the day can help prevent students from feeling the need to engage in problem behavior to gain attention. Making sure the child’s needs are met PRIOR to problem behavior is the best way to PREVENT problem behavior from occurring!

Ask yourself: 

• Do you want them to do this good behavior again?
• Do you want them to do this good behavior more? 

If the answer is yes to either of the questions above, then you’re going to have “reward” them. It doesn’t matter if they are “should behaviors,” such as standing still, keeping hands to themselves, completing work, raising their hand, using manners, or staying in their area. If your problem is that a particular student struggles to do one or more of things, then you need to reinforce the behavior when it occurs! The fact that the students “should” be doing those things anyways doesn’t change the fact that they don’t do it as often as you would like or maybe even rarely do it at all. Therefore, in order to increase the likelihood or frequency of them engaging in the desired behavior, you have to reinforce that behavior.

Reinforcement doesn’t have to be tangible. Rewards can be in the form of smiling, praise, a “thank you,” a 5-minute break, a high-five, a chance to pick their seat for the next activity etc. It all depends on what motivates that student. **In the beginning, I suggest you reinforce like crazy!! You won’t have to do this forever. Many people think if you start giving rewards for a behavior, you’ll have to always reward the behavior. FALSE. If behavior strategies are implemented correctly, the rewards will eventually be faded out and replaced with more natural rewards (smile, praise, compliment, etc.) It takes time, patience, and understanding. *This is a very brief overview of a detailed specific process of reinforcement that would require much more information and training.

4. We need more discipline in schools.

Typically when people refer to “discipline,” they are meaning “punishment.” I agree that we learn valuable lessons from punishment. We learn from punishment even when it’s not directly delivered by another person. When I was two years old, I crawled across our floor furnace. The burns I suffered were plenty enough punishment to teach me never to go near a hot furnace again. Punishment plays a vital role in our development. The problem with the statement above is that we tend to look at “discipline” and punishment as the answer to all of our problems. Some people can’t believe that sending a kid to the principal’s office doesn’t help! “It’s like they enjoy going to the principal’s office! I bet they give them candy and a hug and send them back to class!” lol! I’ve heard a plethora of comments such as these. And actually, they’re probably right about at least one thing—if sending them to the principal’s office doesn’t help to reduce the behavior, then the student probably DOES enjoy going! Believe it or not, this is useful information. If I realize that sending them to the principal’s office isn’t helping reduce their behavior, then DUH, I should probably cease sending them there. I have learned that by closely analyzing what I’M doing to maintain the behavior, I can evaluate whether my method of management is working.

At this point, I may ask myself questions such as:

• Why isn’t this punishment working?
• Are they enjoying the one-on-one attention they get there?
  • Can I reward them with one-on-one attention at times to prevent them from needing to engage in this behavior in order to go get it from the principal?
• Do they enjoy it because they are escaping class/work?
  • Could I teach them a better way to request a break from class/work that doesn’t consist of their problem behavior? 

***SUPER IMPORTANT: By simply punishing the student, you’re not teaching him or her how to get their needs met in a more appropriate way. This can result in them resulting to even more drastic ways of getting what it is they’re seeking. Punishment MUST be paired with reinforcement. If you’re going to punish the “bad” behavior, then you HAVE to reward the “good.” Really, even if you aren’t providing punishment, you should still be sure to reward the good! ♥

5. Why should he or she get more rewards than my well-behaved kids?

This is probably the BIGGEST dilemma I struggled with as a teacher. My kids that engaged in challenging behaviors got rewarded more frequently than my kids who constantly did what they were asked. It just seemed so unfair. I had angel babies saying they “wish they had a point sheet” because they would see all of the goodies and privileges given to those who had them. Even as a Behavior Specialist, I maintain mixed emotions about this. Hopefully I will find better solutions as I continue working in my field. BUT, what I do suggest is to make sure you are providing PLENTY of rewards and praise to the rest of your kids. There are ALL kinds of ideas on Pinterest for classroom and individual student rewards! Also, it helps to remember that all kids differ in their needs. When speaking academically, it’s second nature to us; we differentiate with the best of them. But when we think behaviorally, we automatically think it isn’t “fair.” Again, I’m guilty of this too, so I try to remind myself that fair isn’t always equal. Some kids need more reinforcement than others to engage in appropriate behavior. Despite our opinions on the matter, we have to do what is necessary to improve behavior. Don’t forget that reducing disruptive and disrespectful behaviors and increasing appropriate behaviors in your classroom will considerably improve the quality of education for the rest of the kids.

You May Ask Yourself: 

• Am I providing enough opportunities for ALL of my students to be rewarded?
• Am I making sure to give ALL kids plenty of positive attention?
• Do I offer a variety of reinforcers for my kids?
• Do I know what each student finds valuable?
• Do I know what motivates them to do the right thing?
• Will helping to improve Student A’s behavior improve the quality of education for the rest of the class?

In summary:

Q: How do we improve behavior to a practical degree?
A: By reinforcing the good behaviors (this is #1!), teaching replacement behaviors, and implementing an appropriate punishment when necessary for problem behaviors.

I hope this gave you at least a starting point for transforming your perspective on problem behavior and move you in the right direction toward improving those challenging behaviors! Also, I just want to throw it out there that it is perfectly okay to ask for outside help!! Sometimes it helps to get an objective viewpoint on the situation!! I encourage you to seek help from another teacher, school counselor, a district behavior coach, a BCBA in your area or please feel free to email me with specific questions!! I’m happy to help!!

I also want to take this opportunity to say: You’re doing AMAZING. You are ROCKING this thing. Your kids love you and are going to be achieving at astronomical levels! JUST BREATHE! ♥