With over 500,000 page views, How To Handle Disrespectful Students is one of the most popular articles on this website—and for good reason. A disrespectful student can get under a teacher’s skin like almost nothing else. When confronted with disrespect, it’s easy to take ... Read more
A lot of teachers have had their fair share of disrespectful learners in the profession. At some point in your carrier you have met a learner who...
Difficult students provide the greatest challenge for most teachers. Learn just seven rules to transform them into valuable members of your classroom.
16 page guide to leading a successful drama class or workshop for at-risk students.
Most teachers are hyperaware of their most difficult students—and well they should be. It’s smart to know where they are and what they’re doing. But this awareness can cause you to behave oddly around them. It can cause you to glare and glower in ... Read more
No, it’s not attention. For the most part difficult students are given far too much attention. Learning how to spend less time on difficult students will do both you and them an ocean of good. In fact, it’s among the critical first steps to ... Read more
Heartfelt praise based on true accomplishment is powerful stuff. It feeds your students’ internal motivational engines. It spurs them to greater success. It reinforces the slow-to-grow belief that hard work matters, that it really is more than worth the sweat and toil. Certainly they ... Read more
Wondering how to deal with difficult students in the classroom? Don't let them ruin your school year. Instead take these steps.
You offer encouragement. You give reminders. You supply wisdom and inspiration you hope will make an impact. But your words fall on deaf ears. Nothing you say to your most challenging students seems to make a difference. They continue to misbehave, ignore your advice, ... Read more
The ability to ask for and receive your students’ attention is crucial. It’s crucial because it saves precious learning time. It improves listening and performance. It allows you to give instruction anytime you need to and know that it will be heard and understood. ... Read more
If you think I have the answers here, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I'm far from having any answers.
The tendency is to corral difficult students, to limit what they can do, where they can go, and who they can be with. You keep them close. You provide a staccato of reminders and direction, of do this and don’t do that. You keep ... Read more
Do you hide the truth from difficult students? Do you give them false praise? In the name of encouragement, most teachers do. But if you want lasting improvement in their behavior, then you have to be brutally honest with them. Difficult students don’t benefit ... Read more
Do you teach students with ADHD? These strategies and resources can help you better understand how to support their unique needs.
Even the most experienced teachers will have students find excuses to avoid work. Here are some tips on how to help your students combat work avoidance.
K-12 News
No, you’re not going to ignore their misbehavior. It’s just that . . . well, let’s back up a little. When you first receive your roster for the coming year, it’s normal to want to get the lowdown on your new class. It’s normal ... Read more
This is not something that teachers look forward to but confronting difficulties comes with the job. Every educator might meet these difficulties at some
Why does it pain teachers to hold students accountable? Why are some so quick to ignore misbehavior, look the other way, or make excuses for it? Accountability is important, right? So what’s the problem? I have a few ideas. Teachers are slow to hold ... Read more
One of the biggest reasons difficult students misbehave is because they’re often treated with the expectation that they will. Teachers tend to hover near them. They’re frequently pulled aside for reminders, lectures, and pep-talks. They’re rewarded inexplicably, praised effusively, and spoken to differently than ... Read more
