Symptoms

Behavioral issues are among the most frustrating things for teachers to deal with. It takes away from our instruction, gets students off task, and tests our classroom management skills. What is often lost is that the outlandish behavior is usually a symptom of something larger going on in the students' life. Whether it be a broken home, drug or alcohol abuse, bullying, etc. the student will feel the need to act out in order to gain attention. A good classroom management plan will be able to mitigate the disruptions but a solid intervention program needs to be in place at the school so that the student gets the attention they need to address whatever larger issue is going on in their life. So, next time a student is going bananas, it may be because a lack of potassium, in which case a banana will help.