HELP! I teach 9 students in elementary SPED. I have a child who is so manipulative and loaded with anger the smallest thing will set him off. I’m totally fed up with the behavior ruining the educational process for my other students. When he gets going it’s like the monkeys in the zoo, they all get going. I’m afraid someday he’s going to hurt somone. This child not only has the other students afraid of him but also has the admin. wrapped around his finger. My hands are tied to do anything to correct this child. I have a points system in place and am using it. It doesn’t appeal to him no matter what is on it. I’m at the end of my rope, can anyone help????
Re: What do I do with a desk kicker and a pencil thrower!
For survival, I’d suggest a few things I’ve done when I’ve had similar students and little administrative support.
First, if possible, set up a little work area in your closet. Make sure you don’t treat it as a punishment area, but as an area anyone can go if they want a quiet place to work. Offer your disruptive student the incentive of working with a stuffed animal or puppet of his choice if he can go to the work area without hurting you or anything else. In my experience, these kiddos are not having fun when they are losing control, and enjoy being in control, even if the control is only picking which animal they have exclusive rights to for that class period.
Also, (please don’t take this personally) you sound like he is getting to you emotionally…..is there another teacher that you could send him to in order to get an emotional break? Trading off these difficult students is the only way that the teacher next door to me and I made it until the end of the school year last year. I just wish that the administration had realized how tough it was for us. Neither of us are teaching in the public school system this year.
You will need to find some way to connect with this child emotionally in order for your points system to work. You are also going to need to be completely, exhaustively, consistent in everything you do with this child. You also need to encourage your other students to not react to anything this student does. The less the others react, the more in control you will be.
Good luck! You have my support and sympathy.
Re: What do I do with a desk kicker and a pencil thrower!
I currently have 20 in a VE setting (no aide)…. most are LD. One young man (2nd grader) throws his chair and turns over his desk. He also yells out and roams around the room. He will not follow instructions. I met with his mother and we have a daily note home. (He’s with me for the am only.) I have him on a separate behavior plan. A sheet is attached to his desk and I go by every 15 minutes and put a mark for the behavior during that period. If he has had no problems, then he gets a +, if some difficulty with the rules, he gets a *, it he has had a terrible time, then he gets a #. I have had limited success to date but it has only been in operation for about a month. I also put a separate page in his IEP addressing behavior issues….. to protect my behind, in case he gets into serious trouble! I also put him in time out and he has the option of taking a voluntary time out which doesn’t count against him. He has been exercising that option.
Good Luck!
Re: couple of suggestions
Thank you! We are already having a meeting on him next week and I will put in the document about the counseling. Thank you for your advice.
Re: What do I do with a desk kicker and a pencil thrower!
Thank you for your input. Why are you not teaching in the public schools this year? I’m seriously thinking of going to work in the corporate world teaching is becoming to tough especially when the admin is so lame in their understanding of what we go through.
Reconvene the sped team to conduct a formal functional behavior assessment (hopefully there is someone in your district sped department trained to help with this!) Check out www.behavior advisor.com. Read Dr. Ross Greene’s “The Explosive Child”. Document, document, document. Get counseling for anger management put into his IEP. Is there a parent of one of the other students who could make some noise to the administration? Hang in there- you may need to untie yourself, but you can do something!