Tips to Improve a Child’s Behavior
Parents can often have a very difficult time controlling their child. There is no getting around this. One quick trip to the supermarket will demonstrate this point. How many times have you walked down a grocery aisle and heard parents trying to discipline their kid’s behavior? It is like the parents are trying to negotiate with their child. First they offer them a treat or prize if they behave well for the rest of the supermarket trip. If that doesn’t work, then many parents will propose an even better treat or prize to their child to entice them to behave. The final straw is when the parents just can’t take anymore of their child’s behavior and they start issuing threats instead. Supermarket parenting is quite the site to see.
Teachers Have These Problems, Too
If you feel like one of the parents mentioned up above, don’t be too hard on yourself. Professional educators can have the exact same problem with disciplining their students. The only difference is that they are in a classroom with about 30 kids, so it can be much worse than a supermarket fit now and then. And if you are a veteran educator, you know that one or two students misbehaving can lead to it snowballing for the rest of the class. Soon, if you are not careful, you will have five or six more students acting out instead of just the one or two that you started with.
What Can I Do?
If you think you just have to accept a child’s poor behavior and it is all a part of life, then that could be one of the problems. You are the adult. If you keep a clear mind and don’t let them push your buttons, you can emerge from this frustrating scenario relatively unscathed. Follow these tips on improving your child’s behavior or the behavior of a whole classroom full of students.
It’s Okay to Offer Rewards
You might be thinking that providing a reward for a child’s behavior flies in the face of what I said up above. But the key point is to reward good behavior, not extending a prize to a child in a negotiating circumstance. As an educator, I would often provide a reward for students that did not have any missing homework for the semester or never had any serious conflicts in the classroom. It would be a simple prize of extra recess, an added 15 minutes of free time on the computer, or being my assistant in teaching a lesson. As a parent, it could be allowing your child to pick out a movie at the theater that your family goes to. Or perhaps allowing them to choose a special meal for a night. The point is to reward good behavior and not condone poor conduct.
Set the Rules
If you have the rules posted somewhere in your classroom, go over them with the students early and often. This will let them know what you expect from them. It will also allow you to point out which rule they are breaking now and then without having to get into a long discussion. As a parent, it may seem a bit strange to have a list of rules posted on the refrigerator, but if your child is constantly making your life difficult by their behavior, this calls for action. Don’t let your child dictate how things should be. Take a firm stand and do not allow yourself to be pushed around.
Find Proper Role Models for the Children
Parents and teachers should always be modeling proper behavior for their kids. It is the whole monkey see, monkey do lesson for life. However, children often ignore the actions of adults and only look toward their peers for guidance. The old saying that you are who you hang out with is correct most of the time. Kids that behave well will more than likely spend time with similar children. In contrast, it always seems like misbehaving kids gravitate towards each other. Unfortunately, this can lead to even greater problems because the amount of serious trouble they can get into grows. Look for kids that are good role models for their peers. Having your child spend time with them could work wonders.
If you are an educator and recognize that your discipline program is not working in your classroom, iAchieve can definitely help. Let us guide you on steps you can take to alleviate much of this trouble. Talking to professionals that understand how challenging it is to control a class of 30 will leave you feeling better and more prepared for the future.
Written by Ryan Crawley
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