Every educator encounters challenging student behaviors at some point in their career. While it can be tempting to react quickly in the moment, lasting solutions often come from taking a thoughtful, systematic approach. In this post, we’ll explore practical steps educators can take to address behavioral concerns while maintaining empathy, building positive relationships, and supporting every student’s learning journey.

Step 1: Observe and Document

Keeping track of a student’s behavior is critical in calming the disruption. It’s helpful in identifying the potential problem. It also gives you a space to keep track of the impact interventions may make. Logging anything can feel like just one more thing in a classroom setting, but it is necessary if you want meaningful change. Sticky notes are often my note-taking medium of choice since they are so readily available in my classroom. Then I can simply stick the note into a notebook for later reference. If you do opt for something digital, be sure you are not adding your notes on a screen that is visible to others in the room. Privacy is always important.

Step 2: Look for Patterns

Your notes can provide the evidence you need to have a meaningful conversation with the student, parents, support staff, or administrators. Looking for patterns in the behavioral data you collect allows you to develop reasonable solutions. 

Some helpful questions to guide your analysis are:

• Is this behavior only occurring during a specific subject?
• Is this behavior only occurring during a specific time of day?
• Does the student behave differently when support is being provided?
• How is this impacting the student’s learning?
• How is this impacting the learning of others?

Step 3: Try Calming Your Own Space

Often, a small change can make a great impact. Some students tend to exhibit task avoiding behaviors during specific subjects because they struggle and are unsure of how to navigate their work. As an educator, it is important to acknowledge that a child’s perceived struggle is a legitimate concern. If they decide that something is too difficult, that becomes the truth that child is living in and they need you, the adult, to support them. This is where explicit growth mindset instructional activities and other SEL practices come into play. Talking through “the problem” and offering practical strategies for problem solving can be extremely helpful. I also talk to my students about communication. We can’t read each other’s mind so we need to talk things out when problems arise. 

In Extreme Cases…

I know that not every behavioral concern is resolved by a discussion with the student. Sometimes the behavior is not just talking over classmates or bothering others. Sometimes it’s screaming, crying, and destroying spaces. In these cases, the first two steps still apply. Documentation and identifying patterns are going to be crucial in securing support. Once you have the information you need, and you can truly say that you have tried to support the student to the best of your ability as the classroom teacher, it is time to organize a meeting. Before including the parent, it is important to discuss the concerns with the necessary team: the principal, counselor, and any SpEd teachers that work with the student directly. Presenting your documentation and sharing its impact on every student’s learning supports your argument for change. Hopefully, at this point a revised plan can be developed and shared with the student’s caregivers along with additional support recommendations.

Getting Parents Involved

When talking to parents about their student’s behavior, it is important to build rapport and to be empathetic to their situation. Mental health, the loss of a family member, immigration concerns, etc. can play a factor, not only in how a student behaves, but also in how the parents respond to you. Discussing a student’s behavior shouldn’t be about getting the student in trouble. It should be about finding solutions that support the student and the student’s success. I like having these discussions via text (ClassDojo), so that it’s documented, but still private. It also gives me a chance to process situations and present information in a more thoughtful, concise and professional way. For example, ensuring that I use language that is easily translatable for a family that may be using a translation tool or using terms that will make sense to someone who isn’t in the education profession. Ultimately, parents want what’s best for their children. When they understand that you share the same goal, they are often more willing to support you.

Some Final Thoughts

Addressing challenging behaviors is rarely about finding a quick fix. As frustrating as it may be, it requires patience, consistency, and a willingness to look beyond the behavior itself to understand what a student may be communicating. This is key in creating a calmer and more supportive learning environment for everyone. While not every situation will have an immediate solution, every step taken toward understanding and supporting a student is a step toward positive change.