by Liz Marsden
The heading is hard hitting. Am I saying that if kids' behaviour isn't good then you're not managing them correctly? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. In the whole school or in your own classroom if you have behaviour problems and you want to improve the situation but it isn't happening then you have to change what you're doing. The good news is that this can easily be done - yes, I mean it! Any one of you can learn the strategies you need to manage children's behaviour successfully. You need the skill and the confidence - these enable you to succeed.
Whether you're a footballer, painter or a plasterer, learning and improving your skill is the same. You have to be told what the techniques are, go off and practise them to become proficient and confident, and then keep on doing it over and over to make the successful strategies instinctive. I am extremely confident now but my skill and confidence has grown over years. I write in Behaviour Bible about when I first started working with children displaying extreme behaviour. I can't use the words 'managing behaviour' because I wasn't managing - I was a disaster. I had no idea how to manage challenging behaviour. Unfortunately so many people in schools are in the same position today as I was then.
I had no choice but to develop management techniques that would give me the results I needed to manage these very challenging children. But, there were no courses - I was on my own and I had to learn quickly. I use my very successful behaviour management strategies in my classroom every day and I pass on my knowledge and experience to teachers, parents, ancillary workers and dinner staff so they can become confident too. And believe me, you can see positive results in just a few minutes. Manage behaviour in the right way and you get a completely different response from the children - they just know and sense the difference in you..
In the intervening years the situation in mainstream schools has worsened. Bad behaviour is now so commonplace there's a danger that it's being considered normal by some people. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of shock that some children behave in a totally appalling way. In some schools I sense an acceptance that this is to be expected and there's a learned helplessness amongst the adults - a raising of the eyebrows in a 'well what can we do about it?', sort of way.
So, you have to ask yourself, 'Is what I am doing to manage behaviour getting the results I want?' If the answer is, 'No', then you're not doing it right - you have to accept that you have things to learn and changes to make. Then, life becomes a great deal easier, less stressful and more productive. It's a win/win situation.
Behaviour Bible tells you what you need to know about managing potentially difficult behaviour situations and creating a successful and productive classroom. Read, practise and implement.
About the Author:
Liz Marsden is a highly respected behaviour management specialist who manages children's behaviour considered unmanageable by other teachers and professionals. Liz's informative book Behaviour Bible offers essential information and guidance to help you manage your classroom effectively. You can also gain an insight into Liz's work and her daily classroom experiences.
