There's always that one student...

  Lance Chapman writes:

  She had been dismissed from summer school because of serious behavior problems and, honestly, I thought I would never see her again.  Much to my surprise, she enrolled at Gompers a week and a half after school started this fall and was placed in my physical science course.  “Mr. Chapman, I’m BACK!” she yelled when she first entered my class.  It amazed me to see how this class, which had started off the year so well and was meeting the expectations I had set, was directly influenced by this girl’s presence.  If she complained, they would complain.  If she gave me attitude, they would as well. 

     At first I was deeply angered by her presence in my classroom.  We had been moving so fluidly and making such progress that it frustrated me to teach less content and deal with more misbehavior.  I knew I would need to make this girl a class leader if I was going to regain the class that had started off so strongly.  “If you listen carefully today and show me that you know how to solve these advanced speed problems, I’ll let you teach the class for five minutes at the end,” I said to her.  I was amazed to see how well this worked.  She wanted that limelight so badly that she was going to make sure she mastered those problems.  She did an absolutely beautiful job explaining the problems and I was so proud of her for engaging the class in a positive light for once. 

     I wish I could say this works every day, but that certainly would not be accurate.  More often than not she’ll enter my class and immediately start cursing or hitting someone and will refuse to sit in her seat.  Each time I dismiss her from my class (after a few warnings), I try to reinforce the fact that I want her there but that I cannot allow such misconduct in my classroom.  This has been a great challenge for me, and although the administration has offered numerous times to remove her from my class, something inside me tells me to keep trying with her because she showed me such potential that one day when she solved and taught advanced problems.

Comments

[David]

Lance,
You said, "Each time I dismiss her from my class (after a few warnings), I try to reinforce the fact that I want her there but that I cannot allow such misconduct in my classroom."
Dismissing a problem student shows her and her classmates that your authority is ineffective. For the sake of your class, take advantage of the administration's offer to remove her. Put the energy into the rest of the class who have proven their potential. They are worth far more than "that one student."

[adinasi]

This is one of many young people like this you will teach; Get used to it. As always the core of her challenges start at home. Her behavior is LEARNED, either indirectly from her family/environment by their acceptance, or directly from it perpetrated AT her. Like so, so many young people I've taught this young person desperately needs the singular attention, affection and responsible expectation from adults, which she obviously isn't getting at home.

While there may be 'older' people in her environment what she's 'learning' from them is not civilized behavior. As teachers, especially middle school teachers, we must compensate for these deficits our young children suffer as best as possible. In fact there's much education research that concludes that middle school teachers MUST establish a relationship with their students that goes beyond an instructor of curriculum given the dynamic nature of adolescence.

It's part of an 11-13 year old's 'genetic code' to demand attention and 'push our buttons'; This is the only way they know how to say 'please love me.'

[Sheryl]

How many warnings are "a few"?

Because if this is a consistent problem child, the second one should put her out the door, my friend.

To quote Mr. Spock, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few--or the one.

If you think that she's willing to engage with you on a one to one level, offer to tutor her for half an hour before or after school. But do NOT compromise the education of your entire class to deal with her misbehavior if you have an adminstration who's willing to take her out of there. You don't know how rare those administrators ARE.

[Virginia]

I agree with Sheryl, you need to take the advice of the administration and remove her. You should not feel that you are her savior. You can not let her control the class causing you and your other students from losing precious time to learn. She must go for the sake of the entire class. You are not a failure if you do this.

[Kate]

Does she understand that she can be removed from class permanently? I wonder if explaining that to her--and if it makes you feel better, agreeing to one more warning (i.e. two more chances)--might help her understand that her actions have direct consequences. But then, of course, you absolutely have to maintain that position. If you threaten her with removal and then don't follow through, you'll prove that you don't have authority over her or the rest of the class--and given the way people talk, possibly over the rest of your classes either. Those are the potential consequences for you, I suspect.

But it's important to explain the consequences to her, I think, so that the removal doesn't feel arbitrary. She should understand that her actions led to her removal, not think that you just got extra-mad one day and threw her out of class. That's not going to teach her anything, even in the long run.

[Jeff]

Lance,
I'm enjoying reading about your experiences. Thanks for all you efforts. I'm sure these are tough decisions; nobody wants to "give up" on a child. I tend to agree with other comments, that your brightest students shouldn't have to suffer. I get the impression that you're very qualified to teach science to these kids, but only if you're able to teach at all.

There are rules that everyone must follow; this is as true of adults as children. I've never understood why those who choose to not follow rules are held to a different standard than the rest of us. If I was one of your students who showed up each day and tried my best, I'd be wondering "how come I never got singled out to lead the class? Do you have to misbehave?".

But I'm also not there, and I'm not a teacher so can't relate to your daily experience. I'm sure you praise your best and brightest just as much as you try to help the difficult ones. It must be hard to let go of a student that might eventually turn it around. I can't imagine.

Keep up the good work - and thanks

[Lauren]

In response to David, I commend Lance for keeping the student in the classroom. There are many studies that show the effectiveness of making a leader out of a problem student and the effects that it has on the rest of the class. I think that gaining respect is just as important as having authority in the classroom and Lance is working towards that with this student. The best way to discredit his authority would be to remove her. Way to go Mr. Chapman!

[Cristina]

I really respect you for continuing to work with this student. I have worked at a continuation high school and I presently work in Independent Study. I know that this student is testing your patience, but some children really need a second chance and a positive adult influence, like you, in their life. Many people believe that by the time they reach high school, students should be treated like adults; however I see it as their last opportunity to be treated as a child. Try to teach this girl why her behavior is inappropriate and how it will hurt her in the "real world" when she is no longer a student.
There is a previous post from Virginia, who says "You should not feel that you are her savior." Some people will only help someone in order to receive praise from others; if you genuinely care about helping your students, you are not trying to be anyone's "savior."