How to Handle Troublesome Children?
“Do you have suggestions for a good behavior intervention plan for troublesome children in my class? I’m a teacher of grade 5 girls at a girls’ private summer school, and two were ganging up on the rest of the students the past few months. I know it’s nearly the actual school year but I wanted to get ahead on behavior management strategies if this continues.”
If I am not mistaken, grade 5 children are 10-11 years old. This means that they are starting adolescence. They are starting to push away from their parents and their peer group is becoming more and more important. At this stage, peer groups are constantly evolving, and tensions and problems are likely to appear. Children go through hormonal changes at different times, their brains are not fully matured, and they have to manage academic pressure while juggling family and peer dynamics.
What you are describing is relational aggression. This type of aggression is more common amongst girls. Girls who engage in relational aggression harm others damaging their relationships and social standing. They want to gain power and social standing at the expense of their targets. Relational bullying often involves spreading false rumours, making fun of the other person for their personality or appearance, posting negative information online, giving them silent treatment…Your school should have an anti-bullying policy as well as anti-bullying programs. It would be a good idea to implement this program in your classroom. These programs usually involve life-skill and social-emotional learning modules that help young people manage and understand emotions and maintain positive and empathetic relationships.
I would encourage you instead of thinking about ‘troublesome children’ to think about children who, at times, behave poorly.
I hope this information helps.
Love,
Ana
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