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It’s every teacher’s nightmare: the child who is consistently at the center of arguments, emotional outbursts, mischief and misbehaving. The question is, how do you cope with him or her? The educational environment, especially in the realm of discipline, is a much different place than it was even 10 years ago. Many teachers become frustrated due to their perceived helplessness to control their own classrooms, but there are ways that you can deal with a problem child without stepping outside the lines of your authority.

The first step in dealing with a difficult child is to try to understand the causes for his or her behavior. Is the child trying to control others, either through force or intimidation? If so, your student probably learned this behavior at home. In other instances, you may have a child with a learning disability who is trying to hide that from you. Rather than admitting that he doesn’t understand or cannot read a passage, he will instead shift the focus of your attention to his behavior. These types of problems should always be addressed–with the child and then with his parents–outside of the classroom.

Finally, you may have a child whose problem concerns an inability to stay focused. When speaking to this child, try to sit or stoop to get on an eye level with her. Maintain eye contact, and insist that she look directly at you while you are speaking. If this type of problem persists, you may need to recommend testing to the child’s parents. There are many effective treatments for attention disorders that do not involve medication, and these should always be tried first.