Student Behavior Documentation

One Fab Teacher

29 Jan 201919:09

Summary

TLDRIn this video, the speaker discusses the importance of documenting student behavior and offers advice for teachers on managing difficult students. Emphasizing patience, consistency, and compassion, the speaker encourages teachers not to take student misbehavior personally. They highlight the value of building relationships with students, showing them genuine love, and understanding their background. Documentation is key to tracking patterns and discussing issues with parents or school authorities. The speaker also offers free resources to help with behavior tracking and encourages maintaining a positive and understanding attitude.

Takeaways

📚 Documenting student behavior is crucial for understanding and addressing issues in the classroom.
😓 Dealing with difficult students can be mentally exhausting, but it's important to maintain a fresh perspective each day.
🧠 Misbehaviors are often tied to home environments or emotional issues, not personal attacks on the teacher.
❤️ Building genuine relationships with students through love, compassion, and understanding can lead to positive behavior changes over time.
👂 Knowing students on a personal level, beyond academics, helps build trust and empathy in the classroom.
📋 Consistent documentation of behavior is essential for discussing issues with parents, guardians, and school administration.
💡 Love and patience are key to reaching difficult students, especially those facing personal challenges at home.
🔄 Changing student behavior is not a quick fix; consistency and persistence are required over time.
📝 Free documentation forms are available to help teachers track and record student behaviors effectively.
🍎 Teachers are encouraged to have informal, supportive interactions, like lunch with students, to foster stronger connections.

Q & A

What is the main topic the speaker addresses in the video?
-The speaker discusses the importance of documenting student behavior, especially when dealing with difficult or disruptive behaviors in the classroom.
Why does the speaker emphasize not taking student misbehavior personally?
-The speaker explains that many student behaviors stem from their home environments or personal issues, which are beyond the teacher's control. Understanding this helps teachers not take it personally and focus on helping the student.
What strategy does the speaker suggest for resetting interactions with difficult students?
-The speaker mentions that teachers should give students a 'clean slate' each day, regardless of past behavior. Although it can be challenging, it allows students to start fresh and promotes positive behavior.
How does the speaker suggest teachers approach building relationships with difficult students?
-The speaker recommends showing genuine love and care for students by getting to know them personally, such as learning their favorite activities or what makes them happy or sad. This helps build trust and positive relationships.
What documentation methods does the speaker propose for tracking student behavior?
-The speaker suggests using behavior documentation forms that can track student behaviors throughout the week, including specific times and whether behaviors occur more frequently in the morning or afternoon.
How does the speaker suggest handling communication with parents or guardians about a student’s behavior?
-The speaker advises teachers to first document the behaviors they observe and then share that documentation with parents or guardians during a conference. This can help parents better understand the issues and work together with the teacher to support the student.
Why does the speaker believe consistency is important in managing student behavior?
-The speaker stresses that consistency in how teachers respond to behaviors and in showing care for students can lead to positive changes over time, as it helps build trust and shows students they are supported.
What kind of impact does the speaker believe building relationships with students has?
-The speaker believes that building strong relationships based on love and trust can lead to positive behavior changes. Students who feel cared for are more likely to trust their teachers and improve their behavior.
What is the speaker's stance on teachers talking negatively about students?
-The speaker discourages teachers from speaking negatively about students, as they may not fully understand the student’s background or challenges. Instead, the focus should be on showing compassion and finding ways to help students cope.
How does the speaker suggest using behavior documentation to address classroom challenges?
-The speaker advises teachers to keep detailed records of student behaviors, including the times and specific incidents. This documentation can then be used in meetings with parents, guardians, or school staff to address and resolve behavioral issues.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Handling Difficult Student Behaviors with Compassion

The speaker discusses the importance of documenting student behaviors and highlights the challenges teachers face with difficult students. Emotional and physical behaviors can be mentally exhausting for teachers, especially in the early stages of their careers. The speaker shares personal experiences of frustration with students and emphasizes the difficulty of starting each day with a 'clean slate' for students who misbehave. The key takeaway is that teachers should not take student behavior personally, as it often stems from the students' home environment or other external factors. Understanding this can help teachers build meaningful relationships and develop a compassionate approach to teaching.

05:01

💡 The Importance of Empathy in Education

The speaker continues to elaborate on the significance of empathy when dealing with difficult student behaviors. Many students come from challenging home environments, and teachers need to realize that parents or guardians may be doing the best they can. The speaker stresses that love and compassion are essential in helping students feel supported and safe in the classroom. Teachers must be consistent in their approach, avoid embarrassing students, and always treat them with fairness. Patience is key, as behavior change in students takes time, especially when the root causes are complex and long-standing.

10:02

📝 Documentation Strategies for Managing Student Behavior

To better address student behavior, the speaker introduces several behavior documentation forms available for free on their Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store. They suggest keeping these forms handy on a clipboard to document incidents throughout the day. The speaker presents three types of forms: one for daily behavior tracking, one divided into morning and afternoon behavior tracking, and a simple plain form for detailed notes. Teachers are encouraged to consistently record times, behaviors, and patterns to build a clear record that can be used in discussions with parents, guardians, or school administrators.

15:05

📈 Documentation and Building Relationships for Long-Term Solutions

The speaker emphasizes the importance of documentation when addressing student behavior patterns, as it helps provide solid evidence for discussions with parents and administrators. Teachers should not give up on students with behavior issues; instead, they should continue to build relationships by spending time with them, even casually, like having lunch together. Documentation allows teachers to identify patterns in behavior, such as whether issues occur more frequently in the morning or during specific subjects. The speaker concludes by reminding teachers to remain compassionate, emphasizing that every student can become a success story with the support of a caring adult.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Student Behavior Documentation

Student behavior documentation refers to the practice of recording a student's actions, especially in cases of disruptive or difficult behavior. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of documenting such behaviors consistently as it helps teachers communicate effectively with parents, guardians, and school administrators about ongoing issues. Documentation can also reveal patterns in a student's behavior, such as whether problems occur more frequently in the morning or afternoon.

💡Building Relationships

Building relationships in the classroom context means creating strong, trusting connections between teachers and students. The speaker stresses that forming positive relationships with students, especially difficult ones, is essential for improving behavior and fostering a supportive learning environment. Teachers are encouraged to understand personal details about their students, such as their interests or what makes them happy or sad, to build these bonds.

💡Love and Compassion

The speaker highlights 'love and compassion' as fundamental approaches to teaching. Rather than reacting with anger or frustration to difficult students, the speaker advocates for teachers to show genuine care and concern for students, understanding that many are dealing with complex personal issues. This emotional support can help students feel safe and valued, ultimately leading to better behavior and learning outcomes.

💡Home Environment

The home environment refers to the conditions in which a student is raised, including the family dynamics, socio-economic status, and emotional support they receive. The speaker notes that a student's behavior is often influenced by their home environment, which might include challenges such as living with guardians instead of biological parents or witnessing negative behaviors at home. Teachers are urged to consider these factors when responding to student behavior.

💡Clean Slate

The concept of a 'clean slate' in teaching refers to the practice of treating students as if they are starting fresh each day, regardless of previous misbehavior. The speaker admits that this was difficult early in their career, as they would still feel frustrated from prior incidents. However, they eventually learned the importance of not holding grudges and giving students the opportunity to improve their behavior without prejudice from past actions.

💡Consistent Approach

Consistency in teaching means applying the same expectations and consequences for student behavior over time. The speaker emphasizes that when dealing with difficult students, consistency in how they are treated and disciplined is key to helping them learn to manage their emotions and actions. Consistency helps build trust and predictability, which are crucial for students who may come from unstable backgrounds.

💡Frustration and Anger

Frustration and anger are natural emotions that teachers may experience when dealing with challenging students. The speaker acknowledges feeling these emotions, especially in their early years of teaching, but explains that over time, they learned to not take student misbehavior personally. Instead, they advocate for handling these feelings constructively to avoid negatively impacting their relationships with students.

💡Emotional Behaviors

Emotional behaviors refer to actions that are influenced by a student’s emotional state, such as crying, anger, or withdrawal. The speaker recalls dealing with a student whose emotional behaviors escalated from crying to anger, highlighting the complexity of managing students who are struggling emotionally. Teachers are encouraged to show empathy and patience with these students rather than responding with frustration.

💡Teacher Support

Teacher support involves seeking help from colleagues, administrators, or specialists when dealing with difficult student behavior. The speaker advises that teachers should document problematic behavior to support their requests for assistance. When approaching others for help, having detailed records can provide a clearer picture of the challenges and facilitate more effective interventions.

💡Lunch with Students

Having lunch with students is presented as a strategy for building relationships and understanding students better. The speaker suggests that informal time spent with students, such as eating lunch together, can be an opportunity for teachers to connect with them on a personal level. This practice helps students feel valued and gives them a chance to open up about their feelings and experiences.

Highlights

The importance of student behavior documentation is emphasized, especially when dealing with difficult children.

Dealing with difficult behaviors can be mentally draining for teachers, especially in their early years of teaching.

Teachers are encouraged to give students a 'clean slate' each day, despite challenging behavior from the previous day.

The speaker highlights that student behavior often reflects their home environment, not the teacher's actions, so it's crucial not to take it personally.

Instead of speaking negatively about students, the speaker suggests understanding their backgrounds and challenges.

Building true relationships with students and understanding them beyond academics is key to addressing behavioral issues.

Consistency, fairness, and love are crucial for fostering change in students with behavioral issues.

The speaker emphasizes that significant behavior changes do not happen quickly, but persistence and patience are essential.

Documenting student behaviors helps provide concrete evidence when discussing concerns with parents, guardians, or administration.

Different behavior documentation forms are shared, which can be used to track student behavior throughout the day.

Teachers should be consistent in documenting behaviors, noting specific times and patterns of behavior.

Before approaching administration, teachers should first document behaviors and meet with parents or guardians to discuss concerns.

The speaker advocates for teachers to go above and beyond in supporting students, understanding their backgrounds, and showing genuine care.

Spending time with students, such as having lunch with them, helps build relationships and gain trust.

Every child is 'one caring adult away' from being a success story, and teachers can be part of that positive influence through consistent love and support.