"Bad" Kids???

Is there really such a thing as a “bad” kid?  Sure a kid may act out and get into some trouble, but is that child really a “bad” kid?

I have worked with some of the toughest of the tough, and I honestly cannot bring myself to believe that any child is inherently a “bad” kid.  By their nature, children want to please and do good things.  If a child is acting out in an inappropriate manner, there is always a reason.

This “Aha” moment came to me one day while trying to motivate and engage a particularly challenging student.  This student had the majority of my attention even though I had three other students in the room I was also checking in with and supporting simultaneously.  At the end of the period, one of the three other students looked at me as he was packing up, shook his head and said, “Mr. Deily, how do you deal with this every day?”  (Insert teachable moment drumroll) I responded, “You have to remember, everybody has their own reasons for acting the way they do.”  The student paused for a few seconds as he worked through my response in his head, nodded his head in agreement and with an understanding smirk on his face left to go to his next class.

It is amazing what you can learn from your students.  Ever since this student brought this up with me, I have not stopped thinking about it.  Each time I start to get frustrated with a student, I think back to this moment and it helps me gather my composure and continue moving forward with intervention strategies.

As educators it is our job to look past the behaviors themselves, find the root, and work to address it.  We can’t hastily pass judgment on our students, and we can’t let their words and actions break us down.  We must ardently work towards resolution through the use of intervention.

Interventions, in some instances, may be as easy as having a conversation and letting the student know you care about them and are there to support them followed by daily / weekly check-ins.  In these cases it may take a few days or weeks but you ultimately see a turnaround in student behavior.  In other cases more intensive interventions are necessary, such as evaluations for learning and emotional disabilities, mental health, etc.  While these interventions take more time and a much more steadfast approach, ultimately if they are able to quell or even eliminate the inappropriate behavior(s), they are worth it.  In between each of these extremes is a plethora of other things that can be done.  The intervention needs to be based on purpose (what are you trying to accomplish), and available resources.  If, like many districts these days, your resources are waning, get creative and think “outside the box.”    

Once you are able to get to the root of the problem and really understand why your students act the way they do, everything becomes much clearer.  The students who were always just, “bad kids,” suddenly become a joy to have in class and, in my experience, allow you to establish a much stronger connection with as a student.