Teacher Discussion Forums

Hi,

I have got a lower-intermediate class and they are all 13 and 12 year olds. The problem is that I have a 17 year old boy in my class who disrupts everything! It is impossible to teach with him. He is also very wild everytime I try to tell him what to do he shouts back and completly does the opposite. He doesn't listen to anybody not even his parents. The institute owner WILL not take him out of my class. So I end up not doing a lesson as he disrupts the lesson. What can I do? I've kicked him out the classroom a couple of times but he comes back and does the same again. ADVICE PLEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAASE!!!

I had this problem with grade 7's once. I arranged to use the computer lab and just took all the other children to the lab and left him in the classroom. He was always late to class so it was easy to leave him behind. He loved the computers so was very put out and I was able to talk to him afterwards and explain what I was doing and why. I said that I would continue until he decided to let me be the teacher in the class. It only took that one time to change his behaviour so I was lucky. I also had a young woman like that in my grade 10 class and I talked to the other students one day when she was away and we agreed that we would all try to help her learn to participate in the class. The other students spoke to her when she interupted and asked that she be quiet so they could listen to the teacher. She was annoyed at them for the first few lessons but they stuck together as a group and kept after her and she got the message. I usually give my students the outline of the course on a banner over the front blackboard so they can see where they are going and we would point out each time how far behind we were due to her disruption. I gather that some of parents actually got after her father and he got her help eventually because they really bugged him. I would also video a lesson and show it to the boss so he can see the disruptive behaviour and perhaps show it to the parents. It sounds like the student needs serious psychiatric help and should be encouraged to seek some. Does he behave this way in all classes or just yours? I guess if I was 17 in a class of 13 year olds I might be resentful as well. It is a pretty embarrassing situation for him I am sure. Couldn't you make him your assistant instead of a student so he would have a more responsible role. How is his English - does he really need this class? If you have the power to ask him to leave, I would just keep doing it until he finds a place that is more suitable or agrees that he will behave.

I think the boy needs serious counselling. Calmly talk to him about the importance of education as it seems he doesn't care about education. If still he doesnt listens to you, refer him to the guidance and counselling office in your institution.

This is a really tough situation to deal with and which, unfortunately, is getting more and more common nowadays. Who among us, teachers, hasn't ever had a disruptive student in one of our classes? It's difficult to find a way out to this kind of behaviour since each case is unique and therefore requires a specific treatment and great patience. However, trying to earn the students' trust and using the wisdom that comes with experience is probably the best solution to avoid going insane.
I believe that the students' parents, your superiors and a psychologist can be a wonderful help; besides, sharing this kind of problems with other teachers can not only relieve us from the pressure but also provide us with some wise clues.