The sad reality is that no matter how well teachers know their content … no matter how many strategies teachers know to improve reading comprehension or increase academic achievement … if teachers can’t manage their classroom, they I can’t teach

Many education experts agree that the students who are causing classroom management problems typically fall into one of four categories:

1. attention seekers ~ (pencil sharpeners, hums, talking students, etc.)

2.power seekers ~ (always having the last word, muttering softly)

3. revenge seekers ~ (recipients of frequent punishments)

4.Avoid failures ~ (students not doing work or withdrawing from the lesson as a way to avoid further failures)

However, for most teachers, it is the power seekers who are starting to make our blood boil. These are the students who question your authority and do it in front of the whole class.

Many teachers feel that they cannot allow the student seeking power to have the last word because he will lose face with the rest of the class … which will make others comfortable questioning his authority as well.

These power seekers are trying to “prime” the master by muttering something under their breath or saying flatly, “You can’t make me do this task!”

Bottom line … these power-seeking students are trying to get a reaction from the teacher and there is nothing they would like more than their classmates to see the teacher explode.

Don’t do this … Don’t fall for their tricks … Don’t bite the bait !!!

At least not right now, in front of the other students.

There are other options … A much better approach is to breathe deeply, not lose your cool, and in a calm and practical way, just tell the student to see you after class and then continue immediately. with the lesson.

If the student seeking power later mutters something under his breath again, just ignore it … that’s right, ignore it … the rest of the class already knows that you will handle the situation without their presence. There is no need for further answers at this point, as all you will do is interrupt your own lesson and give the student seeking power what he wants.

Then when the bell rings and the class leaves, just put that student seeking power aside and move on without the audience the student wanted. Depending on the situation, you can also follow up with a phone call home, parent conference, detention, etc.

Just don’t “poke” in front of the rest of the class.

By knowing the reasoning behind why a student is misbehaving (i.e. seeking power), a teacher can make much better decisions about classroom management.