"Oh, Behaaaaave!" - Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery

This is a picture of me on my first day of substitute teaching. I couldn't believe how smooth the day ran. I guess clothes really do make the man.

Having the ability to successfully manage the behavior of two dozen or so students for an entire day, five days a week, is in my mind, a very impressive skill. In fact, the strength of this ability must directly correspond to the length and quality of a teacher’s career. It’s that critical. I’m surprised that entire college semesters aren’t devoted to this topic alone, considering today’s classroom student composition in light of the No Child Left Behind Act.
On a more personal note, I need some immediate behavior management support. Right after spring break, a student from another classroom is being transferred to our classroom because of some considerable behavioral issues. The principal and school psychologist believe that part of the problem is that this male student is not responding to the efforts of his female teachers. They are hoping progress may be made with a male influence. Of course, at best, this will be only a small part of the answer. I have found a website that seems to have just the type of guidance I’m on the lookout for. The site’s address is http://www.behavioradvisor.com/. Here’s an extract that is especially appealing to me:
Traits of a Stage 5 Teacher
Stage 5 teachers are able to hold their emotions during a behavior event. Rather than striking out at a youngster who is being “inappropriate”, they are able to observe the aberrant behavior and say to themselves: “Here’s a kid in crisis. What can a caring professional such as I do to help him/her?” They then respond in an assertive, self-confident, and proficient manner.
Stage 5 teachers are able to find something to like in even the “worst” kid. Rather than focus on the student’s shortcomings, they focus on the imbedded positive aspect in the negative behavior (For example, a kid who beats up another for having insulted his little sister is showing family loyalty. Perhaps a replacement behavior for the pummeling of others is needed, but the protection of a younger sibling was admirable.) These teachers focus on the progress, however small, that is being displayed. They cheer for the student when s/he shows an approximation of the appropriate behavior.
Stage 5 teachers use “symptom estrangement” (a term coined by the behavior management pioneer Fritz Redl). They hate the behavior, but work with the pupil to create change. They realize that kids are a reflection of what they’ve experienced with adults before meeting us. Stage 5 teachers don’t blame the victim. They help him/her.
Now obviously I have a lot more to learn about the subject before I can become truly effective at helping these students but I think by keeping the three main thoughts from the passage; 1.) Hold your emotions, 2.) Focus on the imbedded positive in the negative, and 3.) Hate the behavior, not the child; I can maintain the proper outlook during my exchanges with the new student. I’m hoping this will keep things on a manageable level while I continue to further my education and begin to integrate some more specific strategies into my daily encounters.
In regards to the quote, I think that a strong character education program might have a positive effect on overall classroom behavior as well. By modeling positive character traits and embedding examples of the positive impact of good character in the daily curriculum, we can help to develop these qualities in our students. By teaching our students to employ the classical ethical tests of reversibility (Would you want to be treated this way?) and universalizability (Would you want all persons to act this way in a similar situation?) we would be, in effect, positively influencing their behavior in the classroom. This would happen because we would be specifically using these tests to emphasize how the disruptive nature of negative behavior impedes the learning process of fellow classmates.