December 03, 2024

Cliques, Clowns, Toughies, and Tattletales Part One

41 minutes

"We want to have our tool belts full of resources and strategies that we can use with these students. And that's where we fall short sometimes." — Katie Klipp

Have you ever had a day in your classroom where you felt like you spent more time dealing with behavior and shaping character than on any academic lessons? Managing disruptive behaviors can be exhausting and all-consuming. What do you say to the class clown, the incessant tattler, the student who just prefers to be disinterested in your class, or the non-stop bragger?

On this practical, in-the-trenches episode of the Teacher Edition podcast, Jenny sits down with Katie Klipp, a veteran teacher, to give you strategies on how to best deal with these and other behaviors and to hopefully give you a new understanding and a fresh approach to reaching these students. We see disruptive behaviors in students of all ages. Educators might run away from this kind of topic (and maybe even away from these kinds of students!), but in this episode we are facing it head on.

Key highlights:

Proactive vs. Reactive Classroom Strategies: Highlighting the value of proactive management, Katie shares tools for creating a cooperative and positive classroom environment.

Tackling Teasing and Bullying: Katie shares how students mimic behaviors seen from media and stresses the importance of modeling empathy and setting clear expectations within the classroom.

Tattling vs. Reporting: Introducing tools to help students manage conflicts and teaching problem-solving skills to ensure students know when to ask for help and when to handle things independently.

"Creating a culture of care means immediate and thoughtful responses to unkind behaviors, nurturing both the victim and the aggressor."

Katie offers some valuable insights and tips for us educators. Don’t miss Part Two of this discussion, where we will talk about working with defiant and tough students, as well as the class clown.

Every day in the classroom is YOUR day to impact and inspire — not in your own strength — but through God's power and his grace working in you.

Go do what God has called you to do!

Resources Mentioned:

The Power of Our Words by Paula Denton https://a.co/d/3XujM5P

Tattling, Teasing, and Defiance and More by Margaret Wilson https://a.co/d/5KV77v4

https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/

About Our Guest

Katie holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education and has taught first grade at Bob Jones Academy in Greenville, SC, for twenty years. She also assists at BJUPress in writing, revising, and consulting. She enjoys hosting workshops for teachers and assisting teachers with classroom management, technology, and creative instruction.