Always consider the child’s feelings. Be courteous and expect courtesy. Avoid embarrassing a
child.
Be alert and observant. Develop an ability to always see or know what is going on in your
group. Convey your alertness and attentiveness to the children. This is perhaps the most
effective way to prevent problems before
they occur.
Choose your words carefully when problems do arise.
Discipline yourself. In other words, control your temper. Some children enjoy seeing your
reactions to their behavior. In addition, you may be inadvertently teaching children that angry
outbursts are acceptable.
Excessive flattery as a technique to motivate or control is ineffective. Children regard this
technique as phony “gushiness.” It deteriorates the esteem the students hold for you as an
adult. Acceptance of each child must be sincere and unconditional.
Firmness and fairness should abide.
Good humor goes a long way. Children who see you happy are more likely to be happy
themselves. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself.
Handle problems yourself as much as possible. Do not threaten to send a child to the
supervisor. In fact, be very careful about threatening anything. Threats can cause a power
struggle which generally escalates into a no-win situation.
Ignore those behaviors that are just to get attention.
Join the children at the back of the line. That way you can see all of them as they go down the
hall.
Keep this simple idea in mind...We are not dealing with children who are problems, but rather
children who may have problems.
Lead and train children at the beginning of the year.
Make positive statements as much as possible. Warm responses and wholesome child
demeanor are largely a result of the degree of positivism the teacher shows the children.
Never underestimate the power of your appearance. Staff members should dress appropriately.
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes, but exercise good taste. Remember the manner in which
you dress sets the climate for your group.
Options are important to children. Vary activities to reduce boredom and enhance their
interest.
Proximity control is an effective preventative approach. Some misbehavior can be stopped by
moving close to the child who is causing the problem.
Quiet activities can be just as much fun as noisy ones.
Routine rules and procedures such as room use, returning and leaving the room, distributing
materials, and cleanup should be presented beforehand. Smoother transitions occur when time
is invested in teaching children such procedures early in the program.
Show the children you are up for the challenge. A well-organized plan is the most essential key
to good behavior. There is no substitute for being well prepared. Remember: Staff who fail to
plan, plan to fail.
Try to predict what would confuse or distract children.
Use natural consequences as appropriate. Try to devise a consequence that is a natural
outgrowth of the behavior. For example—have a child sweep the room if he or she has been
throwing sand from the sand and water table.
Value each child and time spent with every child. Make the most of it. Understand that while
children are with you, your role becomes both teacher and substitute parent.
Watch the amount of attention you give to individual children. Whether it is for a problem or
not, children “tune in” to how much time you spend with others. Refrain from favoritism.
Children can sense this immediately.
X-pect to have fun. Meeting your own expectations always makes you feel good about yourself
and the program.
Yelling is not effective with children. Teachers who use this approach may have quiet,
controlled children one moment, and angry, hostile ones the next.
Zoom in and handle problems quickly. The sooner the problem is handled, the less disruptive it
will become. When you see disruptive behavior let the child know immediately. Otherwise, by
“letting it slide” you are in effect, telling the child that the behavior is acceptable.
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