Disruptive students are present in every class and can make the learning process come to a stand still if not dealt with properly. The following few steps could help you in handling them with ease.
Make the rules clear
When you are taking a class, as a teacher you have plenty of responsibilities and to deal with these responsibilities, you have certain discretionary powers. These include setting up punishments for indiscipline and misbehavior in the class. You may use your powers to set certain rules for the class and then let the students know about them.
Be very clear that the students are not under the cloud over this issue. Also it is important not to exaggerate, just to set up an example, simple mistakes should not earn harsh punishments. It will lose you the respect of your students and will make them think that you are incapable of dealing with them and hence are resorting to punishments.
Be true to your word
One thing that will surely earn you a lot of respect is honesty and determination. You should not make any comment emotionally; anything that you say to the class should be perfectly honest. Do not make tall claims and then fall short of fulfilling them. Your students will then start taking you lightly and would not think much of the consequences before taking any step.
Strictly follow what you say in the class and do not change it even for your own convenience. This will show the students that you are a man of your words and will earn you a lot of respect. This will also make sure that misbehaving students know that you will be true to your word if they cross their lines. Do not show any kind of favoritism because it will lose your respect. Treat everybody equally.
Be a role model
A teacher should be a role model for the class and should realize that they are not just there to teach out of the book. As a teacher, you should be polite to every student and be totally impartial. You should be judgmental in your approach to any of the student and help them all equally. This will help you in generating affection in the hearts of the children who will follow anything you say without doubting you. One mistake many teachers do is to brag about themselves and their academics in front of their students which the students absolutely detest. You should refrain from doing this ever if you want to stay in the good books of your students. Be frank and friendly and do not lose your composure over small issues. Students are very judgmental of their teachers, so you have to be the perfect example of what you preach in class.
Do not react impulsively
When you are coming to the class, you must be having some plans about how to carry out the lesson. Your goal is to pass on some teachings and make sure that they are interpreted by the students in the same way. You cannot afford to pay attention to students who are not interested in anything but disrupting your lessons. You will realize that you are just shooting yourself in the leg by reacting to such pupils. You should treat it with complete indifference and stick to your plans for the day. The student is not going to decide the course of the class, you will. This indifference strengthens your authority and your classroom management skills and it also acts as a deterrent for the student who can see that his acts have no impact on you. This may seem difficult in the beginning and the student may feel that they won by making you feel disrespected and still getting away with it, but as long as you donât let them get under your skin, you are on the winning side.
Understand their behavior
A teacher is not only a mentor but a friend too. Knowing your students well personally will help you understand them and their behavior. They might be having some personal problem at home or even at school itself which might have been the reason behind their misbehavior. If they are disturbed mentally, you will have a hard time dealing with them, so it is advisable that you make certain efforts in understanding them well. If you think that you can help your student in their personal problems, you may do so, but not without taking permission from the student.
