Behavior 101: Don’t Take the Bait!

Here are some tips to help prevent getting “baited” by a student’s behavior.

For more information, or to book Polly Bath for your school, district, collaborative, or professional organization:
Call Cristia Lesher Associates LLC at 603-632-5834.

Polly Bath is a much-loved consultant, trainer, and keynote speaker. She helps schools dramatically reduce behavior problems, increase student SEL skills, and build strong school cultures supportive of all learners. Her strategies include strengthening teacher behavior and SEL toolboxes; building strong behavior Tiers 1, 2, 3; and building school-wide systemic approaches to behavior and SEL.

[radawson]

Teaching kids what types of behavior are NOT ok…that will translate down the road to ADULTS knowing which behaviors are okay. We need this now more than ever, to be a civilized society. Thank you, Polly!

[theombrehombre]

Great concepts. Real world examples and responses would be so helpful.

[b-ud]

Spot on! If there is one thing that we as educators can learn from mindfulness practice, it's the Parable of the Second Arrow. You can't control the event, but with practice you can train your response to the event and, in so doing, regain some control.

[fitzfitz]

Fantastic advice! As an experienced SPED teacher, co-teaching with new GenEd teachers-post pandemic, it’s hard to show my young co-teachers how to not take the bait. I always read the room and when I see this happening, I automatically take the lead teacher role and quickly shut it down with a calm leadership type presence. How can us, as experienced co-teachers better teach and/or support our new amazing upcoming teachers? Teamwork, in Co teaching is everything in my middle school, we’re all working so hard. It would be helpful to put out a video, role play, of what co-teaching with significant behavioral concerns in a gen ed classroom with sped looks like. It would be very helpful! You are amazing!

[WilliamWordsworthWrites]

You're an amazing teacher. Thank you sharing this knowledge so clearly.🙏

[francesbernard]

Being any kind of public figure brings with it ups and downs when it comes to respect in the classroom and our popularity as a teacher among their parents most. You are right it isn't easy while for example when crossing the street we realize someone walking in the opposite direction is walking on the same far side of the crosswalk that we are. Since I was the much taller and bigger person in the situation I moved over to the side of the crosswalk nearest the main road on that intersection. The young man of slight build while only maybe needing to maintain his image of being a tough man about to smoke a cigarette while I was making sure their was no oncoming cars running a red light said some sort of smart remark to me as I was crossing the street. I only smiled a bit while not letting it bother me. When a car driving up to stop at a red light is driving a little to fast for me to feel comfortable I put out my arm with my hand like a sign while slowing down my walk a bit while trying to make eye contact with the driver to make them aware I am present there. If someone a driver too ever takes offense to that would be their problem not mine while having to stop instead of failing to while passing another car already stopped or while coming out of a driveway. I had to learn all that while selling S.T.A.R.S. calendars from door to door.

[doyourbst]

Well I saw this happening taking the bait happening but it was either take it or the class gets out or order. I think this time I will tell everyone to freeze. See how that works. Once everyone is quite go back to teaching...kindergarten is crazy 😆

[lynnamacaibay]

So what do you do when you have kindergarteners who don’t want to follow directions after recess to line up to get back to class. There are two little boys who are notorious for this everyday. I tell them to line up, but they run away and keep playing like it’s some kind of game to them