How To End Troubling Student Behavior At School

Because the pandemic has not improved this problem in education.

I vividly remember all the conversations and complaints that circulated everywhere when schools remained closed for in-person learning at the onset of the pandemic. While students participated in virtual learning experiences, their voices as well as the voices of their parents were amplified when concerns raged about students needing to return to traditional school. Community members and many others joined their voices to elaborate on the mental health concerns that were erupting among children and youth because they were denied the opportunity to report to school each day.

Now that schools have reopened, I wonder how many parents secured professional assistance for all the students who declared that they suffered from mental health problems. I think that these were self-diagnosed issues that the majority of parents failed to get medical or therapeutic help for their children.

I have another thought. Some of the students who cried and moaned about schools reopening their doors are probably some of the ones wreaking havoc in school now. Perhaps they are the ones who also did so before the pandemic.

There’s A Serious Problem With Student Behavior in Some Schools

As I watched the news on television a few days ago, I was disheartened but certainly not surprised by a serious situation that took place at a high school in the United States. Approximately 30 students engaged in a brawl in the cafeteria during lunchtime. School leaders responded to this serious incident by placing all the students in a virtual learning mode until a thorough investigation was completed. All the students who were involved in the simultaneous violent fights were given disciplinary consequences.

The reason why I was not shocked by the news is that I used to be a school administrator in the school district where this terrible incident erupted. In my service as principal and district level leader, I was involved in resolving my share of brawls and other acts of violence there. It is quite possible that some of the students involved in the high school incident were also involved in incidents when they were in lower grades. It is also quite possible that the parents of these students were also involved in similar acts of misconduct at school. Finally, it is quite probable that some of the involved students and their parents also engaged in similar behaviors under my leadership.

This issue speaks to how pervasive troubling student conduct is in many places. I have published many stories that highlight the problem of out-of-control students at school. Here is the link to my most popular article on this topic.

Reading this piece will accentuate the seriousness of this problem. However, there is more to my concern.

The Role of Family Engagement

As a family engagement influencer, my mission is to ignite family engagement in education. In doing so, I speak my truth as it relates to issues related to the role parents play in education.

Many derogatory behavioral incidents are generational and can be linked to poor parenting. Unless school leaders and policymakers begin to make this critical correlation and act on this knowledge, conditions in schools will not change. Sadly, they will continue to worsen.

Schools must prioritize the development of authentic parent partnerships as important in education. This must also include assuming the responsibility of developing parent training programs that build the capacity of mothers, fathers, and other caregivers to improve and strengthen their skills within the home. Training parents to teach their children behavioral boundaries at their earliest beginnings will likely result in the display of more appropriate student behaviors at school.

Regardless of the training school leaders continue to provide teachers and educators with as it relates to crisis intervention, positive behavior interventions, trauma-informed care, and so much more, parents hold the key to solving the problems with poor student conduct at school.

I published a story that elaborates on my perspective related to parents working with their child’s educators as a member of their team to reduce and even eliminate serious student disruptions at school. This article follows.

My Final Thought

I define family engagement as

“the mutual support, cooperation, and dedication that parents, as well as caregivers, share with educators as students receive their education.”

This brief explanation of family engagement singularly sets the stage for parents to play an intensive role in solving the behavior problems that their children create within educational environments.

Thank you for reading these stories and for being concerned about student disruptions in schools.

If you appreciated the information and perspective that I shared, I have a few more articles for you to read. The links found below.

Here is my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1DPhBeA29UlybU9jzDkdQ.