2 Tips for Teachers | Dealing With Disruptions
January 15th, 2010
By Mignon Furman
Tip 1
A child who disrupts a class obviously wants attention. If the child is young, explain that you need to have someone hold your hand; then firmly and kindly hold that child’s hand. Or give the child a special place in the front of the class, along with the responsibility of being the class model. It usually works well.
Tip 2
An older student who always pushes to be in center front can be very discouraging to the rest of the class. To avoid this, assign the students to specific places in line and then rotate the lines so that all students have the chance to be in front during each class.
Posted in 2 Tips for Ballet Teachers, 2010 | 01 | January | 
Tags: 2 Tips, advice, dance, Mignon Furman, teachers
I just feel highly compelled to respond to Tip #1. I don’t agree with the suggestion. You should never reward bad behavior, irregardless of the age, child or parent. You can teach a 3 year old that rules in your classroom WILL be followed. You can take “disciplinary” steps to teach the child that probably is not getting taught at home how to behave and mind. My students are well-behaved in the classroom. Outside with their parents I often see different behavior. Children of all ages crave rules and boundaries. They often act out to see if you are paying attention and care. Never reward bad behavior—-how does that make the student that IS well-behaved feel when you do that!!! And think of what you taught that child and the others that were watching!!!
AMEN! I thouroughly agree with Cheryl’s comment…children want and need boundaries and when you set clear expectations, more often than not every child will rise to meet them!