Jason is a student in Mrs. Blake’s 9th grade English class.

He talks all the time during the

lesson and when Mrs. Blake asks him to be quiet, he either ignores her or responds to
her in a disrespectful manner saying things like, “I would be quiet if this class weren’t so
boring” or “I hate this class.” One time a student told Mrs. Blake that after she turns
around after a confrontation with Jason, he often flips her off.

Mrs. Blake,

First off, oof!

Secondly, I could imagine if your frustration is just erupting with this student, please
keep in mind as you try and figure this out not to development any hatred. It’s really
important for us not to get caught up in dislike for any students and to focus on
something we respect from them, even if it is simply them showing up. You aren’t one to
be filled with hate and anger, but I thought I’d advise it anyways.

Have you tried a more indirect approach with his behavior? Everything you have done
directly when responding or being passive and ignoring it hasn’t seemed to be helpful. I
think an easy approach (if you haven’t tried this already) would be moving his seat. You
could even move it to the very front, or right by your desk to keep a closer eye on him.

One idea I’ve recently read about is writing the student’s name on the board.
Acknowledge them by name and express if it continues, they stay after class, but if they
shape up, their name could even get erased. Don’t be afraid to actually follow through
with these steps as well. If he ends up staying after class, you could try to use it as an
opportunity to see what he dislikes about the class so much, let him share his voice, who
knows, maybe something else is bothering him and he's just been taking it out on you.

I recognize sometimes you need a fix in the heat of the moment. Since it’s evident he has
no regard for no talking in class, the next time he starts to chat you could address him
right then and make him aware that, “though I respect and understand you do not enjoy
this class, there are other students who do care about the class, or at least their grade,
and you are rudely taking time away from your fellow peers and friends.” This might
help him realize his actions impact his pals and classmates, not just the teacher.

If none of this helps, it could be as simple as giving Jason a heads up that the next time
the class is disrupted by him, you will be reaching out to his parents directly about his
misbehavior, don’t just pawn him off to the principal where he gets a lecture and sent
right back, if his parents are involved in his life, this would be scarier anyways.

Best of luck to you,

Mrs. Humpherys