ABSTRACT
The students who are causing the most disciplinary problems are not bad kids. Their behavior is a reaction to something, and no matter how central you may think school is to their lives, you are not the thing that they are reacting to. At the moment you may be the target of their frustration, but most kids do not rationally want to take their anger out on a person they see for only an hour a day. Try to understand that their behavior is a symptom of a source that is not you. The first place to look is their academic levels; it is better to be bad than stupid. If they are academically high, then maybe you can begin a conversation with guidance and see if there is something that they are battling at home. Either way, lead with compassion, not with a reaction.
