In his short teaching career, the author has encountered a variety of challenging students. Some in-your-face students test authority daily. The passive-aggressive tricksters try everything to disrupt class and provoke the teacher. Some disengage, like the physical education nonparticipants who rarely meet his gaze. On his good days, he tries to…

Television, advertising, the Internet, music, and the proliferation of chain stores have had a homogenizing effect on children. Regardless of what type of environment they live in, the style of youth's dress, the way they talk, and how they respond to a wide range of stimuli are surprisingly similar. In spite of these similarities, the challenges…

Natalie, a nine-year-old fourth-grade girl who lives with her mother, father, and two older sisters in a small, middle class, suburban community, has some social problems. She often appears to be speaking to the other students the way her older sisters speak to her at home--exerting power in a condescending tone. This article describes a "Red Flag…

In sharp contrast to the specialized therapeutic environments Redl and Wineman describe in "Controls from Within," today's students with emotional and behavioral disorders usually find themselves in general education classrooms. Sadly, many general educators are not prepared for such challenging students. All too often, their interactions lead to…

Building bonds of respect is difficult with students who present disruptive and intimidating behavior in the classroom. The author describes how RAP principles were used over a period of a school year to create positive connections with such a student. (Contains 1 note.)

Red Flag Reclaiming Interventions are used with students who import problems from the home or community and display them in another setting. This article describes how an incident of violence in the community created a crisis in the classroom. A Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) was used as a student learns to communicate about conflicts…

Culturally and linguistically different youth bring strength and talents but also experience "acculturation stress" and psychosocial concerns as they attempt to adapt to their new surroundings. This article provides strategies to help educators better relate to immigrant students, more effectively address their educational needs, and assist them…

No good time exists to face the realities of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children across the United States and Canada are accompanied to clinics and schools by frightened, worried parents. In the book, In Understanding ADHD (2001), Ken and Andrea McCluskey bring to life the realities of the everyday journey of coping with…