As a parent, you may have a strong conviction that you know your child better than anyone else in the world. Your child is your own flesh and blood, and you have raised him with loving care since its first breath. At home, your child may be well-behaved and almost idyllic, but school seems to be a challenge. You may be getting regular calls and letters from your child's school with complaints about bad behavior. Your child is acting up, lashing out and otherwise just being unruly.
If this scenario sounds familiar, you are not alone. Many children are pegged as a problem child while the parents believe the child has gotten an unfair rap. Some parents believe their child has turned into a trouble child because he is bored at school and isn't being challenged. So what can you do about this?
Visit the Classroom: It is true that a bored child will sometimes misbehave in class. However, before you talk to your teacher or the school about your hunch, you first should visit the classroom several times to witness the behavior first hand. Talk to your child about times of the day when the behavior occurs most often. Try to observe your child's actions without letting your presence be known, such as from the hallway. Pay attention to your child's demeanor beforehand as well as which children he or she was with. Is he done with is work? Is someone else distracting him? Is there no apparent reason for the behavior? Consider observing the classroom several times before you form a full opinion on the matter.
Talk to Your Child: You may be able to see exactly what is happening through your observations, or you may only think you see what is happening. After observing the classroom, sit down and talk to your child about what you say. Ask your child if that is really what happened, or why your child acted in a certain way. You may find out quite a bit more about the situation than you found out simply by viewing the class.
Ask for a Class Change: In many cases, a child is lashing out or misbehaving because he is bored. Other times, there are issues with the kids in the class, or the child just has a poor dynamic with the teacher. If your child is regularly behaving badly and you believe the environment is the root cause, consider asking the school to change your child's class. Be sure to set expectations for behavior in the class. This can serve as a fresh start for your child, and he should have guidelines and expectations established for the fresh start.
Here are a few other articles written by this author:
How Positive is Your Parenting?
Helping Your Kids Through Fights with Friends
Kids and Friend Drama: When to Step In
