What if my boy or girl misbehaves at school?
The first time this happens, ask your child to explain. Don’t “double
punish” the child if the teacher already took disciplinary action.
Depending on the severity of the incident, you may want to talk to the
teacher. Some problems vanish without a lot of effort on your part.
CautionPoor grades are not really misbehavior. And punishment for poor grades is a
strategy that is way more often unsuccessful than useful. Try a friendly reward
system first, and if that doesn’t work, consider a professional evaluation.The second time your child misbehaves at school, you will want to
talk to the teacher, possibly even with your child present. Though you
may still decide to not take action, if the behavior continues you will
want to work out a daily or weekly behavior chart (see charting in
chapter 12) that the teacher fills out and sends home to keep you up to
date. You may decide to link this chart to rewards and consequences
that you administer at home. If this intervention doesn’t succeed after
a few weeks, try modifying your rewards, consequences, or the chart
itself. If that doesn’t work after a few more weeks, consider a
professional evaluation through the school or privately.
One note of caution: poor grades are not really an incidence of
misbehavior. And punishment-only methods for dealing with poor
grades usually fail. Instead, use the system described earlier.