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Prior to teaching middle school, I had a very simplistic outlook on children who misbehave in school. I believed that children act out because they want to and that the best approach to correcting unwanted behavior is discipline. However, after spending a few years in the classroom, I quickly began to recognize that while there are situations when students act out just because they feel like it, children misbehave for a variety of reasons. More often than not, the misbehavior is a symptom of a larger problem and by treating the symptom without getting to the root of the issue, things will likely only get worse. Here are six common reasons that children misbehave in school and practical solutions to help get them back on track.
Undiagnosed or unaddressed learning disability
A big reason that children act out in school is that they’re suffering from a learning disability that is either undiagnosed or that is going unaddressed. Children with learning disabilities are entitled to special accommodations and differentiation in instruction.
