Jamie’s usual way of settling an argument is by bonking the other kid on the head with his fist, Peter’s favorite response is, “make me”; and Karen is late for class more often than she is on time. These are problem behaviors which probably are not new to you. You may have already developed remedies which work for most children. Sometimes, however, you meet a child who seems resilient to all your tried and true formulas.
Part III provides you with specific strategies for dealing with those hard-to-handle children. I have separated children’s problem behaviors into three categories: disruptive, hyperactive, peer relationships. Each problem behavior has several coping strategies, sorted under headings of preventive, second-choice, offbeat, and lemon. The preventive strategies are preferred because they avoid problems from arising in the first place. Second-choice strategies work for existing problem behaviors, offbeat remedies you can try when nothing else seems to work, and lemons you should stay away from altogether. These strategies come from a number of sources: the techniques presented in Part II, books on classroom management, teachers, parents, friends, myself.
The section starts off with some general guidelines on how to get the best results from the strategies you try. These include suggestions on making rules, putting rules into action, and structuring your classroom.