'Teacher! Make Them Stop!'

Addressing the problem of children being emotionally abusive to each other in the form of heckling and the more serious "put-down," this paper suggests that this behavior can stem from a need for attention, resistance, an inability to express feelings more appropriately, or a desire to test an adult's strength. It is important to listen to children and understand why they are doing something before punishing them, and this paper discusses the need for and use of limits in the classroom. Role play can be a good device for teaching students how to respond effectively, rather than weakly, to a heckler. Techniques include standing tall, looking directly into the eyes of the person you're saying "no" to, and using a firm voice. The paper offers samples of other activities to do with children that promote their thinking about how they feel and how their actions affect themselves and others. Children need more help dealing with put-downs than with heckles, and adults should step in to identify the interaction as a put-down and to stop it. Class discussion, respectful teacher behavior, and provision of a haven in the classroom for angry or upset children are offered as ways to promote appropriate behavior. The paper concludes with findings from Educators for Social Responsibility on dealing with aggressive students, and a list of 11 basic concepts to remember when dealing with negative classroom behavior. (EV)