Relationships Aren't Always Enough

Today we are going to talk about what to do in situations where a student presents with some challenging behavior and the recommendation that you are receiving from others within the building is to build a relationship with that student. This can be a really challenging situation to be in. When you are looking for support from other personnel within the building and you're continually getting that same recommendation of building a relationship with a student, it can be really frustrating. 

So first let's talk about the importance of relationships within a school setting. Relationships are the foundation for everything. Building relationships with your students and within your classroom by creating that positive classroom climate is essential to success within your classroom. It is definitely the foundation that we build off of when challenging behaviors present. 

The very first thing to do is document all of the interventions that you have in place. This can be easily done through just a checklist of general interventions that you have set up in your classroom such as antecedent strategies that you incorporate into your classroom, relationship building strategies, and any strategies that you use to create that positive classroom environment and climate. 

The next thing I would do is advocate for more support. and what I mean by additional support would be a Tier 2 level intervention or tier three if that's appropriate based on the challenging behavior that you're experiencing. it is important to remember that Tier 2 level interventions are typically done in a small group format and that this often can take place either in the classroom or take place out of the classroom. 

The last thing I would do would be to advocate for feasible interventions to be implemented within your classroom. After you've documented your interventions and advocated for Tier 2 or tier 3 level support that involves explicitly teaching skills that our student might be lagging in order for them to engage in appropriate behavior in your classroom, I would then ask for assistance in implementing those interventions feasibly within your classroom. Don't be afraid to ask for support or ask for someone to come in and provide assistance or model what it could look like in your classroom. this shows that you're open to implementing different interventions and you're also open to additional support from other personnel within your building. 

I really hope this episode was helpful, try out some of these strategies let me know how they work for you over on Instagram at teaching behavior together and have a great rest of your day.
Resources Discussed in this Episode
Free Behavior Intervention Guide
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