We, as teachers, have so many responsibilities to fill and while fulfilling these

responsibilities, we wear a countless amount of hats, so to speak. Obviously, we are

educators within our classrooms on a daily basis. But, in addition to being first and
foremost educators, we are so much more. The daily task of being listeners and
encouragers is never ending. With this job comes the realization that each of our
students are unique in their own way and come from a vast variety of backgrounds. For
our students who suffer from behavioral and/or emotional disorders, this can be an
especially challenging task.
Some of these relationships that are built with these specific types of students will be
extremely meaningful, for both teacher and student alike. That being said, it is widely
acknowledged that students who experience serious behavioral and/or emotional
disorders in the classroom are some of the most difficult students to deal with on a daily
basis. (p. 201) As teachers, one of our responsibilities is to address and handle
behavioral situations in our classrooms. There are specific adaptations that will need to
be met in order to successfully teach these types of students in the typical classroom
environment, as well as keeping them from becoming a distraction in the classroom,
which in turn affects the learning environment for the class as a whole.
As teachers in the classroom, there are several factors that we need to observe and be
mindful of when handing a student with a behavioral or emotional disorders. For
example, the age of the specific student, frequency of occurrence of their behavior, the
number of symptoms that the student displays and possible signs of inner suffering.
Other factors that we as teachers need to be aware of are if the student is harming
others, the persistence of the behavior, whether or not the student tends to be willing to
give and receive affection (self-satisfaction), and finally, how severe the behavior and
how long it typically lasts. When considering identifying the specific student with a
behavioral or emotional disorder, there are numerous questions that must be answered.

Such as, How often does the behavior take place and under what conditions does that
behavior typically occur? Are there certain specific situations that seem to trigger the
behavior in the student? How severe of an issue does it seem to be and what can be
done to help eliminate the problem at hand? (p.211)
In general, I know that in order to have and maintain a successful classroom learning
environment for my students, I must be consistent in my everyday routines as a teacher.
I personally feel that this is extremely important with all of my students, but specifically
students struggling with behavioral and emotional disorders. I also feel that trust is a
huge component when it comes to dealing with these students in the classroom on a
daily basis. Sadly, many of these students have most likely never experienced a true
loving and trustful relationship with an adult in their life before. Trust is so important in
order to achieve success with all students, but specifically those with behavioral and
emotional disorders. (p.215) When attempting to create the most successful learning
environment for these specific students, we, as teachers, must first recognize the
daunting task of behavioral changes that we wish to see. It is important to always
work on desirable behaviors and attempt to decrease undesirable behaviors. (p.217)
Conflicts in the classroom environment must also be dealt with in an appropriate
Manner. The best way to achieve this is for students to have specific strategies to cope
with and handle certain specific situations that may result in conflict. Teaching students
self-monitoring and self-management skills, both inside and outside of the classroom
environment is also a key factor. Both of these techniques teach the student to become
more aware of their own personal behaviors and choices that they are making. (p.222)
Social skills and learning to use social learning strategies are also a huge component
when dealing with students who struggle with behavioral and emotional issues. They
become aware of the world outside of themselves and how their personal choices play a
role in the everyday life that exists around them. Offering school-based wraparound

services is also a great option. For example, it involves the needs of the student within
their home-school community. It focuses specifically on the needs of the student within
their school, home and community settings. (p.225) Finally, adapting instruction to
these unique individuals in how they learn in the classroom environment. There are
several ways that we as teachers can do this in our classrooms, such as positive
behavioral support and interactions.
All of our students should be actively involved and engaged during classroom
Instruction. This, in turn, creates a positive learning environment. I personally believe
that for the specific student who may struggle with the behavioral or emotional disorder,
we, as teachers, must be willing to go the extra mile at all times. We owe this to our
students to help them achieve the success that they are capable of, both inside and
outside of our classroom walls.

Sources:
Bos, Schumm, Vaughn (1997) Teaching Students. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Amanda Zabojnik
Prompt #3
SpEd 480
April 12, 2016