Two Words to Say to a Rude Child

 This week’s article summary is Two Words to Say to a Rude Child.

As we are just two days into the new school year, we're still in the honeymoon period when our students are polite, attentive, and cooperative.

While we may enjoy a few more weeks of this bliss, as students become more comfortable and familiar, some will inevitably begin to test boundaries.

During preplanning, we discussed a variety of strategies to promote positive behavior across the classroom as well as interventions for individual students.

Although the article below is written for parents, there’s value in applying the "Try Again" technique in the classroom.

We also talked during preplanning about the importance of allowing students to learn from their mistakes—not only academically but also in their social-emotional development. ‘Try Again’ grants a student a re-do opportunity.

You might consider introducing the "Try Again" strategy to your class so students understand when and why you may use it with an individual student, a small group, or even the entire class.

Using "Try Again" signifies:

• An overstep of our school-wide TIGERS norms
• An opportunity for students to make a better choice through a respectful do-over
• A chance for students to take responsibility for correcting their own behavior.

Thanks to everyone for such a smooth start to the new school year!

Joe

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A parenting coach has shared the two-word response parents can use if their kids are being disrespectful – and it’s surprisingly simple.

Mike Wallace, who runs Apparently Parenting, says: “Stop letting your kids walk all over you with this one trick. It’s super simple – and when done correctly, they rarely push back against it.

The parenting coach and behavior analyst said if a child is disrespectful or rude towards you, all you need to say in response is: “Try again.”

This can be used in a variety of scenarios, added the parenting coach, such as “when they slam the door, when they yell back ‘no’, when they’re playing too rough, or when they snatch a toy out of someone’s hand”.

“They immediately know what needs to be done to change their behavior,” he explained.

Of course, some younger children might need a bit more direction than simply “try again”. If they say something rude to you, or shout at you, you could respond: “That’s not how we talk to each other. Can you try again?”

If they shout a demand at you, like “I want a snack!” you could respond: “Let’s try that again. How do we ask nicely?”

When kids are rude it might be tempting to raise your voice, but parenting pros suggest remaining calm and speaking in a steady voice, otherwise the situation will likely escalate.

According to My Parenting Solutions, asking for a replay is “so simple and effective”. But if your child is having a tantrum, it’s probably best to wait until they’ve calmed down to encourage them to try again.

The method can work well, because you’re giving children the opportunity to practice acting respectfully.