Out Of Control Kids

[lilered]

Let me share with you a very recent example of turning the way of an unruly child.

One of the boys in my class has been at times very unruly. His mom and dad are pillars in our ward and the boy doesn't act up around them. During class, he at times is unruly and I have been struggling to find just the right way to handle him. About a month ago, after much prayer, deliberation, and discussion with my bride I came to the conclusion part of the problem was he was bored and because he came from a large family also wanting personal attentio.

The next Sunday I decided to try something different. I pulled him aside and with my harm around him, ask for his help with teaching the class. This included taking the lead during singing and helping me with the less active. I decided against teaching a lesson during class period and instead concentrated the entire class period on studying and learning the Article of Faith. To assist in this endeavor, I used as a tool, crossword puzzles designed for that purpose which I downloaded from the web.

Every child particpated with ethusiasm and as they finished one, I gave them a smartie as a reward and then had them recite the particuliar Article, then move onto the next one.

The next Sunday, the entire class clamoured to repeat the same excersise, so we did.

The following results have occurred within the month.

2 boys have passed off 10 and have three to go. (Always there)

2 boys have passed off 7 and have 6 to go ( Miiss sometimes )

2 boys have passed off 3 and have 10 to go ( seldom come)

1 boy has one and working on the others. ( Has mental problems) but he is trying and eventually he will learn more.

Oh yes, one of the boys that has 10 completed, is the one that was causing the most problems. By the way, yesterday we attended a baptism after the block mtgs, and after that they served a simple lunch. He sat next to me with our family while his was at another table. Isn't it great to watch the spirit work wonders.:)

Bottom Line: All children can be touched and taught, it just takes patiance and effort to find the right tools and always with love IMHO.

[Flyonthewall]

My eight year old is a little wiggle-worm. He has trouble sitting still, it doesn't matter what the setting is. We have complaints(more like reports of what he needs to improve on) from his school teacher about him always getting out of his seat, talking ot others, and otherwise just not staying on track.

He is a good kid, just very wiggley.

Some kids need to grow out of their wiggles. In the mean time, I try to work with him as best I can.

[Elgama]

this came to mind about the OP its about missionary work but can apply to any calling

LDS.org - New Era Article - Words of the Prophet: Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel

-Charley

[Elgama]

My eight year old is a little wiggle-worm. He has trouble sitting still, it doesn't matter what the setting is. We have complaints(more like reports of what he needs to improve on) from his school teacher about him always getting out of his seat, talking ot others, and otherwise just not staying on track.

He is a good kid, just very wiggley.

Some kids need to grow out of their wiggles. In the mean time, I try to work with him as best I can.

lol I used to put my kids like that in a corner with some Friend articles said if they were quiet they could stay rather than go into Priesthood figured they would learn more that way. They usually came back into the lesson for at least the attention activity. Some kids just need to wiggle and I always start my classes with some wiggling time and end them with some.

-Charley

[Maya]

Very often kids that are bothered are making noice and trouble.. they need more food! Sometimes the lessons can be very low level to one child and high to an other. To find balance is important and difficult. The same is with school. Some kids need aslittle walk every now and then... maybe a task .. One kids is quiet when you tell him to, the other will not be quiet... we have one 3 year old running wild in sacramentmeeting sometimes.. he is a handfull... but he dont understand the speach of the country yet... patient expalining does help... sometimes...

[Misshalfway]

In my experience, Children need to be engaged in something interesting. Not that you should be expected to tap dance and jump thru hoops. I have found that if I bring fun and engaging activities on age level, that their behavior gets better.

You could reward the reverent ones with little surprises. And if one is particularly bad, simply take the child to their parents and welcome them back next week when they can act appropriately. I don't think you should have to deal with behavior that is over the top. Some of it is just normal. Perhaps a quick review of their developmental stage might help you think like they do.

[IVXX]

I have noisey kids,well,just one,my 3 year old,and There are alot of other noisey kids in our ward,crying and screaming,but its cool.I bring coloring books and snacks and small toys like legos or something that I can occupy them with.Its almost like getting ready for an adventure just to get ready for church,you have to have all your supplies.You wanna be repared,lol.

[LisaE]

I am AD leader and I had this same problem. We have a picture of Jesus that we bring to all of our activities to remind the Grils that we are ALWAYS being watched by Heavenly Father and Jesus....this has helped...also we meet in the RS room or Primary Room and NO one is allowed to leave without permission. We sent out cards to all the parents explaining some of our concernes with the girls running around...we NEVER know who could be in the building and with the events of the past year with girls being abducted from a Church we really got the parents attention. If we have a girl not cooperating repeatedly we ask her Mother to attend with her...we cannot be running after girls when our resposability is to teach Gospel Principals to the girls who are actually there to learn. Have a talk with your Bishop!!! My Bishop is wonderful and supports me in my calling!!!

pray pray pray!

L

[ruthiechan]

First there is no such thing as a bad or rotten child. These children need love and support and yes, discipline lined with love from YOU. Yes, disciplining children is part of your job as a teacher. The only time a child should be taken to their parents is if they are sick or the safety of the other children is at stake. If those two things are not present then YOU are the one who takes care of the issues at hand.

Second, other than being released the only reasons to "quit" a calling is when you move or if serious medical issues prevent you from performing your calling, which even then is iffy as sometimes you are only allowed a momentary reprieve. Otherwise you are in great error.

You have the keys to this calling, you are qualified to lead these children. Leaders do not pass off their followers to someone else if they do something wrong, nor would they leave out of annoyance. Jesus Christ would not do such to us. Therefore we should not do such to those in our charge.

Prayer. The power of prayer is phenomenal. Pray for patience, strength, and to find reasons to love the children He has put you in charge of. Pray for calmness of heart, and clearness of mind, and for the Spirit to be with you and to guide you to help these children and to love these children. Think of how Jesus Christ would handle this situation. Seriously, what would He do in this situation?

I imagine He would be a bit like Mary Poppins, making the lessons fun and interesting, being firm but always kind and letting them know that they are souls worth teaching. That is something their previous teachers failed at. They quit, therefore those children were not worth the effort to them. The children know this. They pick up on these things. They have also gone through many teachers, many transitions. That makes life hard on them, and they act out. Children need routine, stability. It is how they know they can trust the world around them. It will take them time to get used to you and the rules, which should be few and simple.

Snacks, going out for walks around the building, having line leaders and helpers with specific tasks all help in teaching the lesson. You also need to be sure that the activities are age appropriate. If its too simple the children get bored. If its too hard they get frustrated. You may even want to talk to the children about what to do to make their class better. Respect their thoughts and ideas and their feelings.

Pray for guidance and inspiration. This is the calling that He has given you, and He will help you fulfill your calling. If you do this your class will be made an example for all of your Ward Primary.