How To Handle An Angry, Verbally Aggressive Student

Emotional outbursts, temper tantrums, yelling, lashing out.

Severe misbehavior like this needs to be dealt with differently than typical rule breaking.

How you respond goes a long way toward gaining control of the incident, keeping it from affecting other students, and lessening the chances of it happening again.

An Ineffective Response

Like parents who rush wide-eyed whenever a child falls and scrapes his knee, it’s a mistake to be in a hurry to intervene when students lose their cool.

The inclination to jump in and fix the problem can make matters worse. In response to an angry, verbally aggressive student, here is what you should never do:

Enforce a consequence.

You must hold students who act out in anger accountable—without a doubt—but not right away. You risk escalating the problem if you immediately try to pull them aside or put them in time-out.

Get angry.

Aggression on aggression is an explosive mix. Never yell, scold, or attempt to use the power of your authority to stop emotionally charged students.

Touch the student.

It’s common for teachers to place a hand on a student’s shoulder in an attempt to calm. But you don’t know what students are thinking in any given moment or what they’re capable of. It’s best to keep your distance.

Talk with the student.

Angry students are not open to conversation. So during and up to a couple of hours after the outburst, leave them alone.

An Effective Response

When a student acts out in anger in the classroom, here is what you should do:

Stay calm.

Keeping your emotions in check is the first step to gaining control of any situation.

Observe.

Stand firmly where you can observe the student in question and show the class you’re in control, but far enough away to keep an eye on all of your students.

Shield.

Your other students must not talk to or otherwise involve themselves with the angry student. Your first priority is to keep them safe, calm, and uninvolved.

Nothing.

Often, it’s best not to say or do anything. If the angry student stops the behavior, simply continue on with what you were doing—for now—allowing the student time to cool off.

Calm the student.

Rarely, you might have to use calming language and reassurance to settle the student down. Say, “Take it easy… I know you’re frustrated… We’ll talk about it later…” or words to that effect.

Wait.

Don’t speak to the angry student until he or she is in a calm emotional state. Continue with your day until you know the student is ready to listen.

Document.

As soon as you are able, document the student’s behavior. Write down everything said or done and interview all students near or involved in the incident. Make a copy for your records—muy importante.

Contact parents.

Severe misbehavior must be reported to parents. However, resist the urge to offer opinions or conclusions. Just give the facts. You do your job and let parents do—or not do—theirs.

Hold accountable.

After the student returns to a calm frame of mind, which could take a couple of hours, briefly explain how he or she will be held accountable.

Provide a stiff consequence.

Acting out in anger should result in an immediate escalation of consequences. A full day, in-class separation from the rest of the students is a good place to start.

Take care of it yourself.

Unless the behavior is physically aggressive, I’m not in favor of getting the principal involved. Involving administration weakens your authority and your ability to manage your classroom.

Take Your Time

You can’t go wrong taking your time in response to verbal aggression, tantrums, acting out in anger, and the like.

Waiting and observing allows you to accurately assess the behavior, keeps you from losing your cool, and clearly establishes you as the leader in control of the classroom

ref: http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2010/05/08/how-to-handle-an-angry-verbally-aggressive-student/