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essay) “Hey now! You can do The Q-Tip strategy inspire students to build unshakable
better than this. Don’t take the levels of faith in themselves. Lastly,
lazy way.” Quit Taking It Personally we must create a culture in which stu-
S: (growing red in the face, yells When addressing student behavior or dents feel that mistakes are viewed as
out an expletive directed at the talking about it with others, be sure to opportunities for learning. As Nelson
teacher and storms out of the remove your personal feelings. Having Mandela once said, “The greatest
room). a great lesson, which took hours to glory in living lies not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall.” Create
T: “What just happened? I was plan, end up interrupted is frustrating. a clean slate for your students. En-
only kidding. We’ve joked back We must recognize that the student courage them to believe that they can
and forth like this all year.” who is acting out did not deliberately always start over... even from scratch
plan to sabotage our efforts. There
The rest of the class remained silent may even be a teachable moment that if necessary.
and as shocked as the teacher. It can be used to support the student Behavior is a moment in time. It is con-
would later be discovered that the who is struggling. ditional, which means that it’s subject to
word “lazy” brought back painful change based on circumstance. Re-
memories for this student. He had an ABC-123 gardless of how many times we see the
estranged relationship with his mother same behavior from the same individual,
who had been recently reintroduced Actively Listen, Believe, Clean Slate we must respond based on the needs
into his life. During his younger years, 1. Behavior is a moment in time not expressed during that given time.
his mom would call “S” lazy and those a permanent location.
moments had left an indelible impres- 2. Separate the student from the In addition, being able to separate
sion. Later that day, the student and behavior the student from the behavior encour-
teacher met to discuss what had trans- ages a healthy reintegration into the
pired. Productive conversation led to 3. Full potential is reached when classroom setting. Students who feel
rapport being restored and deeper partnerships include committed labeled may begin to live up to the
understanding for both parties. investments from three parties expectations that come with specific
labels. Finally, as educators, we must
(student - teacher - family)
How can we support behavior? Com- When dealing with student behavior, serve as the liaison between the
mon strategies include displaying active listening is essential. If we insert school, students and their families.
patience while working with students our own opinions or advice before This relationship must always be
to help them improve their behaviors, listening to students with an open treated as a partnership which has a
effective instructional strategies and mind, we risk missing the message common focus that centers around
the creation of a student-centered and discovering the root cause of the what’s best for the current and future
learning environment. behavior. The concept of belief is also welfare of the student. Educators who
However, what happens when these vital. Since belief is a competitive ad- remember that behavior is communi-
strategies don’t work? What do we do vantage, the path to a student’s poten- cation will be better prepared to make
when behavior continues to disrupt tial will be determined by the amount decisions that meet the needs of their
learning? This requires deeper invest- of belief that they have in themselves. students.
ments of time and resources to sup- It is one of our main responsibilities as
port students who are in need. Where educators to deliver experiences that
do we begin?

About the Author
Mr. Paul O’Neill has been an educational leader since 1994. During the course of his career, he has
served in a variety of capacities including: Department Supervisor, Dean, classroom teacher, mentor,
coach and club advisor. A move from Florida to New Jersey provided an opportunity to work with students
at the elementary school level as his career continued at Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School in Seaside
Heights. In 1998, Mr. O’Neill moved to another alternative school setting in Jackson, NJ. The move to
Regional Day School provided new experiences which enabled him to build several academic and co-
curricular programs. New opportunities in educational leadership led to Mr. O’Neill providing support to the students and
staff of Lacey Township High School as a Dean of Behavioral Management. In September 2016, Mr. O’Neill transitioned
to the role of World Language and Special Education Supervisor (Grades 7-12). This year, Mr. O’Neill proudly serves as
a Supervisor of Instruction at Mill Pond Elementary. He looks forward to continuing many strong traditions and beginning
many new ones within the Lacey Township school community.

Educational Viewpoints -89- Spring 2019