Succeeding with Difficult Students: New Strategies for Reaching Your Most Challenging Students

Attention, teachers: It's almost the end of June. You still have plenty of time to read a book that will benefit you returning in the fall: "Succeeding With Difficult Students: New Strategies for Reaching Your Most Difficult Students" by Lee and Marlene Canter. The book describes workable strategies that will help you deal with ugly confrontations, redirect focus for off-task students, and curb disruptive behavior. The key is building bridges of trust and communication with students, parents and administrators. There are practical, workable steps for setting limits, motivating, and implementing positive reinforcement. These strategies can be applied and adapted to all grade levels K-12. There are also methods of documentation and record-keeping to measure progress. These are long-term approaches, not quick fixes, but they give everyone involved (teachers, students, parents and administrators) hope, since they all participate in the communication process. It starts day one. We, as teachers, have to educate ourselves. To roughly quote Rene Dubos, the diversity we find in our classrooms make tolerance more than just a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival. I can hardly wait to implement this in the fall. Fellow educators, have a great summer! Warmest regards, Bill H. Metairie, LA