Research

Misbehavior is an issue that every teacher deals with and that every future teacher dreads. My research has focused on ways to address misbehavior in the middle school classroom. I have found some very interesting approaches. One of the most interesting approaches is using student interventions in order to promote good behavior. Using school wide approaches and giving teachers the tools to handle behavior issues is key to not having problems in the classroom. With less problems in the classroom, more learning will take place.

For the past school year I have been working at Custer High School in Milwaukee as a tutor. I spend a decent amount of time there and have been able to the dynamics of the school. It has been really interesting to see through my research how behavior issues are best addressed as well as how to prevent them. The rules at Custer do not reflect these strategies at all. It is a school that is struggling academically and I feel like part of this is because of the huge amount of behavior issues that happen both in the classroom and throughout the school. My question is whether teachers and administrators at this school are aware of these approaches or have attempted or considered them. It is a school that continues to fail so it is interesting whether or not proven strategies that improve behavior could help a school like this.