All teachers have wished for a trap door to eject disrespectful students from the classroom. Student behavior issues can really throw us off our game. The key is to brainstorm and practice classroom management strategies when we’re calm. A Nebraska teacher took to TikTok to demonstrate some amazingly calm, yet firm discipline techniques for dealing with disrespectful students.

Setting firm, but caring boundaries with disrespectful students

We love the way Mr. Monroe gave the rest of the class a fun task – talking about what they had for dinner the night before with their neighbors. This allowed him to quietly get down to the disrespectful student’s level for a private conversation. He let the student know he sees their frustration and will take time soon for them to talk if the student wants. He also made it clear he cares about the student, but won’t tolerate disrespect.

Mr. Monroe offered the student some choices for calming strategies: practice breathing exercises with prop cards or grab a drink and walk around the building to cool off. He then rejoined the rest of the class, jumping into the conversation to announce he had some good pizza for dinner the previous night.

In addition to this POV video about dealing with disrespectful students, Mr. Monroe shares an assortment of helpful scenarios on TikTok. Topics include cursing, cheating, phones, behavior plans, hungry students, intrinsic motivation, and more. Many even feature his therapy dog, Nola!