Five reasons are provided for student misbehavior: 1. Students have previously been rewarded for misbehavior through attention, even if negative. 2. Different expectations between home and school cause students to feel uneasy and misbehave. 3. When basic needs like food, rest aren't met, students are more likely to misbehave. 4. Students sometimes misbehave to test boundaries and authority. This allows teachers to reinforce clear rules. 5. Students want to assert independence, which they do by controlling situations like refusing assignments.

1. Five Reasons for Student
Misbehavior
By Melissa Winfield

2. 1. They have been previously
“rewarded” for their misbehavior
• No teacher or parent
would ever think of
purposefully rewarding
bad behavior, but it subtly
happens quite often.
• Positive or negative
attention is still attention
so if they misbehave and
get either yelled at or
given tangibles they have
just been rewarded.

3. 2. Different sets of expectations
between school and home
• Consistency is hugely
important in making a
child feel safe and secure
and able to have a
comfortable
understanding of the
world and how it works. If
they are receiving mixed
messages from home
and school they will feel
uneasy inside and
express this through
more testing than normal
and will feel an inner
sense of stress.

4. 3. They feel ill, bored, hungry or
sleepy.
• When children’s basic
needs aren’t met
regularly each day they
are always more likely to
misbehave, cry, throw a
tantrum, etc. It is
important to understand
the unique situation of
each student. For
example, making sure a
student has breakfast
each morning may be
your saving grace.

5. 4. They want to test whether
authority will enforce rules.
Students will sometimes
try to see where the
boundaries are, or, if they
exist at all. Although
testing is frustrating for
teachers and parents
they should know that it is
normal and that this is
their chance to
communicate clear
expectations and follow
through with set
consequences.

6. 5. They want to assert themselves
and their independence.
• Children begin to show their
desire for more independence
at around age two. They start to
want control over certain areas
of their life so that they can feel
capable and independent. It
doesn’t take long for children to
identify the areas they can
control, much to the chagrin of
parents and teachers.
Situations like refusing to
complete an assignment, work
in a group, or transition to
another subject are great
examples of times when
children recognize their power
to get you upset and therefore
make them feel in control.