The new teacher liked kids and put a lot of effort to connect with them. She remembered what it was like as a kid at school, there was some really cranky mean teachers. Her aim was to be always kind and fair. The one bad teacher in grade 4 and the maths/science teacher in grade 10 in high school taught her what kind of a teacher not to be.
After a few weeks most of the students were working quite well except for Bill. He was a hard one to crack. He was the highly likeable popular kid who was out of his seat whenever he had the chance. He was good at socialising and chatting to friends.

Bill never stayed at his desk for long despite the constant reminders. He was so good at preempting her movements, getting up when she was busy with other students. The bright quick witted Bill the wanderer was a hard one to crack.
It was time to up the anti, the teacher was going to win this fight in the nicest way possible. She had a no fail plan.
- Her first step was meeting with Bill's parents. She needed them on her side. They were very open to helping, they had no idea of his extensive social meanderings. At home they encouraged him with communication and socialising. The mum and dad had a good relationship with Bill agreeing to support her plan.

The next step was the private session with Bill talking about his wandering habit. Thank goodness for teacher specialists taking her class for music etc. She always found that gentle quiet confrontation opened the door to students agreeing to work on changing his/her bad habits. With practice, rewards and a couple more one on one sessions Bill made better choices with his behaviour in class. Patience was the key.
The last step was to give Bill the job of being the gopher in the classroom. He emptied rubbish bins, handed out pens and papers. And he chatted.

The teacher was happy with the win-win outcome. Bill was happy that he he could still talk with his friends. The parents were happy that Bill was behaving himself in the classroom.
Cheers and Blessings


