How behavior affects academic performance?

Every student in a classroom learns differently. It is important that a teacher is able to recognize those differences and be able to differentiate the learning styles for the students. However, when students display different behaviors in the classroom, that not only impacts the individual student from learning, but also those students in the classroom. When students act out in the classroom, learning is interrupted to redirect the target behavior. When a teacher has to do this multiple times throughout the day, every day, there is a learning loss for the entire classroom.

Students act out for one of two reasons. To avoid something, they don’t want to do or maybe can’t do. Such as avoiding a subject that is hard for them, or there is a sensory stimulation that makes them uncomfortable.  Or they want to obtain something. Attention, more time, a break, or desired activity.

Students also display different types of behaviors for different reasons. Some students have experienced or still are experiencing some kind of trauma. Some students are homeless or live in an unstable home environment. Others may suffer from a learning disability or social or emotional mental health disorder.

Student’s social and emotional behaviors early on are good predictors of their long-term success when it comes to school. Students who are at high-risk tend to not perform well in school, therefore falling further behind each year. By the time these students get to high school they don’t have the skills needed to be successful and they have a higher rate of dropping out.

Schools are recognizing the impact a student's behavior has in the classroom. There are more and more resources available now more than ever to help students become more resilient and help them learn how to cope with traumatic life events. Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) is a school wide reward program that focuses on the positives of behavior and allows an opportunity for all students to be successful, not just those who always do the right thing. Trauma Informed Schools is a program that trains school counselors or other outside counselors to help students and parents learn about trauma, the impact it has on them and their families, and gives them resources needed to cope with the trauma. Restorative Justice is being used now to help students understand how their choices impact and influence others. Social and emotional skills are usually introduced at the elementary levels along with character building traits.

Parents need to be the first line of defense when it comes to student’s behavior. As that needs to start at home, however when students have an unstable, unsupportive environment, school is the safest place the student comes to know. It is important that no matter the level of behavior the student is displaying, that they are always met with kindness and understanding, and when given a chance to succeed, they will almost always rise to our expectations.