🚸 The Disruptive Student: What I’ve Learned About Classroom Management and Compassion

Hi friends. 😓

When you first start teaching, you hear stories about that one kid who can throw off your entire class. I didn’t think much of it until my first year in 2017, when I got my own classroom. I was 24, teaching Algebra I in Texas, the only math class students must pass to graduate.

My school wasn’t technically Title I, but it probably should have been. We didn’t have the paperwork to prove it, but we had the same challenges: limited resources, kids juggling grown-up problems, and a constant struggle to stay on track.

The Student I’ll Never Forget

There was one student who stands out more than any other. She was bright and capable, but she refused to participate. She spent most of class texting her mom, ignoring directions, and brushing off any reminders to begin her work.

After weeks of the same routine, her administrator called a conference with all of her teachers. We gathered in one room, and every teacher said the same thing: constant phone use, missing assignments, and a refusal to engage. Through it all, her mom defended her completely.

“She has ADHD. She has a 504 plan,” she said over and over. And while I fully believe in and support accommodations, the issue wasn’t her diagnosis. The issue was that no one was setting clear limits or expectations for her behavior.

What I Wish I’d Known Back Then

If I could go back to that first year, I’d handle it differently. At the time, I was frustrated and felt unheard by the student, the parent, and even the system. Now I understand that effective communication is more important than confrontation.

Parents don’t want to hear only what went wrong. They want to feel included in the solution. So I started calling home not just to report behavior, but to say, “I’m noticing he’s struggling to focus, and I know we both want him to pass. Can he stay for tutorials this week?”

That simple change made all the difference. It turned the call from a complaint into a collaboration. Suddenly, parents were making arrangements, checking in, and even thanking me for letting them know early. When families and teachers work as a team, the tone in the classroom shifts too.

Protecting the Rest of the Class

Still, there are days when one student consumes all your attention. If you’ve spent half your class redirecting the same kid, it’s time to send them to the hallway to reset. If that doesn’t help, call for admin, then follow up with the parent afterward. Calm communication afterward works better than an argument in the moment.

This approach keeps the learning environment stable for everyone else. Every student deserves a classroom where they can focus, even when one peer is having a hard day.

What Still Stays With Me

Every teacher has a student who tests their patience, but those students also teach us the most about ourselves. I learned that respect grows from consistency, not control. You can set firm boundaries and still lead with empathy.

And honestly, I think the new Texas phone ban will help more than people realize. (You can read my post The Texas Phone Ban: What It Means for Teachers and Learning with all my thoughts about this.) Most of the classroom conflicts I faced started with a phone. Now students will have more space to focus and connect again.

💬 Let’s Reflect

How do you balance compassion and classroom control? What strategies have helped you support challenging students without losing focus on the rest of your class?

Stay steady, seahorses. 🐠

Daniela

🧩 Related Resources

Here are a few collaborative, self-checking activities that help students stay engaged while keeping classroom management simple:

⭐ EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Vocab & Practice | Key Characteristics of Exponential
⭐ Adding and Subtracting Polynomials Coloring Activity | Polynomial Operations
⭐ CHRISTMAS Version | Domain and Range (from a Graph) Coloring Activity

Thanks for reading! You can find all my math resources on 
👉 Teachers Pay Teachers | Math with Mrs. DOT
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