Dear Parents, Teachers, and School Board,

Many years ago in public education schools children were well behaved towards their

peers, themselves, and their teachers. The reason for them being well behaved did not have

everything to do with the fact that they were just angel children, it was because there were more

severe consequences and more parents and guardians were involved in their lives. School was

very strict and so were the teachers. Many teachers would whip their students, which in my

opinion makes the child behave better. Not only is how the student behaves in school a huge

thing, but more and more students are starting to lash out and have more issues in schools

nowadays.

With the millennial age, many students think that the world revolves around them. When

they have this mentality, it is harder for them to gain an education. They don’t respect anyone

and if they do not want to do something they do not do it. Children now can handle less, and not

as developed as children before the twentieth century. Many studies show that more kids in

schools have behavioral disorders including, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit

Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Autism Spectrum

Disorder (ASD), anxiety disorders, Depression, Bipolar disorder, Learning disorders, and

conduct disorders. Because of these disorders, children in schools are now becoming a problem

that the teachers can’t handle, and these disorders in children are still continuing on the rise.

While teachers do receive training on how to handle children in schools, that is not their

main job. Teachers are there to teach math, science, english, and reading, not to babysit children

and often times get hurt or abused by these children. Many times these disorders in children are

going unnoticed. With these disorders not being treated, it causes a very dangerous environment
for everyone in the classroom. Many teachers in their own classrooms are getting kicked, spat at,

called disgusting names, and trashed classrooms, all because these students do not want to do

something and they cannot control themselves. Students are defiant, inattentive, aggressive, and

antisocial because of these disorders that are affecting many students. With many schools now

adapting a mixed classroom, trying to include students with these issues in their classes, teachers

need help. They are not there to be a counselor, or just to manage a student's behavioral

problems. They need support from the school, students, and most importantly the teachers. We

want schools to be a safe learning environment for all. In the classrooms the main focus is to

further their education and help them learn, but with behavioral issues, it is very hard for the

teachers to maintain this environment while they are constantly having to babysit and watch for

students next move.

My mom who is a second grade teacher often talks about how more students are having

behavioral issues in her classroom. She has many students who have symptoms of ADD and

ADHD but their parents have no idea that they are having these issues. They start showing these

signs in classrooms, and something is triggering their behavior. With the rules that we have in

schools nowadays, you really can not do anything about a child misbehaving. My mom has often

had to leave her class due to a student screaming uncontrollably, students hiding under the desks,

and students punching her in the face because they disagree with her. There is not really anything

extreme you can do with this situation. Many teachers are being put at risk, and we need to find

solutions to the increasing behavioral issues.

Suggested reasons for behavior issues can include, lack of boundaries at home, students

are seeking attention, they have an absence of positive role models in their life, low self-esteem,
and their family and home life. The easiest way to get acknowledged is to cause a scene in the

classroom to get the teachers attention. Gaining attention can be a major effect of disorders that

we see in classrooms today. Not everyone has the best home life, and parents can help see what

their child needs to help them succeed in their class. We all need to be more aware of what's

going on in our schools to make it the best learning environment. Mental health is a vital key to

life and we need to help students get a hold of their mental health so that they can tackle all of

their hopes, dreams, and further their education. While we don’t know the exact cause of every

student's behavior, all we know is that behavioral issues are on the rise in schools and we need to

get to the bottom of it.

Parents, at home our students need an example to look up to and follow. If your mental

health is not one hundred percent, that is okay, but we need to not fall apart and take our actions

out on our children. If they see you do it, they are going to do the same thing. Everyone,

including schools, be aware. Be aware of everything that is going on in your students life, if you

see them struggling, get them help. Do not assume that the student can do everything on their

own, find out why they are feeling that way and what help we can all give them. We need to look

out for those students that are struggling, maybe with friends, or grades. They need help whether

they will admit it or not. We need to give our kids a social life and make them able to

communicate with people. If students know how to communicate then they will most likely turn

to talking instead of lashing out and creating a bigger problem. We need to help our children,

because as the world is changing, so is mental health. Behavior issues and mental health issues

are on the rise and increasing dramatically in our students, we need to focus on them and help

them figure out what's best for them. We cannot make our child's life perfect, but we can do our
best to make sure that their mental health is getting better, rather than worse, and that they are

succeeding and helping others to succeed.

 Works Cited

Breeze, Debbie. “What can we do with disruptive children?” TED. Dec. 2017. Lecture.

"Disruptive Behavior in Classroom." UKEssays.com. 11 2018. All Answers Ltd. 02 2020

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/disruptive-behaviors.php?vref=1.

Miller, Caroline, and Child Mind Institute. “Improving Behavior in the Classroom.” ​Child Mind

Institute​, childmind.org/article/improving-behavior-classroom/.

Townsend, Mark. “Massive Rise in Disruptive Behaviour, Warn Teachers.” ​The Guardian,​

Guardian News and Media, 24 Mar. 2013,

www.theguardian.com/education/2013/mar/24/schools-disruptive-behaviour.