Destroys Property

Strategies to Consider:

In a moment like this you should be aware of school policy and the history of the student. But in reality, teachers may not have reviewed policy enough to retrieve it in a moment of crisis and substitutes do not always have that information.

Try not to panic or react. Calmly attempt to evaluate the situation. You will need to discern the intensity of the destruction. Is it continuing? Does the child look in distress? Are the objects being destroyed making the environment unsafe? There are many reasons why children resort to destructive behavior - peer pressure, social frustration, academic frustration and fatigue to name a few.

Certainly if you think that yourself or the other students are in immediate danger, do not attempt to ask the raging child to exit the environment, rather excuse the other students into the hallway and send one of them for help. If this is the case, more than likely this child may have a standing history or possibly an IEP with very specific steps that need to happen. If you do not have this information, you will need to tend to the other students and allow another adult who is more familiar with this student deescalate the situation. You should in no way feel inadequate or ineffective. Many children have a Behavior Support Plan with a detailed plan of response and support for the child's behavior. Unless you have this information, your intervention could actually escalate the child's negative behavior.

Helpful links: Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Aggression, Disruptive Behavior Disorders  Keeping Your Classroom Safe

Is the child passively breaking something to gain attention of peers? If safety is not an issue, you may consider Planned Ignoring and keep your attention directed on positive behaviors.