This week I'm going to discuss a memorable student behavior I had and how I was able to manage it. When was asked this question, I immediately flashed back to a few weeks ago when I avoided a power struggle with one of my students. He wished to receive attention from me by showing frustration that he couldn't be the "lead navigator." In order to ensure all the students were included I stated we were all going to be navigators today and we had to work as a group. If one was to be "lead navigator," we would not be working as a community. When he became frustrated with this, I encouraged the other students to open their journals and determine where we were and where we needed to go. I then proceeded to have a one on one discussion with the students where I ensured the student was a vital part of the group. His navigation skills (which we had previous discussed) were needed to get to the harbor. I then asked him to show me where we were on the map and where we needed to go. As he pointed it out to me and directed me to where he thought we should go, I encouraged him to share the information with his classmates as I felt his thoughts would be very useful to them. Within a few minutes, after pondering the discussion we had, he decided to join the rest of his classmates and share what he had found. While he did not hold the title of the "lead navigator," he was able to feel empowered and connected to his community because he was given the opportunity to share his views and receive some appreciation for it.
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