I wonder how many behaviors I inadvertently feed by attending to them. It’s so hard for me to refrain from giving a knowing look or small comment when bad behaviors surface. Unfortunately, these small bits of attention just feed the beast and I increase the likelihood I will get more of the same behaviors in the future.

This goes back to the idea of ritual and novelty. When it comes to behavior concerns, novelty garners attention from both students and adults. Like a train wreck, I glance, respond, react and feed the flames just a bit more. Often times, I don’’t even know I’ve been sucked into the drama until I’m in full crazy mode because my own negative interactions have become so habitual. So, my challenge is to avert attention, walk away, and make a very conscious choice to not get drawn into the spectacle of bad behaviors.

As much as this information can be applied when working with your students in the classroom setting, I suggest you examine the idea in light of your interactions with colleagues and other adults, as this is the main focus of this post. Implications? Exponential.