1. Melissa Chase
July 24, 2013

2. 1. Trouble at school
2. Trouble with the law
3. Trouble with family
4. Unusual behavior
5. Low self esteem – “I don’t care attitude”

3.  Know your thoughts, feelings and prejudices
 Students are experts at “pushing your buttons”
 Evaluate yourself and know your limitations
 Try to remain objective

4.  Make an effort to understand
what they are going through
 Trust and consistency are extremely important
 Your role is to help them realize and
accomplish their goals

5.  Give clear and precise expectations
 Communication is key to being a fair, consistent and
effective teacher
 Vague and ever-changing expectation leads to
inappropriate behaviors

6.  A misbehavior is not a character flaw
 A misbehavior is an action that needs to addressed,
redirected or fixed
 You can like the child without liking the behavior or
action

7.  Give students a way to start fresh
 Students will continue making poor choices if they
feel labeled
 Do not hold a grudge

8.  Make an effort to find the root of the problem
 Do not assume the behavior is deliberate (i.e. late for
school)
 Help the student solve the problem

9.  At risk students are often quickly judged by looks,
past acts or presentation of themselves
 Every student has redeemable qualities
 Show that you believe in their abilities and trust that
they can make decisions
 Search whole-heartedly for the good things they do

10.  Many students who act out, often have extremely
low self-esteem
 Create a successful learning environment
 Provide high expectations and solvable problems
 Allow students to FEEL successful no matter how
small the success may seem

11.  Students who are afraid, will not learn
 Take a hard line on bullying
 Do not allow the psychological mind games to occur
in your classroom

12.  Teaching at-risk youth is extremely challenging
 Make sure you surround yourself with people who
understand your motivations and support your goals
 Always continue pushing for improvements for
yourself and your students

13.  Choose which strategies you feel are the most
important to start with
 Have Fun! Take the time to get to know yourself and
your students
 Remember to smile!

14.  Information used in presentation:
http://voices.yahoo.com/10-essential-strategies-
teaching-risk-students-5253511.html?cat=4
 For more information visit the following
websites:
 http://capone.mtsu.edu/jhausler/atrisk.htm
 http://www.edutopia.org/strategies-help-at-
risk-students
 http://www.edutopia.org/strategies-help-at-
risk-students