There is a “bad seed” in every classroom. Somebody that has to “act out” to either get attention of peers or as a result of low self-esteem. It is a classmate that nobody can stand, including the teacher. You just cannot believe the way that student speaks to his parents and teachers. If you spoke rudely or swore at your parents, you would not see daylight again. Anyone who acts like this will probably not do well in school, have very few friends and have an unhealthy relationship with family members. Sometimes it is difficult to sit there while a peer is being mean and disruptive in class because it begins to affect the mood of the entire class.

One day after school Robby’s mother received a phone call at home that her son had been in a fight with his classmate Travis. She never had any trouble with Robby and was not sure what happened but was very concerned. At the dinner table she asked what happened that caused him to get into a fight.

“Mom, I’m sorry, but there is this kid in my class that I can’t stand. Nobody can,” he explained. “He is always kicking me under my desk, calling me names, talking when the teacher is talking, and writing on my homework. It is beyond annoying.”

“Well why don’t you just tell him to stop or let the teacher know so that he can handle it?”

“Mom, I do. He doesn’t even listen to the teacher. He just tells Mr. Duncan to shut up. He never stays in line or follows any rules. He is impossible. Worse than impossible,” he was getting upset. This kid Travis was a real problem child.

“Well, maybe I should call his mother and see what she has to say about this. It is bad for you and other students who are trying to pay attention, and he is probably not a doing well either with all this going on.”

“Mom, no. You can’t call his parents. I heard that last week he hit his mom when she came to pick him up from baseball practice because he was not ready to leave. They don’t know what to do with him either and he would just be more angry with me.”

“Well, something should be done. He should have to follow rules and be courteous just like everybody else.”

“I don’t think he knows how. He just gets upset when things don’t go his way and throws these tantrums worse than Cousin Willy who is only 2 years old,” Robby kind of laughed a little at the thought.

This type of abnormally bad behavior really was not funny. With the proper help, Travis could learn how to be happy with himself and get along better with others, and make his surroundings much more pleasant.