This year has seen a sharp rise in the number and variety of dysregulated students in my classes. How do we, as teachers, balance the needs of these students with the needs of the rest of the class?

October 19, 2025

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As a fifth grade teacher, I am now spending a far larger portion of my class period managing behaviors than ever before. Despite copious time spent on team-building, social-emotional learning (often interrupted with the very behavior we are trying to manage), and counseling pull-outs, a third or more of each class struggle with simple tasks like sitting in a seat, opening a text to a given page, or following basic verbal or written directions. Many of these students talk constantly, not necessarily to anyone in particular, and often over teachers and classmates. I came to the recent realization that these students have few adults in the media they consume that model positive behaviors and communication. I am stumped as to how to counteract that. 

This question has been lightly edited by Edutopia staff for clarity.

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  • Classroom Management
  • Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
  • 3-5 Upper Elementary

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