More About Emotional Outbursts at School

When my son was in first grade, I found that my previously very happy, confident son, who had been so full of the love of life, had become a very unhappy, problem child in school, who was so angry, he yelled and kicked tables and chairs.  His behavior became such a problem that his teacher told me that he was "severely emotionally disturbed."  I'm a single mom and it was suggested that this emotional disturbance was the result of a fatherless home. 

I finally managed to schedule a meeting with the teacher -- and my son -- to discuss how we could solve the problem.  The teacher wanted me to take my son for counseling, but my son had a different idea: he wanted to be appointed the official class science expert.  He wanted to be like Dorothy Ann in The Magic School Bus, and say, "According to my research...."  Previously, he had not been allowed even to bring his science books to school.  The teacher agreed and my son was able to bring his many science books to school.

Virtually overnight, my son's behavior improved.  The anger completely disappeared and he was no longer disruptive.  All he had wanted was a chance to use what he knew and to be able to refer to his books when something related came up in class.

Has your child had behavior problems at school that disappeared when the environment changed?  Click on the "Comments" button and share your story.