Oranges like to entertain and get attention, good or bad—they’ll take it any way they can get it! They often rebel against discipline and can turn it into a “show-down”.  It is best to formulate ground rules for behavior together—before problems arise, and enforce them consistently. That way before they take any liberties, you give them permission to do what they love, and will ensure their future cooperation and support.

KEY: Obtain agreements in advance on appropriate behavior and consequences for misbehavior.

• If the behavior is distracting but not really a rule violation, quickly figure out a way for their behavior to mesh with your lesson. Otherwise stop the misbehavior immediately by redirecting their attention or giving them a new assignment.

• Enlist the cooperation of the class ahead of time to not react with “ooooo’s” or comments as to give no extra attention.

• Stay centered and don’t react to their “clever” remarks. Give praise to what they are doing that is right, however small it may be. 

• Continue to maintain your composure and sense of humor as you enforce the pre-arranged consequence.  Give them a choice between consequence A, B or C.

• Find something physical if possible for them such as counting or sorting items or running a lap.  A “time-out” where they are required to sit still could create a ticking time bomb.

• Challenge them to handle the problem once and for all. Praise them for compliance, then let it go.

Close by:

• Letting them know you are always on their side.

• Telling them you expect nothing less than the best from them and remind them of past successes.

Blues like to be happy and loving.  They appreciate encouragement and want to have everyone get along. Because relationships are so important to them they can be very sensitive to stress, rejection, and criticism—really taking things to heart. To avoid conflict, they may go along with you while secretly disagreeing and holding a resentment that may erupt in passive aggressive behaviors at a later time.

KEY: Show them you care about them as individuals

• Be compassionate, let them know up front that you like them as a person even if you do not like their current behavior

• Encourage them to share their feelings. Provide a safe space for them to express the truth, making good eye contact and paying attention to the emotions and motivations behind the behavior

• Let them tell the whole story and respond with verbal cues and facial expressions that let them know you are listening

• Keeping a calm voice and friendly demeanor, share how you feel and how their behavior affects you and others

• Have patience when they need to process extensively

• Honoring their inherent trait to please, ask them for their support in maintaining appropriate behavior and let them know how much it will not only help you but contribute to others as well.

Close by:

• Thanking them for listening, understanding, and helping out.

• Reminding them you think well of them.

Golds genuinely endeavor to do the “right” thing. As they try so hard to be responsible, maintain structure, and live up to the Gold standard, they can get overloaded. They may get stubborn and controlling when others are not following the rules, or when policies are not being reinforced consistently.

KEY: Appeal to their strong sense of right and wrong

• Keep the meeting short and to the point

• Discuss the specific problem, quoting the rule that applies

• Ask for their explanation and what action they believe would be fair

• Reassure them that you know they are a good student and you are concerned about their actions

• Reiterate the problem and let them tell you the rule that applies

• If fitting, allow them to do extra service or class work to make up for their misbehavior

Close by:

• Obtaining an agreement, maybe even in writing, regarding how their positive attributes can be utilized in class

• Thanking them for being responsible and saying good-bye in a formal and business-like manner, perhaps even with a handshake.

Greens are very independent and strive for competency. They crave knowledge and enjoy learning, so they may get bored if they don’t get enough intellectual challenge. They may also get annoyed by redundancy or stating the obvious. Because they usually do not show many of their feelings, it may be hard to tell if they are upset, happy or understanding you. They enjoy a good debate and will ask questions to be able to look at the situation or problem from every angle.

KEY: Gaining their respect will clear the way for cooperation and resolution

• Communicate the facts of the situation as you see it

• Keep strong emotions out of your conversation

• Esteem them for their competence and ask what they think

• Answer their questions without sarcasm or defensiveness and tell them the basis behind your reasons for needing things to be a certain way

• Make sure you relate as an equal and are not condescending

• Ask them to invent solutions on their own as to how to solve the problem and prevent it from reoccurring in the future.  Give them time to think and get back to you. Discuss the results and choose a solution together.

Close by:

• Focusing on their strengths and positive contributions to the class.

• Getting a verbal agreement for cooperation