Strategies for Managing Challenging Behavior to Support Positive Student–Teacher Relationships

Building positive relationships with students is one of the most powerful choices a teacher can make. Strong student–teacher relationships have been linked to improved social-emotional development, classroom behavior, and academic success. Yet, reactive and exclusionary discipline practices continue to undermine these relationships, diminishing trust and long-term behavioral growth. This article presents a responsive, relationship-based approach for classroom management that emphasizes connection over punishment. It highlights three research-based, easy-to-implement strategies: offering choice, precorrection/prompting, and behavior-specific praise. These strategies foster prosocial behaviors while maintaining a warm, supportive, and inclusive classroom environment for all learners.