SPOTLIGHTS
Spotlight on Behavior
Teaching Anger Management and
Emotional Control to Children
These days, anger management is a hot topic among educators. More
and more, we see angry students committing acts of violence against
classmates. Educating the public on the topic of anger management
is the best way to help children manage their anger in an appropriate
way.
What is anger?
Angry feelings are normal emotional reactions to daily stresses in our
lives that range from irritated to enraged. It's natural for children to
experience emotions of anger but it's critical to teach them proper
coping mechanisms so that they do not express these feelings in an
uncontrollable manner.
The goal as a parent is not to completely stop the angry emotion since
they are hardwired into our brain. The goal is to teach the children to
develop self-control and make appropriate choices regarding how to
handle these feelings.
Strategies for teach children to handling anger appropriately:
1. Lead by example � Research shows that children model their
parents so if the parent blows up in fits of rage in front of a
child. The child will learn to use anger as a coping mechanism
for their situations in their lives.
2. Teach empathy and tolerance. Empathy is the ability to walk
a mile in someone else's shoes. Children that understand the
feelings of others deal better with disagreements with other
children.
3. Remain calm � Yelling at angry children to control themselves
will only increase the intensity of the outburst. Remaining
calm yourself will assist the child caught by the anger bee.
The secret to anger management is
to intervene early. Most children use
anger because it is their only coping
mechanism for daily stress.
40 |40 | CHARTER SCHOOLS TODAY SPRING 2009
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