How To Love Out-of-Control Students 

I learned a lot today. I’ve been binge watching your videos to catch up. Started long term sub assignment, 6th Grade while the school finds permanent teacher. These children are off the chain, and it’s not their fault. I’m their 3rd Sub since school opened 8/15. Your videos have helped me readjust my mindset because I really want the best for these students. Thank You!

Much of the other review and commentary I found about Troublemakers was more or less unequivocal praise so I really enjoyed your balanced and fair review. After reading the book, I felt much the same as you!

I’m not a huge reader but I would be interested in reading this one. I tend to love the trouble makers the most because I was like that when I was a kid. I often hear from parents that I’m the first teacher that finally gets their kid. I do have a student this year that I’m still scrambling to connect to help. He has a lot going on. ;/

Such an important lesson Thom, well done!!

I want to comment and I want to honor your intent however you have not given me enough specific insights about the book other than quick opinions about the main ideas of this work. With however little you described of the main idea, I have to agree. World education is a system that disrespects and denies the oneness of each student that is part of the system. Regardless of whether each student "acts up" or not, speaking of consequences and respecting authority when "acting up" while, again, the system slaps students year in and year with disrespect, suggesting that authority has value for these students adds injury to insult. While I managed to become a scholar, I was a middle school and a high school dropout. I dropped out because I realized education was nothing more than trivia, a paycheck for mediocre teachers, administrators, and school districts and politicians. I also realized that there was no class I would use to the advancement of the career I wanted to follow at that time. Today, even after gaining several academic credentials and accolades ( and I am proud of these gains I earned), I remain firm in believing that academic education is nothing more than a scam perpetrated on the masses by the educational cartels of private and public groups seeking to profit and gain control of the populace. Education's purpose is not the enlightenment of the individual student by asking each student what is his or her truth. Education is no more than the spitting of useless trivia at the face of students for twelve years. It seems with whatever little you shared about book, the idea that education and authority are the problem resonates ever so loud.

Yes!