The Pitfalls of Working with Children: Seven Annoying Behavior Types

This is not intended to be a ranting diatribe against working with children, or against children in general.

Whether it is as a sports coach, an after school leader, a tutor, a summer camp counselor or as a school teacher, the “Kid Business”, as I like to call it, is among the most rewarding and fulfilling professions a person can be involved in.

Watching a youngster’s face light up with joy after acing a test, or giving you a high five after getting that game-winning hit (or even hitting the ball for the first time), is indeed something that makes it all worthwhile; serving as the reason why one chooses working with kids as a profession.

I know this is so because for over fifteen years, I was in the kid business. I taught physical education for nearly ten years, coached various sports at the youth level for nearly 20, and also served as a tutor, an instructional aide, and an after school teacher.

While my experiences in this profession were satisfying in many ways, there were also many experiences and pitfalls I have had that were not so nice; specifically pertaining to the negative behavior types that children at times display at school or on the playground.

These are the behavior types that annoy teachers, coaches, camp counselors, and recreation leaders to no end, oftentimes driving them away from the education, sports, and parks & recreation fields. These annoying types have often led one to get so fed up with the youngsters he or she is teaching, coaching, or supervising that disillusion sets in and the profession is abandoned.

I have personal firsthand knowledge of this, because it was the kids with these annoying behavior types that ultimately drove me out of the “Kid Business”.

I have listed the seven types of behavior pitfalls among children that can drive a person crazy, frustrated, and fed up with the whole scene. Rest assured, if you are ever employed at a school, park, summer camp, or after school program, you are guaranteed to encounter all of these types at some point

1. THE WHINER

This is the type of child that particularly annoyed me over the years, the kind who’s used to getting his way, gets extremely upset – sometimes to the point of tantrums – when he doesn’t – and who is often (but not always) enabled by his parents who not only kowtow to his every whim and want, but who also whine and throw a hissy fit when they don’t get their way.