The Power of Siblings

Something I have been trying out recently is enlisting the help of older siblings of challenging students to help me understand and tame behavior issues. This is something that didn't work much at first for me, but as I have worked with the same community for three years the students are more respectful and responsive. I may ask a sibling a question like "What's your brother like at home?" or "Your brother was acting naughty yesterday in art, what's the best way to reach your parents?" By asking simple and general questions about the family and home life I can find out for example that "dad is tougher on discipline "or that "my parents are breaking up." Responsible older siblings can also help out when you cannot reach the parents.