I run a circus school for kids and often have children with behaviour matching your child's description put into the class. Being goofy isn't a bad thing, it can be fantastic in the right environment! Embrace the fact that your child is clever enought to be funny. He sounds wonderful. Have you thought about finding circus classes in your area? I believe circus will help your son and here's a few reasons why: He will feel accepted by the instructor and his circus peers will help his self esteem.  Circus class members aren't impressed by 'disruptive goofiness', we are all 'goofy with a purpose' haha so he will learn 'controlled goofiness' :). He will learn circus skills that other children can't do, which will make him feel even better about himself and may quieten down in class. This is why it will make it easier for you: Giving him a place time/where his goofiness is ok helps you to tell him where/when it ISN'T ok. When he starts being silly you can tell him to try and turn it into a clown act which will keep him occupied (yay some free time for you!) and really develop his creative spirit that is clearly shining through :) You can say 'don't waste your clown energy, you need it for circus class'. Why circus will make it easier for your son's school teacher: The teacher can use circus as a tool to get him to listen eg. "if you listen carefully during class at the end of the day you can show the other children something you learned in circus class". Therefore he will get the attention he wants, but for a positive reason and at the right time.  He will get into the habit of listening when adults are speaking as when a circus instructor is explaining something...it usually leads to something really fun. I can tell that you love your son by the way that you write about him as well as the fact that you have written asking for advice :) I say: let him be a goof ball, but give him a place to do it and gradually limit his goofiness in other places. Tell the circus instructor how you're feeling and I think they'll jump for joy to have your son in their class because we LOVE outgoing children- we're lucky, they make OUR job easier and their clowny humour is right up our alley :) The circus instructor will help you reinforce the fact that 'clowns belong in the circus'. Please let me know how you're going and if you decide to try circus and need help finding a circus school in your area please email me at etsparkles@yahoo.com.au and I will recommend one.   Best wishes for you and your clever little clown :) Tanya :)

i think it helps when your kid knows you love him and love his personality but that you have a very specific task you need him to do at school--sit down, be quiet and listen to what the teacher says.  i would put him on a little contract, make your expectations clear and very positively ask him every day in the presence of his teacher, how it is going.  keep a little chart, don't shame him and be very excited about his progress.  he can do it, especially when he knows it is something really exciting and important to you.

Firstly there are three questions I would like to ask.

1. Is he bored in class?
2. Is he having trouble with the work?
3. What is the teacher doing about it?

My son was like this at the start of the year, before the teacher worked out that he could already do most of the work, and was bored rehashing it all. So she adjusted what she was teaching him, so that he had a little more challenging work to do. And rather than just teaching at the Year 1 level for the class, she would throw in one session a week teaching all the kids what level Connor was at. It doesn't make him feel different from the rest of the kids, because they are all learning the same thing for that session.

We also have another child in the other class, similar attitude with distracting, but he can't cope with sitting still or learning what they are doing. So his schooling has been modified with some extra one on one help to help him catch on to what is going on.

You should check out the behaviour management policy in effect at your school, and talk to the teacher to see what they are doing to help your son.

The other thing that could work, is something that I had with one of my older boys class in about Year 1. He was very distracting as well. I have also suggested this with the young boy I take to school. This is a positive communication book. This is set up so that your son, you, and your son's teacher can write something positive that has happened during the day. Possibly that he sat quietly during class time (from the school) or that he did something good at home. It can also be used to let you both in on any concerns or changes that may be happening in your son's life.

At the end of the week, if the behaviour was good, I would reward with dessert on the Friday night after dinner. I also made sure that the other child had a similar book with his teacher, so that if one got dessert the other didn't miss out unless they had been very disruptive all week.

We found that this helped enormously. But I would definately be finding out what the teacher is doing in the classroom to combat the disruptiveness.

Hope you find this at least a little bit helpful.
Leisa