Am I kidding - kids that are out of control, violent, aggressive, confrontational, verbally abusive aren't a problem? That's right. I deal with them every working day. And believe me, they aren't the problem!

So I just let them have their own way and that's why they're no problem? No way... You better believe I don't... They must be so under control they daren't speak then? No, they're a happy, relaxed and contented bunch of kids.

No, the more experience I gained in my work, managing problem behaviour, the more I've realized that it isn't the children but the adults who are the problem. Teachers, parents, fellow professionals, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all. That's the problem.

I visit many schools, talk to many teachers, parents, other education professionals, and very few of them can manage children's behaviour confidently and effectively. There's almost a culture of learned helplessness in the education system - people throw up their hands in despair claiming they are powerless to act against the lawlessness of children's behaviour.

What's wrong with these people? They're not stupid, they're educated and intelligent but seem to have completely lost the plot when it comes to dealing with junior aged dictators and tyrants. I face so much negativity - 'we can't do this', 'we can't do that', 'I've got all the other children to consider', 'it's their homelife' etc, etc, etc. It's an almost unending list of excuses and reasons why children are behaving badly and very little is being done about it.

Even the professionals who go into schools giving advice on behaviour management get it wrong. A major problem is that such people don't work at what I call the 'pointy end' of the situation. They don't actually manage children in the classroom day to day. So, as a result, they don't suffer from the inadequacy of their advice. And those at the 'pointy end' are stuck putting into practice what is basically garbage and all it does is make the problem worse. Children soon realize that you have no idea about controlling behaviour and have a high old time running you ragged. If you read about my first day's experience in the world of extreme behaviour problems and you'll see that I know what it's like to be in that unenviable position. I do know what it's like to be out of your depth! It's exhausting, extremely stressful and disheartening.

The great news is it doesn't have to be like that - anybody can learn to be a confident behaviour manager. It's not rocket science - in fact it's surprisingly easy. Read and know what strategies you should be using, practice them and implement them consistently - a big dose of self belief and that's it.... The results are amazing.

As adults we all have to accept the responsibility to keep children safe and to put effective behaviour management strategies into place to ensure children learn society's expectations - and to be controlled until they have matured emotionally and able to take responsibility for their own behaviour.