Well, it’s more about discipline or distraction than about punishment. I’ve been teaching now for five years, but I was a sub for two while going to school for teaching. I lived in an urban environment and often only got sub jobs in the schools no one else wanted to sub in, so it could be stressful trying to manage these high school students that don’t know me or trust me in a rough neighborhood. Ultimately, it was about trying to read the situation and feeling out what is driving the behavior. A lot of them just want attention, so it’s better to give positive attention than negative (ie punishment). For younger kids, try giving the disruptive kid more responsibility or authority. Like he could be the helper for an hour if he could sit still and calm for twenty more minutes. They often jump at the chance to be closer to you and have a defined role in the classroom. If it’s older kids, they might be acting out more aggressively and negatively. Try to just have a conversation with them first where you respectfully ask them a few things about themselves, and just explain calmly that you know how to manage the room and that you need them to be respectful of the classroom rules, and if they aren’t, you’re okay with referring them to the office and letting them deal with their consequences from higher powers than you. If they push, remind them of the choices they made and refer them. But if they’re just being really aggressive, seek help from a neighboring teacher or security and instantly refer them with an escort to the office.