Coping with students who display social adjustment problems can be frustrating. However, teachers can take actions toward minimizing classroom conflicts by socializing students into a classroom environment conducive to learning. Modeling prosocial behavior is the most basic element for enhancing student socialization. In situations in which prosocial behavior is difficult for students to learn, modeling may have to be supplemented with instruction in social skills and coping strategies. Consistent projection of positive expectations, attributes, and social labels to students may also have a significant impact on fostering self-esteem and increasing motivation toward exhibiting prosocial behaviors. Teachers, as the authority figure in the classroom, need to be authoritative rather than authoritarian or laissez-faire. Teachers have the right and the responsibility to exert leadership and control, but they increase their chances of success if they are supportive of students and ensure that students understand the reasons behind their demands. Basic socialization and counseling skills may also be helpful when working with individual students who display chronic problems in adjustment. Useful counseling skills and approaches include teachers reassuring students of their continued concern despite provocative behavior; monitoring students closely and intervening nondisruptively if necessary; dealing with students' problems in sustained ways; avoiding power struggles; using active listening; insisting that students accept responsibility for their own behavior; and developing relationships with students' parents. Attributes of teachers that contribute to their success in socializing students include: (1) social attractiveness, based on cheerfulness and sincerity; (2) ego strength, exhibited in self-confidence; (3) realistic perceptions of self and students; (4) ability to be friendly but not overly familiar with students; (5) clarity about teacher roles; (6) patience and determination; (7) acceptance of the individual; and (8) the ability to state and act on firm but flexible limits. (BC)