My child is disobedient only in school

A parent contacted me about her first grader.  She explained that her child is obedient at home but won't follow directions in school.  More specifically, her child won't sit in the circle for story time, often does not complete written work, and tells other children what to do during play time.  What I would suggest is ask the school for a case study evaluation.  The purpose would be to rule out any learning disabilities and to rule out attention deficit disorder.  Either of these problems can cause the behavior you describe.  If your child has neither of these problems, then you would want to consider whether there are any emotional issues interfering with your child's learning in school.  The psychologist or school social worker may meet with you and also observe your child in class to see if anything may be troubling your child.  Is your child angry about something?  Or does your child have problems in social settings other than the home?  You would want to rule out Asperger's syndrome--these children have trouble adapting to new situations and have difficulty in social situations, like a classroom setting.  Once you figure out what is the cause of your child's behavior, then your school's psychologist may offer some suggestions.  Also, you can read in my book about what you can do to help your child once you know the cause.  Each chapter of my book offers parents strategies based on the cause of their's child's  misbehavior.