I'm not talking about the bad guy because you gave a low grade or corrected behaviors.  I'm talking about letting them blame you as the bad guy.

Ashley did not like me from day one.  I had her last period and she was usually the first to arrive.  I greeted her daily with "Hey, how're you?" or "Hey, How's your day?" or something similar.  She rarely spoke to me at all, not even if asked to answer a question in class about the assignment.  Nothing!

It's the end of first semester.

The class was getting too loud and unproductive one afternoon. 

I told them. 

Then warned them. 

Then warned them of assigned seats. 

Then assigned seats for the rest of the period.

Ashley refused to move to the assigned seat. 

I explained she could move to the other seat or she could move her desk up against the wall facing the wall.  She opted for this choice.  We got her desk moved.

The class got it together, so the next day they would be able to seat where they wanted.

Ashley arrived first, as usual.

"Why am I not up against the wall?"

"Ya'll got it back together, so no assigned seats today....unless you want one."

"yeah"

I moved her desk just as others start to arrive and I tell them they don't have assigned seats.

Ashley's friends ask her to join them and she says she can't.

They ask why and she says she has an assigned seat.

Her friends ask what happen.

"You know how she is." 

So, they turn to me with promises that Ashley will behave.  They promise.  What did she do?

I respond, "It's between us."

---------

She went back to her seat and friends the following day.  And she spoke to me and greeted me and smiled when she saw me from then on.

I have no idea why she needed an assigned seat and I never asked.

Sometimes they don't know how to separate and take time for themselves.

Sometimes you can show them and teach them. 

Sometimes you have to be the bad guy.