What do I do when...?

So I was just on the phone with a friend who is teaching overseas and we talked about some issues she was having. Thought I'd post my ideas here and see if anyone has any thoughts or additions to what I came up with.

Problem 1: A kid copies your tone of voice, like "Oh, nice job!" and continues to do so.
Issue: Respect
Solution: Have a general conversation with the class about respect for the teacher. Include a specific example of not copying others. If the behavior continues, tell the student specifically how their behavior is disrespectful, and tell them that if their behavior continues, that you will have a specific consequence (like calling home, being sent to the principal, etc.). Be sure to follow through.

Problem 2: Kids go off-topic in class, either by talking about topics in the most basic of ways when you are looking for more depth, or literally not on topic.
Issue: Time wasting
Solution: Start one day and quietly tally how many times the class is off topic in a day. If that day is not particularly off topic, good, but wait until a day when you get a good count. Once you have a heavy count, on the following day write "OFF TOPIC" on your board, and write down the tally total from the previous day. Have a conversation about what being off topic means, how it affects everyone (distracts from learning), and what the plan is. Over a period of a couple weeks, work on getting that off topic tally total down steadily. Write down the totals from the previous day. Once it has fallen, maybe reward the class with an open reading and discussion time, or just an open social time (giving them a chance to be off topic when it is appropriate). Create a sign that you can point to that says "Off Topic", and post it wherever you can easily point to it during class conversations. When someone goes off topic, you should be able to interrupt them, point to the sign, and ask for apporopriate comments. Students who truly believe they have an on topic comment will usually try to reason with you and explain how their comment is on topic. Repeat if necessary.

Problem 3: A student is purposefully misbehaving to get attention. Once he/she gets that attention, the behavior stops.
Issue: Negative attention getting
Solution: Your goal is to have the student behave positively to get attention. So start out by giving the student positive attention when they are behaving properly. (Hey, I like your backpack, great words in your story, I liked how you organized your desk, good work in reading, etc.) Slather on the compliments. When the student misbehaves, quietly correct the misbehavior and tell them you won't ask again, and walk away. Make that contact as brief as possible. As soon as they correct their behavior, thank them for making a good decision. Keep at it, as often it can take awhile. "Catch them being good". Hopefully you can ease back on the compliments as the behavior turns more positive, but do not completely lay off. You can also introduce a time period of compliments... where students in the class compliment one another for things they noticed others doing. Kids in classes know what other kids have issues with, and sometimes the peer compliment can be more powerful than your own.

Hope this helps!