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It was a typical day in Ms. Turner's second through fifth grade Special Day Class. Despite it being a class that serviced students diagnosed with severe behavior challenges, the classroom was filled with joyful sounds of learning as the students eagerly engaged in and completed their daily language arts warm-up. Andrew was a kind and quiet second grader who loved school. He stood out as one of the brightest students in the class even though he was the youngest. Unlike some of

If you’ve ever stood in front of your class while one of your students was having a major meltdown, with your heart pounding and mind racing, wondering how you were going to pull everyone back from the edge, you know this truth: managing extreme behaviors isn’t just about strategies. It’s about mindset. Our mindset shapes the way we see our students. It colors the tone of our voice, the words we choose, and the way we carry ourselves in the moment. The right mindset doesn’t..

Understanding and managing extreme emotional dysregulation in our students is a skill that is becoming more and more necessary. If we are to succeed in creating safe classroom environments that foster high levels of growth and learning for all our students, we must learn to quickly and efficiently handle students’ emotional outbursts. How could Mrs. Trudeau have reacted to Devyn’s behavior? How would you have reacted? Let’s face it! Gone are the days when assigning standards

Ever notice how life can feel like a rollercoaster? One minute we’re on cloud nine, and the next minute we’re plunging into an emotional thunderstorm. This is not an experience exclusive to adulthood. Kids are also bombarded with their own whirlwind of emotions. Over the course of a single day, kids can feel happiness, sadness, excitement, boredom, stress, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, and even fear! Moreover, just like adults, in order to attain and maintain...

Ahh! The school year has just begun! The pencils are sharpened, the routines are being built, and those first-day jitters are already fading. Isn’t it amazing how quickly we switch from summer relaxation to full-on teaching mode?