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..