If a student is having a hard time, taking away recess can feel like the obvious move because it’s clean, immediate, and sends a message. It also… usually doesn’t work. (And not in a “kids...
Read More
There’s a point every school year when the wheels start to wobble a little. Routines get loose, patience runs thin, and the class inside jokes turn into class-wide distractions. You look around and think, “This…isn’t...
Read MoreWalk into almost any elementary classroom right now and you will probably see at least some kind of fidget tools. Teachers often keep stress balls, tangles, Velcro strips under desks, small cubes with buttons, or...
Read MoreWalk into almost any elementary classroom right now and you will probably see some version of a calm corner. A soft rug, maybe a few stuffed animals, a poster with breathing strategies, glitter jars, flexible...
Read MoreThis post contains affiliate links. Our students bring family histories, languages, traditions, and migration stories that shape who they are. One of the most meaningful ways to honor that reality is through picture books about...
Read MoreThere are always going to be students who walk into our classrooms carrying more than a backpack. They’re carrying thoughts they don’t know how to say out loud, impulsive thoughts, worries from recess and home,...
Read MorePeople tell me CONSTANTLY that they believe in SEL, just don’t have time for another program or curricular initiative. Most teachers aren’t skipping SEL because they don’t value it, but the day is already packed....
Read MoreThere is a phrase I come back to often when teachers feel stuck with behavior that feels relentless, attention seeking, or exhausting to manage: unconditional attention. This idea is simple, but it is uncomfortable if...
Read MoreThis post contains affiliate links. Most teachers already believe emotions matter – you probably don’t need a training to convince you of that. You see it every day in the way a rough morning...
Read MoreHere’s the thing about the Winter Games: kids are already curious, adults are already half-watching, and the sports are… kind of weird in the best way. Luge? Biathlon? Mountaineer skiing? Most of us couldn’t explain...
Read MoreI no longer talk about Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) the same way I used to. And honestly? I am behind the times. This shift didn’t come from being “soft,” trendy, or anti-accountability. It came from...
Read More
