Polly answers the question: “We have had an incredible up-tick in violence in our high school recently and we’re very worried! Why are kids so physically aggressive with each other these days?”

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Inappropriate. Unacceptable. Insubordinate. What do these words teach youngsters about their behavior? Nothing!

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Polly answers the question: “When I say: ‘OK guys, we’ve got 5 minutes to do what you want,’ my 7th graders say, ‘So what should we do?’ It seems like kids need a cruise director these days! How can I help them handle downtime?”

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Accommodations are important, but they’re not enough. They need to be accompanied with skills and techniques so a kid knows what to do when they’re feeling a certain way.

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Polly answers the question: “How am I supposed to improve the behaviors in my 5th grade classroom when at home my students are allowed to do whatever they want and say whatever they want?”

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What do we need to do in order to prevent behaviors from becoming safety issues?

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Polly answers the question: “I send high schoolers down to the office when they act up in my class and it doesn’t seem to make any difference! So I wonder if I should just save the office for really higher level stuff so the kids know when they have truly gone too far?”

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Look at a child’s behavior. Is it a disruption? Disrespect? Refusal? Safety? The problem a behavior creates is a lot more important than the behavior itself.

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Polly answers the question: “I was walking down the hall with a colleague and a group of 8th graders started mocking our conversation as we passed. What would you have done in that situation?”

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We don’t want to overuse the terms “Be safe!” and “Be careful!” because they actually plant imminent fear and danger in a kid’s mind.

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