Ruthee and Michelle- special education teachers, (taught general education 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, resource and self contained)
We have a passion for helping teachers and parents navigate helping children do their personal best. We are on a mission to educate the world with techniques, tips, and resources to help people understand their brains, behavior, and their optimal states for learning.
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
― Haim G. Ginott
COACHING CHILDREN
Parenting and teaching is greatly affected by our approach. We believe that kids don't misbehave because they are bad. They need patience, coaching, and tools to be optimal learners. Punishment alone is not the answer. Consequences, yes, but in a loving, repsectful, manner where there are restorative practices. We adults must be teaching the appropriate behaviors. When the students make a poor choice, we must coach them and guide them to learn how to correct the behavior. We believe that this can be taught and coached. Teachers and parents need to be proactive, not just reactive. We can preteach skills. If we think of the school year like a race around the track, when the child gets off track, we need to coach them, encourage them, warn them, and teach them how to get over the hurdles and perservere. We can't just punish them when they get off track alone.
We have created some simple coaching tools that any parent and teacher can use to visually teach this with handouts and videos.
VIDEO TO UNDERSTAND THE BRAIN and BEHVAIOR
CONFLICT RESOULTION
Parenting VIdeo