My Philosophy on Challenging Behaviors

I wanted to chat today a little bit about the hardest part of our jobs: behaviors. As a severely handicapped teacher I have seen, heard and witnessed everything. Nothing is a surprise anymore, as I expect the unexpected. No matter how consistent I schedule my routine and how systematic I am, nothing can be predicted. But this is what I LOVE about being a special education teacher. I love that the students keep me on my toes. I love that the students keep me constantly seeking to give more and do more. I love that these students need me just as much as I need them.

Its discouraging to see the quick turn around and burn out life of a special education teacher. Its not meant for everybody, and that is OKAY. I have found that so many people take students behaviors personal. I see teachers make student challenges about themselves. I want to remind educators that behind every behavior is a reason, a cry for help, a question and a silly child wanting love. It is our role as educators to provide a safe, comfortable and loving school environment.

In the hardest of situations, I like to remind myself to take a step back and breathe. I’m not trying to preach to you, the reader, how I find managing behaviors to be easy. I don’t. It is a challenge. It is without a doubt the most draining part of my job. But at the end of the day, I love each and every one of my students.

I approach behaviors with a positive approach. I believe it is important to teach students how to become independent in coping with their emotions and to learn to regulate their needs independently. Of course it is not an “over night” skill that can be taught, however, with time, supports and accommodations students can build independence in this area. I use my calm down kit to support my students needs. I have calm down kit #1 and calm down kit #2 that can be used together or separately to meet your child’s needs. I have designed these visuals to meet my students needs over the years.

I have been using my calm down kits over the years with different students. I have set up my calm down kit differently depending on the bunch I have each year. I wanted to take a minute and share how other teachers and bloggers have set up the calm down kit in their classroom to meet their child’s needs. I absolutely LOVE seeing positive behavior approaches in so many classrooms!

My Special Learners & The Write Combo