Understanding Behavior

Rita F. Pierson, a professional educator since 1972, taught elementary school, junior high and special education. She was a counselor, a testing coordinator and an assistant principal. In each of these roles, she brought a special energy to the role -- a desire to get to know her students, show them how much they matter and support them in their growth, even if it was modest. Rita once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" This video is a rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

The Iceberg Principle for Behavior

All Things Behavior

Behavior .... it's a form of communication...it's what's always worked in the past...it's often messy and can be overwhelming if you are in the midst of challenging behavior. What we do know is that in order for student behavior to change, we often have to change our own behavior first. This often begins with identifying the behaviors we might be observing and drilling down to uncover what may be happening below the surface or what skills might be lagging that need to be explicitly taught.