Thoughtful Tips - Brooks eAcademy

March 10, 2025March 10, 2025

Teaching Teens with Emotional Disturbance – Work Habits

Students who receive special education services with a diagnosis of Emotional Disturbance account for about 5% of the students who receive special education services. These students are often educated in self-contained classrooms with a curriculum focusing on academic and non-academic supports. It is a more therapeutic environment that is behavior-focused, with the end goal of moving the student from a more to a least restrictive environment. Students with emotional disturbance have the worst outcomes of students with disabilities as a whole. These outcomes include out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and dropping out of school. This is very concerning for families, communities, and educators. As a teacher in a self-contained behaviorally focused classroom for preteens and teens, I decided to start weekly segments that focus on different topics pertaining to teaching teens with Emotional Disturbance (ED).

The negative outcomes experienced by students with ED show the need for explicit instruction in skills that address both academic and behavioral needs. This would mean interventions are immediately needed to meet these needs. Teaching work habits to teens with ED provides numerous benefits for their personal development and future career success. Here are some of the key advantages:

1. Builds Independence and Responsibility

Helps them take ownership of tasks and develop a sense of accountability.
Encourages time management and reliability, which are essential for future employment.

2. Enhances Emotional Regulation

Structured work habits can create predictability, reducing anxiety and emotional outbursts.
Provides opportunities to practice coping strategies in a controlled environment.

3. Improves Social and Communication Skills

Encourages teamwork, appropriate workplace interactions, and conflict resolution.
Develops active listening and following instructions, which are key for employment and daily life.

4. Boosts Self-Esteem and Confidence

Mastering work habits fosters a sense of accomplishment.
Positive reinforcement helps them see their abilities rather than their challenges.

5. Prepares for Future Employment and Life Skills

Learning punctuality, task completion, and organization makes them more employable.
These skills translate into managing household responsibilities and finances later in life.

6. Provides a Sense of Structure and Stability

Routine and clear expectations create a more stable environment for emotional regulation.
Helps reduce impulsivity and improve focus.

If you have some tips on teaching work habits to teens and would like to share, please comment below!

July 30, 2024July 30, 2024

End of the School Year Wrap-Up

Person writing thoughts in a notebook or journal Reflecting on the school year

The end of the school year came at me fast! Grades, progress reports, and packing up my room were all at the top of the list as my 2023-2024 school year came to an end. This was quite the school year, and I figured it would be fitting to write about the good and the bad that occurred during the year. I know it is almost August. I ended my school year on June 7th when I started working as a behavior specialist for a summer camp. Not to mention, I’m still working on my dissertation and preparing for an upcoming presentation at a conference later this month. I have been busy!

I must start with a disclaimer, especially if this is your first time reading my blog. This year was probably one of the most difficult years I have had since I started teaching. I’m used to working with students who display aggressive behaviors. This means these students may exhibit behaviors that impact their ability to be successful by initiating arguments or fights with their peers or school staff. Hey, it could also be defiant or disrespectful for any number of reasons. I’m big on establishing relationships with my students and families that create an environment where problems may arise, but students are still learning. My kiddos showed some of the same behaviors, but due to added trauma in their lives, it was difficult to work through those behaviors and focus on learning, which brings me to the first thing I learned this school year.

1

The year really made me lean into my research about Trauma-Informed Education. I made it a point to read and study anything I could get my hands on that talked about Trauma-Informed Education. So much so that I created a presentation that I’m sharing with anyone willing to listen. In education, we are given so many new buzz words ALL.THE.TIME. Educators never know what is going to stick and what will fade, like the ink from your favorite stamp pad. Taking the time to analyze what your students are communicating to you through their behaviors is crucial to establishing a safe and supportive learning environment. It takes time, consistency, and dedication, but it is well worth it. Click here to get a free checklist for starting your own trauma-informed classroom.

2

Being able to loop with your students for a second year adds to their success. I usually work with my students for at least 2 years. I always see major progress in the second year. In previous years, I have had students totally reintegrate back into the general education classroom from the self-contained setting with success. This year was no different. My 6th graders were leaps and bounds ahead of where they were in 5th grade. They were more independent and able to advocate for themselves. But don’t just take my word for it; research has shown having a repeat teacher increases students’ test scores while also improving attendance and discipline for lower-performing students and male students of color (Wedenoja et al., 2022). Unfortunately, intentional looping, where districts plan for teachers to progress with their students, is not a “thing” everywhere.

3

Self-reflection is key. According to philosopher and educator John Dewey, “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” Taking the time each day to think about what went right or wrong was helpful to making improvements in my teaching. Being honest with myself about my shortcomings. This post on Edutopia provides tips on how educators can make self-reflection a consistent habit.

4

Practice gratitude even when things are not going well. Reflecting on the negative is not a good way to start or end the day. Having a daily practice of thinking about what you are thankful for can be encouraging. It can also help you focus on what is going well and how to make improvements. Use of a gratitude journal can help get you on the path of being thankful even when it has been a tough day. Check out this gratitude journal for teachers that I created, which is available on Amazon. If you are not a fan of journaling, take a look at this blog post about refueling your gratitude on Edutopia.

All in all, looking back on some of my highs and lows from the past school year has gotten me fired up for the new year ahead. There will be new challenges, including a new school building, classroom, and colleagues. There will also be familiar things, like my students from last year. I’m excited about the new adventures that await us.

References

Wedenoja, L., Papay, J., and Kraft, M.A. (2022). Second time's the charm? How sustained relationships from repeat student-teacher matches build academic and behavioral skills. (EdWorkingPaper: 22-590). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/sddw-ag22

September 26, 2023October 4, 2023

How Your Personal Legend Can Improve Your Teaching

How Your Personal Legend can Improve Your Teaching

A friend of mine recommended that I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I was embarrassed to say that I’d had a copy of the book for years and had not looked at it. I had skimmed a few pages and wasn’t really drawn in so I placed it into a box with some of my other books and forgot about it. I trust this friend and value her opinion about things so I dug the book out and took another swing at it. I’m happy to say that I’m glad I did.

Alchemist Cover

One of the main ideas of the book is the Personal Legend of Santiago. One needs to understand that your personal legend involves what you decide to do with your life. What do you want your life to look like? Who do you want to be? How do you want to be remembered?Will you look back on your life with regret or fond memories? This got me thinking about my own personal legend. Teaching is referred to as a noble profession. It’s a running joke that those who become teachers do not enter into it for the money. I myself chose to be a teacher because I wanted to help others and work with children.

Teaching is my second career. This meant I had to go back to school, take additional classes, and pass the licensure tests for my state in order to make it happen. Initially, I was convinced I wanted to be an early childhood teacher for kindergartners. I was able to get a job as a substitute teacher and quickly realized how much I enjoyed working with children with exceptionalities.

Paul Coelho wrote about how there are four obstacles that can keep someone from following their Legend. As a young child we can have visions of grandeur. I wanted to be a singing astronaut when I was young. People would let me know you could maybe do one or the other but you needed to be practical. Fortunately, I came from a family of people who followed their Personal Legends. My father and brothers embarked on fulfilling careers in the music industry so I saw first hand how one can successfully follow their Personal Legend. We can not let fear of what others feel is impossible stop us. We must proceed in love. We can not let the fear of defeat get in our way. Lastly, realizing what our dream is.

Obstacles Ahead

How does this first obstacle translate to improving your teaching? As an educator you need to approach each new class and school year with a fresh perspective. You must believe in the impossible as you embark on increasing the academic success of your students. Teachers fight against the impossible everyday in their classrooms. Trying to increase test scores, help students regulate their behavior, and many times working closely with families. We have to make sure we are not allowing our own biases to influence our thoughts on how we can help our students.

Love

The second obstacle of love is crystal clear. We need to have love for the profession of teaching. As mentioned before those who really commit to a life of service as an educator, must have a love for the profession. You do not enter this field with the dream of becoming a millionaire. You genuinely have a love of working with children, academic subject matter, or a combination of the two. It is important to also have a support system of those who can love and support you as you follow your Personal Legend. Knowing you have the support and love of others can help you stay focused on being the best teacher you can possibly be.

Goal Completion

For those of us already in the classroom, we know how rewarding it can be when you have assisted a student in grasping a concept. But what about those days when you go home feeling extremely defeated. The best part of the third obstacle, fear of defeat, is that it forces us to reflect on how we can be better the next class or school day. We can reflect on what new methods we can use to help a student progress academically or behaviorally. Being able to roll with the punches and still maintain a positive outlook can make the most of our path to following our Personal Legend.

Successful and happy students

Ultimately, we find we are our own worst enemy when it comes to achieving goals of any kind. Achieving your Personal Legend is no different. Think about what you want to achieve as an educator. I have become an educator which was one part of my Personal Legend. Now I work on being the best educator I can possibly be. My point is that you must keep going and expanding to the next level. Do not be afraid to spread your influence to students outside of your classroom. How, Kandice is what you may be asking. That worksheet you created can be sold on Teachers Pay Teachers. That new research you have read about could be shared with your colleagues in a professional development session. Or you can present at a professional conference. You are the person in charge of the path on your way to your Personal Legend.

I’m interested to know about your Personal Legend. Please feel free to share in the comments!

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023

TikTok Made Me Do It

So I recently became a fan of TikTok. My daughters were always sharing different videos with me so I broke down and created an account. I had an account back in 2020 when COVID closed down the schools. It came in handy when I couldn’t locate my students through the traditional ways. I made a few videos and started messaging my students through the platform. Guess what, it worked! I was able to get them to attend their online classes.

Once we moved on to hybrid classes, I didn’t see the need for TikTok, so my account just there collecting virtual dust until 6 months ago. I realized some of my fellow educators were creating followings displaying the comic relief that being an educator can be. There are days we need as much laughter as possible. You just need to laugh to keep from crying. I’m not an actress and sometimes it takes me a million years to get things accomplished on technology. Even after creating my own website, an online course, and trying to keep up with this blog I still struggle at times.

I enlisted the assistance of my middle child who was more than happy to teach me the ropes. It was all fun and games until last week. I posted a video using audio from the platform not from my classroom of a student clearly yelling in distress. Not a fight, just a student yelling. I did so to show what educators are dealing with during the month of May or some of us for the entire school year. I teach a self-contained behaviorally focused classroom so there are often days when a student is yelling in distress.

@spedteacherkb
When the month of May hits, even your star students start acting out!! 🤣🤣 #itstimeforschooltoend #summerbreak #teachersoftiktok #specialeducation #specialeducationteacher #educationtiktok #teacherlife #teacherfunny #teacherfunnymoments #teacherfunnyvideos #teacherfunnyteachertok
♬ original sound – BodyDysmorphiaBros

Well, I ruffled a few feathers because I got some negative comments on my post. I was told I suck and some profanity was used. I’m an empath so I felt really bad and after consulting my daughter aka social media manager, she thought I should comment. So I did and the person continued to berate me. Now, I was feeling like I should delete the post, but saw supportive comments from those in the education field. They shared their understanding of what was happening in the video. That is when I decided to leave the post there, but make it into a teaching moment. Hence this post and an upcoming new TikTok and how to deal with a student who is in distress especially for my newbie self-contained teachers.

What to Do When a Student is in Distress

Evacuation Plan

At the beginning of the school year, you should create your evacuation plan. This has nothing to do lockdowns, fire drills, or tornado drills. Your evacuation plan details where you take a student in distress to calm down. There will need to 2 parts to this plan because if the student in distress is refusing to leave the area, then you may need to evacuate your other students. It is also good practice to conduct practice evacuation drills as with other drills so students know what to do and where to go. Make sure you have a point person they will go with if it is not you. If your class needs to leave, then the area needs to be big enough for them to be comfortable and have adult supervision. You may need to stay behind with the student in distress.

Consistently Teach Skills

Now I’m going to get on my soapbox. You should be teaching social emotional skills daily. If you need SEL curriculum suggestions, drop me an email. Students should be taught how to identify their emotions and ways they can self-regulate. We all know that this does not always happen but most students make considerable improvement in their behavior when replacement behaviors are taught on a regular basis.

Be Supportive

If the student in distress is at the point of the student in the audio, there is not much talking or reasoning they want to hear. You can drop gems like, “When you are ready, I’m here “ or “When you are ready, I want you to know how I can support you.” Then walk away but keep the student in your proximity and line of sight. Give them the time and space to calm down.

Keep Them Safe

In my video the student in distress is yelling and I’m sitting at my desk looking from the “student” to the camera, not saying a word. I’m not making any comments, yelling back, or trying to come in contact with the student at this time. I’m watching to make sure they are safe and not trying to harm themselves or anyone else. That is why it is also important to have an evacuation plan in place. Remove others so they do not try to provoke the student or make matters worse. You may even have a crisis team at your school. If so, follow the protocol.

Follow Up

Make sure to take time to follow up with the student when they have calmed down completely and are ready to talk. This may even be the next day, but make sure you follow up! Talk about what happened, why, what they could have or should do differently, and what you can do to support them in the future. Depending on the severity, frequency, and duration of the situation you may also need to call home, especially if the student has a goal on their IEP tied to self-regulation or behavior. Keep parents in the loop as much as possible or to the extent they would like to be included.

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

Helping Your Child Deal With Grief

Happy February! The start of 2020 has been rough for me, in fact January was one of the worst months of my life. My mother suffered a mild stroke the week before the start of winter break. She was hospitalized but sadly passed away on January 2, 2020. I don’t know if there is a word in the English language that describes how I felt or how I still feel. There is an empty space in my heart that aches. My parents divorced when I was about 10 years old so my core family became my mom, my two older brothers and me. Both of my brothers passed away unexpectedly years ago, only 18 months apart. My mom helped me get through that. Now with her gone as well, I feel so lonely like I have no family, no history. All of that to say, these past weeks have been beyond difficult managing my grief and that of my three children. I lost my mom, but they also lost their grandma, someone they were very close to.

I realized that I needed to keep an eye on my daughters. Yes, they had experienced loss before through distance family members but this was the first very close death they’ve experienced. They were very young when their uncles passed away, so I knew this process was going to be different. And then Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 7 others lost their lives in a horrific helicopter accident. Grief become center stage around the world. I knew many of my students looked up to Kobe. In fact one of my students has his name. This just heightened my concern about not only my children but those in my care during the school day.

The initial response to grief is that we have to fix it or make it go away. But grief is not a problem to be fixed. It’s an experience that we go through. When dealing with children and grief, we need to help them process their grief and learn how to continue to live through it. Depending on how much the child identified with the person, this can be a daunting task. We have to take into account that the child must now learn to live without this person in their life. Even if it was through sports, entertainment or a close family connection it can be hard for a child to make sense of it all.

What to Do

It can be overwhelming to think about what to do, so I came up with some beginning steps that will be helpful when navigating the grief experience with a child:

Plain English Please!

Or whatever language is your primary language. Sometimes when we speak to children, we want to use what has been termed kidspeak. Our way of bringing things down to a child’s level. Feeling if we use words like death or dead, we are traumatizing the child. If we are making things up or giving a fluff version like, “Nana went to the big garden in the sky.” We leave room for confusion. A child could feel like Nana would rather go to a big garden than be here with me? Use clear language and explain words if needed.

Honesty is the Best Policy

This goes along with using clear language. While using clear language be as honest as possible. If the person was sick say that. If there was an accident, say there was an accident. They may not be ready to digest every single detail but communicate from a place of honesty. Kids know and understand more these days than we give them credit for.

Open Book Policy

Let the child know that anytime they want to talk you are available. If you as the adult need to talk about the person, do it! If you avoid saying the person’s name or talking about them at all it gives the child the impression that it is not acceptable to do so. Talking about my mom is so therapeutic for me and I’ve let my children know it’s ok to tell a story or say they miss her.

I’ve created an infographic that can also be helpful. Check out the website www.childrengrieve.org. They have a great section with “Dear Me” letters. Adults write letters to their younger selves as they are going through the grieving process. There are some powerful words written there.

**Tips to Help Children Deal with Grief**

Remember the grieving process is different for everyone. I’d love to hear how you have helped any children in your life with their grieving process. Comment below!