EPIC 2025

PLEASE NOTE: Only Water is Allowed in the Auditorium! 

When it comes to classroom management, how many “programs” have you experienced that are designed to reward or punish students for their behavior? How did they work? Consequences do not equal accountability and rarely result in sustainable behavior change. So as educators, how can we handle the frequent fliers and repeat offenders? By implementing a responsibility-centered culture, we create an environment that puts the emphasis on students carrying the weight of solving their own behavioral challenges. Refocusing the discipline approach from external control to internal control is a major paradigm shift – moving from “making someone behave” to “taking ownership of one’s behavior.” Learning to be in control of one’s emotions and actions, and having the ability to self-regulate, even in the most difficult situations, has benefits that extend well beyond the classroom and the school.

Working with difficult, demanding, and disruptive students is not a new challenge for educators. However, there are current concerns being voiced regarding the changing nature and intensity of the behaviors of these students. Some educators are reporting increases in selfish, manipulative and hostile behaviors while others are noticing more students who are overly anxious and/or difficult to engage. Even well seasoned, award-winning master educators can sometimes have their "feathers ruffled" by certain students in certain situations.