Job Training

I attended a one day crisis intervention training this week.I always come back with a new insight. There is a pattern that incidents follow. It starts with anxiety, which can be picked up in little signs, like tapping a pencil or drumming fingers. If we can figure out these little signs, which are different in individuals, sometimes we can diffuse the anxiety. One of the children in my classroom, pushes his chair back, says, "Are you trying to make me angry," and just dares you with a stare. Not much warning, as far as we have picked up on yet. But even this can sometimes be diffused with the right body language, and calm non-combative support.

I realized there is a point where there is no logic or reason possible. It is not always a physical outburst, the same loss of reason is true in verbal outbursts.

I also learned that these outbursts are usually more traumatic for the caretaker-teacher, than they are for the child. Many of these children come from homes where their actions are normal. The kids, quite often, do not even realize they are doing anything wrong, or feel remorse.

It is a real puzzle, to bring these kids along, without giving in, to choose the fights that will grow them, and to keep them safe and their families sane when the fights will not go away.