Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby

"He was asking for relationships in school that mirror the relationships modeled at home, care and commitment regardless of how much 'trouble' someone is in"

This quote shows how important it is for schools to encourage caring and supportive relationships with students. In real life, this can be seen in schools that implement restorative practices, which focus on building strong, positive relationships and addressing conflicts through communication and learning opportunities rather than punishment.

"Educators are often heard complaining that noncompliant children are 'just trying to get attention.' They often believe the right response is to ignore the child’s attempts. I believe it’s true that those who misbehave are often trying to get attention. Children, human as they are, require and thrive on attention—loving, generous, patient attention in which they feel seen, heard, and understood".

This focuses on understanding the needs of children who show challenging behaviors. This means that instead of ignoring or punishing those behaviors, teacher should provide the attention and support that these children need. Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can help address the emotional and psychological needs of students.

"Classroom conversations are mainly about academic content. They invite children to be students and learners. But I wonder about a conversation that could invite them to be people, and also teachers. Knowing what Marcus might like to talk about would mean needing to know him as a person, but mostly I only get to know him as a troublemaker".

This idea reflects the need for teachers to see students as whole individuals, not just as learners. This can be achieved by creating opportunities for students to share their interests and experiences and by incorporating students' personalities into the classroom. Teachers can even use morning meetings or circle time to allow students to express themselves and build a sense of community.