NEWSLETTER
The Thriving School Brief
Practical, bite-sized strategies for school leaders who want safer classrooms, stronger teacher support, and more time for true instructional leadership. Each issue gives you tools and real-world insights to build a thriving school culture of order, care, and belonging.
Meeting the Adolescent Brain Where It Is
When I stepped out of my classroom for two minutes and returned to a full-blown marker war, I did what any overwhelmed 23-year-old would do: I yelled. Then I hit my head on a filing cabinet and ended up in urgent care.
I used to think moments like this were “classroom management problems.”
Now I know they were developmental signals.
Adolescents aren’t broken. Their brains are becoming.
And most of us were never taught what that means for teaching, learning, or MTSS systems.
That’s why I’m launching a new series: Inside the Adolescent Mind — exploring what the developing brain needs from us, and how schools can design systems aligned with human development, not compliance.
If you’ve ever wondered why students react the way they do (or why you react to them the way you do), this series is for you.