The Intentional School Leader: A By-Design Approach to a More Inclusive School

by Mrs. Chana Luchins

Success is counted sweetest /By those who ne’er succeed.

(Emily Dickinson, Poem 67)

How can schools provide a warm and safe environment for children who have a diagnosis of ADHD? Why is it important that they do? What is lost from the Jewish people when a swath of children spends much of their time in a place with negative associations?  Do we want to own the shame that these children carry into adulthood and the potential cracks in their relationship with Hashem and learning Torah because, as adults, we were not equipped to help them recognize their own innate greatness?

It is important to begin by acknowledging that the strategies that support learning for students with diagnosed ADHD are really best practices for all children. The children who suffer the most when their only relationships with teachers or other adults are through frequent, high-intensity, negative interactions may well be children with diagnoses, but all children benefit when teachers improve their skills.

Since all learning is a fundamentally social transaction and is mediated through relationships, how can we help teachers to develop both their own prosocial skills and their ability to create a school environment that supports children’s emotional self-regulation skills? Again, while this is beneficial for all students, students with ADHD qualities particularly need explicit instruction to cultivate self-awareness and practice executive functioning strategies for harnessing their talents. Passion, curiosity, and all intense emotions fuel learning when they are recognized and channeled safely.

A Mountain – in my mind

(Emily Dickinson, Poem 550)

What language do teachers and parents typically use around behavior, whether students are formally diagnosed with ADHD or not? Adjectives such as difficult, not focused, defiant, disruptive, oppositional, challenging or out of control are frequent descriptors. A more positively framed person will say spirited or energetic. Children themselves may use the term “bad.” Howard Glasser, who pioneered the Nurtured Heart Approach, preferred the term “intensity” because it helps to reframe the wider narrative around a child and embrace the whole picture of a child’s humanity. It is worthwhile to spend a little bit of time exploring how the language we choose to use influences our real-world interactions.

We have a voice in our choice of the words we use both to our students and about our students. This powerful tool in our arsenal conveys messages in the actual words we choose and the tone in which we express them. It is very important not to come from a place of judgment but rather from curiosity, and give our own intensity to positive values and behaviors we wish to reinforce and not unintentionally give intensity and attention to the negatives. We will give concrete practices that teachers can use in their classrooms to shift this dynamic later in this article.

Children very quickly sense the subliminal messages in our words that, “There is something really wrong with me.” Children pick up on our fear of their strong emotions and they subsequently fear having strong emotions too – internalizing that having those feelings themselves are bad, rather than that there is a way to handle them. Sometimes, children who are already more self-aware will actually share these fears with a trusted adult, making comments like, “I am so scared. Why can’t I control my brain?”  “Why do I have to be like this? I hate myself. I am stupid. I am a bad child.” “Why am I crazy? What is wrong with me?”

Let’s be clear. Children’s lives are in the balance and when we adapt our adult practices, we can play a part in saving Jewish lives. Jewish children spend at least eight hours a day at school and that is an enormous amount of time. Resetting our adult mindsets, developing a better understanding of child development and applying a metacognitive framework to our educational practices gives us a chance at creating more inclusive yeshiva day school classrooms. Know that we do not have to create those mountains – we can choose to build bridges.

I dwell in Possibility- /A fairer House than Prose-

(Emily Dickinson, Poem 657)

Systemic and school-wide changes will fuel long-term success. Creating special approaches or programs just for students with ADHD will often end up backfiring, particularly by middle school, because it exacerbates differences between students. When changes are made systemically, everyone benefits. It is always better when approaches are systematic, consistent and are broken down into manageable and doable small tasks. This is true for changes on the classroom level and on the school level.

A little bit of background knowledge and understanding about the prevalence of ADHD can be helpful for building context. The percent of children with a diagnosis of ADHD has had an upward trend since it has been tracked nationally beginning in 1997. The diagnostic criteria have shifted over time, as well, so this clouds understanding of whether the data will continue to show increases or if it will level off now that the criteria will remain the same. At this point though, a round number of at least ten percent of children in the United States receive a diagnosis of ADHD. Within those numbers, the percentage of boys diagnosed is over double the number of girls diagnosed, and the number of children on Medicaid diagnosed is double the numbers for those children who have private, employer-sponsored insurance. It is important to understand that 60% of children with a diagnosis of ADHD have at least one other disorder occurring concurrently. Half of those students have a behavior or conduct problem and 30% have concurrent anxiety. Other common comorbid conditions include depression, autism spectrum disorder, Tourette syndrome and dyslexia.

To be honest, all of these are commonly seen in the typical yeshiva day school general education classroom. Anecdotally, some of these statistics may play out a bit differently in the Jewish community. Depending on the particular Jewish community or school, the numbers of students with formal diagnoses may be higher or lower. However, the reality on the ground is that the needs are there regardless of whether there is a formal diagnosis, and the most challenging situations tend to center around students with multiple issues co-occurring. Depending on a school’s location and access to services, it may often be beneficial to have children receive formal diagnoses to help them access extra support services.

Once adults can recognize that some children have learning delays or skill deficits around academic tasks, they can also recognize that some children have similar delays or skill deficits around behavior, emotions and self-regulation. This means genuinely believing that these are teachable skills. Teachers can be coached and learn how to teach these skills. It is worthwhile to invest in our teachers by giving them more skills in how to build effective relationships and safe classroom communities. This is true regardless of whether parents choose to add a medication to a child’s regimen or not. It is imperative to explicitly teach these skills whether or not there is a specific medication being incorporated into a child’s plan.

Forever- is composed of Nows-

(Emily Dickinson, Poem 624)

As Jon Kabat-Zinn expressed, “The only time you ever have in which to learn anything or see anything or feel anything, or express any feeling or emotion, or respond to an event, or grow, or heal, is this moment, because this is the only moment any of us ever gets. You’re only here now; you’re only alive in this moment.” For teachers, this means embracing each teachable moment with freshness and not getting stuck in our previous errors. Self-flagellation about our previous failures with a child prevents us from starting fresh, resetting, and giving ourselves another chance to get in the game, and succeed. When we allow ourselves to make mistakes and try again, we model the same character trait for our students, who end up getting mired in listening to their negative recordings in their heads about their failures.

The mantra of small changes, big impact is a good place to start. When we try new strategies, success is not always immediate. We need to take those risks; we will feel our own resistance to change, as well as our students’ wonder and resistance. We can acknowledge it, notice it and still move forward.

The Wider Lens – Three Schoolwide Approaches

1. Build relationships between administration, teachers and parents. Although collaboration for all students is important, it is crucial for children with multiple issues. While administration and teachers can do their best crafting plans without parents, and indeed are certainly obligated to do their best, it is often more difficult to have long-term success without at least some parental cooperation, even at a minimal level. Promoting an atmosphere of best intentions assumed on all sides creates fertile ground for a trust relationship. If there is suspicion and mistrust, the success is limited. Although the adults can point fingers and judge each other for all their mistakes when interacting with this child, at the end of the day, if the adults cannot repair their relationship and forge a positive path going forward, that suspicion will continue to poison all future attempts at helping the child. All adults need to express and feel that they are working as a team together. They are here as “Team Child” and everyone believes that their contribution is heard, valued and accepted. Active listening skills and appropriate norm-setting for collaborative meetings may need to be coached to facilitate this success. An added imperative to this injunction occurs when a parent chooses to incorporate a medication. The better the communication, the more effective the long-term skill development of the child will be around the child’s availability to master both foundational academic and behavioral skills.
2. Bring systemic change to a school by training everyone in a social-emotional program that teaches skills in an easy-to-learn format. The mantra of “make the invisible, visible,” is very important here. All schools have unspoken and unwritten elements of culture and rules that are confusing for children. Clarity is kindness. Giving teachers and administrators tools to build relationships through a positive behavioral intervention model is a gift to everyone. Concrete strategies for building self-regulation are practical and life changing. It is important to choose a program that fits with the culture of your school and that will have buy-in. Everyone needs to practice and commit to a program. Although there are a number of acclaimed programs at this point, the ones that consistently have been the most effective specifically for children with ADHD are the Nurtured Heart Approach, by Howard Glasser, and Collaborative Problem-Solving, by Ross W. Greene and J. Stuart Ablon. NHA is less intimidating and easier to incorporate gradually than most other programs. Other programs that schools may choose to incorporate include Second Step, Responsive Classroom, Responsibility Centered Discipline or Student-centered Discipline.
3. In conjunction with the program above, it is helpful if there are school-wide acceptable behavior norms. Language and conversation around norms should be built around the premise that for norms to be effective, everyone has to agree to abide by them. This does not mean that people don’t make mistakes and it doesn’t mean that people never break rules. People do break rules and there are unenergized consequences or results that are the reality of breaking rules. It is important to have as much clarity as possible around rules. The clearer the rules, the kinder they are. This doesn’t mean that every single possibility needs to be codified in writing, but it does mean that there is flexibility in the framing of the rules that allows for the coverage of a wide range of behavior.

The Narrower Lens – Examples of Instructionally-Based Classroom Strategies

There are certainly many practical changes that teachers can incorporate. However, it is important to recognize each child as an individual and that each class is unique. Therefore, no generic list is one size fits all for children. Each situation deserves a personalized approach. This list touches on only a few possible techniques that may be helpful.

First, teachers should be mindful about creating and committing to regular routines and structures in their classes.

Another important idea is that rules should be as clear as possible. Although the general categories of rules can and should be framed positively, the nitty-gritty of rules is often clearer, especially to children who by nature are more intense or more boundary-testing, having them stated using the negative. Although a general category can be: “Take care of each other” or “Be respectful,” the examples under them will be clearer if they are stated as “No hitting” or “No interrupting.” Consequences should be simple and unenergized.

At the same time, teachers should also be mindful about the activity level and pacing of their classes. Be sure to have students as actively engaged as possible. Projects, independent activities, station rotations and other structures keep students busy. If a lesson needs to be whole class, try to include opportunities for all students to participate simultaneously, such as with small whiteboards, picture signals to hold up, clickers or choral responses. Built-in opportunities for physical movement can be helpful.

Another useful strategy for keeping students engaged is interleaving or mixing different topics. If students have a work menu or a station rotation, they should not all review the same topic; changing it up keeps the brain stimulated. For example, Gemara structure itself is often naturally set up this way.

Teachers should try to incorporate some sort of simple and fun breathing technique or calming exercise as a transition tool. Self-regulation activities that are calming can often be helpful. While some students are calmer after a longer stretch of physical exertion, others ramp up and it can be hard for those students to settle down after gym or recess.

For some students, flexible seating options can be helpful. Again, if this is part of the wider classroom culture, this can help some students with their concentration.

For some students, planned positive attention breaks with an administrator, guidance counselor or teacher – called “time-ins” – for when students are doing well, reduces or preempts all the attention students get when they do something wrong.

Timed, expected sensory path breaks may help some students.

Provide limited but genuine opportunities for student choice. Greater self-efficacy fuels a more positive learning environment.

Teachers should consider their communication style and make changes as appropriate. The following examples are adapted from the Nurtured Heart Approach. Notice that these types of positive recognitions not only label the greatness in children, but also provide models for children of language to describe their negative emotions, as well.

• Active recognitions describe what a child is doing, using sensory information and no judgment. “I notice…,” “I see….” “I hear…” These kinds of noticing are especially effective with teens who will resist more obvious or public kinds of recognitions from adults and who may be more focused on peer recognitions.

Examples: I see you took out your pencil and your book and you are ready to begin class. I notice that you are listening to your classmate speaking to you in an angry tone and you are not saying angry words back.

• Experiential recognitions add on to an active recognition with a comment about what the child’s behavior reveals about his/her character. This is a chance to teach values and reinforce a child’s positive inner voice. The ways that we communicate to children outwardly eventually become their powerful inner voice that fuels their genuine sense of self-worth, and what Nurtured Heart terms a child’s Inner Wealth or Portfolio of Greatness. We have to give children language to describe these values.

Example: I notice that you are getting frustrated with this assignment, and you are still in your chair doing your best to try to figure it out. This shows that your grit and perseverance is really shining through right now.

• Proactive recognitions take the opportunity to recognize any moment when the child is not doing anything wrong. Give attention with intensity to when children are following the rules. The most successful proactive recognitions go along with clarity in rules.

Example: Ploni, you didn’t break the no-interrupting rule when Almoni was speaking. You waited until he was done. That shows me that you have the qualities of patience and respect.

• Creative recognitions are an opportunity for connection by taking something a child is already doing normally or already wants to do, framing it as a request and then recognizing its greatness.

Example: I need you to put your scraps in the garbage (while the child is already starting to clean up). Thank you, I really appreciate that you care about keeping our classroom clean. You are a thoughtful classmate.

Let me not mar that perfect Dream

(Emily Dickinson, Poem 1335)

We do not have to expect perfection from ourselves or our children. Although Yosef Hatzadik is referred to with the moniker of the dreamer, he is a leader who accomplishes a prodigious amount. It is clear that the Torah ideal of a dreamer actually connotes one who sets goals and actualizes change. We, too, can be dreamers who effect genuine and meaningful change in our schools if we can support adults not to operate from a narrow place of fear, of less-than, of “I can’t.” We can reduce the likelihood of that narrative becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we will feel the difference in the lives of both students and teachers. When teachers and students have genuinely positive senses of self-worth and self-efficacy, they have the capacity and courage to live a joyous life of learning.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Data and statistics about ADHD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

EDUCATORS & SCHOOLS – LIVES IN THE BALANCE. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://livesinthebalance.org/educators-schools/

For Educators. (n.d.). Think: Kids. https://thinkkids.org/educators/

Glasser, H., & Block, M. (2016). The transforming the intense child workbook: an experiential guide for parents, educators and therapists for learning and implementing the nurtured child approach. Nurtured Heart Publications.

Glasser, H., & Melissa Lynn Block. (2011). Notching up: the nurtured heart approach: the new inner wealth initiative for educators. Nurtured Heart.

Greene, R. W., & J. Stuart Ablon. (2006). Treating explosive kids: the collaborative problem-solving approach. Guilford Press.

J. Stuart Ablon, & Pollastri, A. R. (2018). The school discipline fix: changing behavior using the collaborative problem-solving approach. W.W. Norton & Company. Mini Biography.

Mrs. Chana Luchins is principal of general studies at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison, NJ. She began teaching in 1995 and is in her 14^th year of service at RPRY. Mrs. Luchins holds an MS in special education from Touro Graduate School of Education and Psychology and supervisory certification through Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She is a New York and New Jersey certified teacher, with supervisory certification in New Jersey. Mrs. Luchins completed both the Hidden Sparks and YouLead leadership training programs.

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