Why are some people successful with students although others have given up on them? This author believes it is because they have a strength-based focus and an optimistic perspective. These educators move "out of the problem and into the solution" by exhibiting eight behaviors of strength-based teachers.

Volatile crisis situations, if carefully managed, can improve relationships between adults and youth. Article describes instances of serious rule violations that presented opportunities for teaching prosocial skills to youth. (Author/JDM)

Addresses the problem of students who want to do well but cannot manage the effects of failure or wrong actions. They have a conscience and experience guilt when they err, but rather than using mistakes as opportunities to rectify their behavior, they are overwhelmed by their inadequacy, which leads to self-defeating patterns of behavior.…

Adults who work with challenging youth sometimes feel that they have little impact on these young people's lives. However, the power of a caring adult to influence lives can sometimes be greater than that of family or peers. Includes student reports about adults whose specific actions had lasting positive (or negative) effects on them. (Author/GCP)

When people feel they belong, they care about what others think of them. In conducting teacher workshops, author has encountered growing numbers of teachers who report a whole new class of students who act as if they don't care about their behavior and for whom authority has little or no meaning. This article discusses strategies for creating…

Describes how a Life Space Crisis Intervention works to educate school personnel and students about verbal aggression. By analyzing insults, it is possible to avoid being hurt and thrown off focus, thus keeping perspective on the issues at hand. (MKA)

Discusses five variations of staff splitting, a psychological process that starts with seemingly innocent comments that fester in the subconscious of others, leading members of the staff to seek evidence of inconsistencies and individual differences. Provides explicit guidelines and insights about how to turn staff splitting into an opportunity…