Schools can view challenging student behavior in one of two ways: (1) as a failure on the part of the student or teacher that distracts from the work of learning, or (2) as a normal developmental occurrence that provides an opportunity for the student to practice new or emerging skills. The authors of this article, researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, assert that research on the importance of strong teacher-student relationships supports the latter approach. The authors describe strategies to prevent discipline issues while promoting relationships and building key skills (for example, "Cool Kid," "Class Council," and "Peace Path"), which they developed and collected under the acronym SECURe (Social, Emotional and Cognitive Understanding and Regulation in Education). Pilot studies have shown that the SECURe approach improves classroom climates and improve students' social and emotional well-being.