We have forgotten that those skills on the more positive side of human nature have to be taught, have to be modeled, have to be practiced.

Challenging behavior is just a signal, the fever, the means by which the kid is communicating that he or she is having difficulty meeting an expectation.

Kids are overprogrammed these days.

We have forgotten that those skills on the more positive side of human nature have to be taught, have to be modeled, have to be practiced.

Parents are much more likely to be attuned to what they don't like than they are to the expectations that the kid is having difficulty meeting.

You want to teach all kids the skills that are on the better side of human nature: empathy, appreciating how one's behavior is affecting other people, resolving disagreements in ways that do not involve conflict, taking another's perspective, honesty.

My advice to educators is collaborate with parents; they know a lot about their kids.