To get young kids to thrive in school, we need to do more than teach them how to read and write — we need to teach them how to manage their emotions, says educator Olympia Della Flora. In this practical talk, she shares creative tactics she used to help struggling, sometimes disruptive students — things like stopping for brain breaks, singing songs and even doing yoga poses — all with her existing budget and resources. “Small changes make huge differences, and it’s possible to start right now … You simply need smarter ways to think about using what you have, where you have it,” she says.
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Ben Kucenski
April 16, 2019 at 3:17 am
If parents ran their households like a lot of teachers run their classrooms, they’d have the same behavioral problems the teachers have. It’s all about stress. If you don’t know how to run a classroom with a focus on reducing stress, watch “The Green Mile” and learn from Tom Hanks.
A classroom could be an escape from a lousy home life. And in good schools with good teachers, it is. But for millions of kids with failed teachers, the classroom is an extension of or even worse than the environment provided at home. There are countless classrooms around the country to learn from. There’s no excuse. If you can’t do it, quit. There’s no shame in giving up a career you can’t handle and finding something better suited to your abilities.
If you’re running a failing school and can’t get it fixed, quit. For the good of your students, quit.
Kurt E. Clothier
April 16, 2019 at 12:47 pm
You honestly believe modern parents are better at handling their kids than a teacher is? Parents struggle with a couple for a few hours a night. Teacher have dozens of them all day without the benefit of those emotional bonding experiences of home life. Kids are stressed at school because their home life is so overly chaotic with zero structure. Kids are at school to learn knowledge, not to to be taught basic fundamental emotional apptitude. These teachers have had to adjust because the parents have failed.
Ben Kucenski
April 17, 2019 at 1:31 am
Generalizations are amazing.
Mikko Tuovinen
April 16, 2019 at 5:03 am
This makes me understand how good our schools are in Finland. Long way still to go USA, long way…
Aniya Ronald
April 16, 2019 at 5:54 am
How is it like in Finland can you give a clearer picture please
Mikko Tuovinen
April 16, 2019 at 6:03 am
+Aniya Ronald In general, what she was saying has been self-evident for a long time in Finland. Our system is not perfect but it is doing very well compared to many other countries. Read for example: or google “Finnish education system” ?
TheJunkalos
April 16, 2019 at 6:26 am
The fact that you are calling “special treatment” to the fact of how human beings emotionally connect is unsettling.
UCLAJediKnight
April 16, 2019 at 7:56 am
Invisalign and cardio.
Stephen Catton
April 16, 2019 at 9:49 am
In school, don’t treat boys as defunctive girls. Many boys play, socialise and learn in different ways to girls and yet this is not often taken on to account when designing curriculum. The lack of male teachers in the early years is very worrying as many, many women seem unable to understand or cope with the boisterous way boys behave. the worrying trend to drug boys to a stupor is not the solution.
Matin Kamal
April 16, 2019 at 9:56 am
Grabbing a fidgit spinner?
mappyhappychappy
April 16, 2019 at 10:01 am
Schools tend to be the textbook example of places where students are not likely to “thrive”.
Előd Herczeg
April 16, 2019 at 10:20 am
She really likes D
Geo Korf
April 16, 2019 at 11:58 am
This woman is Buddha
Kurt E. Clothier
April 16, 2019 at 12:42 pm
It’s an awful situations and I’m glad you took the time to work with you students special needs. In reality, the failure is in the home. Parents are becoming more apathetic, not wanting to deal with problems of their own kids, expecting others like teachers to deal with him in addition to a class of other kids. It sounds like D didn’t have a stable home life, and that is a failure of his family and community.
john phillips
April 16, 2019 at 12:53 pm
Research the mark of the beast, do not get microchipped. Accept Jesus Christ today, we are not promised a tomorrow. It is a free gift, take it. Do yourselves a favour and watch these channels, Shaking My Head Productions, Richiefromboston and ThePottersClay.
dev0n james
April 16, 2019 at 6:09 pm
just keep drugging boys until they act like girls.
Sleem Luciii
April 16, 2019 at 7:32 pm
Creative studies would be my solution
Rohit Goswami
April 16, 2019 at 8:30 pm
Pls help me sweetheart …
Rohit Goswami
April 16, 2019 at 8:32 pm
I want 2 live u a leave a relationship
Rachel F.
April 17, 2019 at 1:57 am
PREACH WOMAN PREACH
Steve Muratore
April 17, 2019 at 3:36 am
Bravo!
BeatBoxerTom YT
April 17, 2019 at 5:54 am
I find this concept very interesting to learn about how we approach school kids very interesting indeed
Amanda Anderson
April 17, 2019 at 7:55 am
2 things will turn this around: Bring back recess andvrunning around. Kid gets hurt? So what. Patch them up with a cool looking bandage and send the back out to burn off that kid energy.
Next: make school lunch real food again. The push these schools have to get a 100% free lunch funding is just to open up the budget to put money elsewhere. Those who can afford to make their kids lunch should by mandate. Those who need free lunch should be able to have a wholesome calorie/ protein packed meal that gets them through to dinner. Most kids now just skip eating because it’s disgusting.
Exercise and nutrition will perk up the slow malnourished minds.
7nochannel
April 17, 2019 at 10:09 am
I mean this is basic teaching skills 101 – This sort of thinking has been implemented in European schools for dozens of years (and I’m talking from a public school, scholarship student, struggling with grades pov). If America just discovered that, there is some real need for progress in Education.
Deborah Kim
April 17, 2019 at 9:26 pm
I’m so happy. We treated this child like a human being, not a pet. Not a robot.
Deborah Kim
April 17, 2019 at 9:27 pm
Anything we do to adjust our environment to soothe us, helps.
Deborah Kim
April 17, 2019 at 9:28 pm
Your brain prioritizes needs. We need to help kids always feel safe and loved.
Deborah Kim
April 17, 2019 at 9:29 pm
I know what the problem is- we treat our kids like pets. Enough.
Deborah Kim
April 17, 2019 at 9:31 pm
Thank goodness. I’m so happy to hear this.
Simmo R
April 18, 2019 at 7:06 am
Dees problems is my son, thanks for this talk. Will share this with the school he is in currently attending.
vallab
April 18, 2019 at 10:34 am
Dee a real story or mostly a fake story, I wonder.
Harper Mayes
April 18, 2019 at 1:35 pm
Learning begins at home.
Harper Mayes
April 18, 2019 at 1:48 pm
Kids learn from their parents. Learning begins at home. Discipline the child. Bend the tree while it’s young. A child is not your friend. Have real conversations with your child. Give the child some space. Give the child some responsibilities. A teacher job is to teach academically. A teacher can only do so much. Bring back recesses, bring back PE, put down the phones, lower the cost of living. Kids are rasing themselves. It’s a chain reaction.
Alexis Marie
April 19, 2019 at 5:18 am
Such a sweet story. So sad that there are SO many kids like Dee.
Denis Boccardo
April 19, 2019 at 10:34 am
In my opinion, Olympia has presented perfectly how the school system should work. To me, it’s admirable how she is offering her contribute to shift the focus of schools from treating students like numbers and from attributing them value based on their grades to a more empathetic behavior towards them. The fact that she thinks children should have the opportunity to have fun and relax between lessons shows great understanding of their needs and should be taken as an example of how effective learning works. I think it’s so important to make every school an environment that kids enjoy, as it may be their only way to escape the chaotic home life that they might be facing. Honestly, if this change of mind, although with slight variations, will also be applied to middle and high school, it would really make a huge difference on the well-being of so many students. Having said that, great talk!