no. 01
A second between the behaviour and the response.
Long enough to choose your tone rather than letting the moment choose it for you. One breath. One beat. That's the whole move.
The kid kicks the chair. You feel the room watching. You feel your own pulse pick up. One beat. Then you decide.
no. 02
See the kid, not just the behaviour.
Walk over instead of calling across. Say their name. Ask the second question. Are you OK?
Not 'sit down.' 'Hey. Everything alright?' Asked at their desk, not from the front of the room.
no. 03
What's actually going on underneath.
The body, the energy, the change. Is this typical for this kid, or is something off? You're not solving it. You're noticing it.
He hasn't eaten. She didn't sleep. He saw something on the bus. You can't know yet — but you can stop assuming you do.
no. 04
Hold the boundary.
Expectations stay. The standard stays. Correction lands differently when the first three letters have come first. Calm voice. Clear ask. No audience.
'I need you to put the phone away and pick up the pen. Then let's talk after.' Quiet. Firm. Not a performance.
no. 05
With them, with yourself, or with both.
What happened. What was underneath. What might land better next time. Five minutes after the lesson, in the corridor. Or with yourself in the car home.
'That wasn't your usual. What was going on?' Or, to yourself: 'What did I miss before he kicked the chair?'