Teaching Between the Lines: A Handbook for Handling Social-Emotional Situations in the Classroom

By Maurie Negrin

Youre a teacher. You are on the front line every day with your students, and in addition to teaching academic content, you are often the first person to field any number of emotional needs your students may bring into your classroom. That domain is often left to school counselors, social workers, or psychologists, but in the absence of such professionals, or in addition to their expertise, there are simple and concrete tools you can use to help your students learn healthy coping strategies.
This book is intended as a resource and is divided into four sections addressing the most common needs you may see in your classroom: grief and loss, bullying, off-task behaviors, and adoption. Each section will give you background information on the topic, practical strategies to use with students, frequently asked questions, and resources. Sample scripts are included for specific examples of conversations to have with kids.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514401804

Maurie Negrin

Maurie Negrin has been a professional school counselor, working with students in kindergarten through grade 6, in Fairfax, Virginia, since 1997. She has also enjoyed being a classroom teacher and a preschool teacher. Maurie is from Chicago, Illinois, and has lived in Boston, Massachusetts, and Brooklyn, New York. She has two grown sons and lives with her husband outside of Washington DC.

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Copyright © 2015 by Maurie Negrin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 08/29/2015

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1   Grief and Loss

Introduction

Understanding Grief and Loss

How to Support the Child at School

Grief and Loss: Frequently Asked Questions

Bibliography/References/Resources

Chapter 2   Bullying

Introduction

Understanding Bullying

How to Support the Child at School

Bullying: Frequently Asked Questions

Bibliography/References/Resources

Chapter 3   Off-Task Behaviors

Introduction

Understanding Off-Task Behaviors

How to Support the Child at School

Off-Task Behaviors: Frequently Asked Questions

Bibliography/References/Resources

Chapter 4   Adoption

Introduction

Understanding Adoption

Adoption: Frequently Asked Questions

Bibliography/References/Resources

Conclusion

This book is dedicated to the many children

I have learned from.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to

Annemarie Bezold, for starting me on my path of understanding grief.

Rachel Simmons, for igniting my interest and deepening my understanding of girls’ relationships.

Barbara Malley, for her belief in me.

The many mentors and colleagues, too numerous to name, who have taught me so much. I am grateful our paths have crossed.

The many children, including my own, who have taught me everything. With extra gratitude to my above mentioned children, Matt and Mike, who continue to inspire me and make me smile.

My husband Artie, for his unflagging encouragement and support.

Introduction

It’s Monday morning. Your first-grade students walk into the classroom. Kaitlyn, as usual, runs right up to you and begins a rapid monologue, hopping from one foot to the other. I got to go to my dad’s and sleep over, but my sister didn’t wanna come, but she did anyway, and we got Chinese food. I love Chinese food …

Down the hall, in fifth grade, a quiet boy has been unusually quiet. When the class is in PE, the teacher is reading her students’ free-writing journals and comes across his. He’s written about a soccer game over the weekend and a visit from his grandparents. But the last sentence was My mom and dad told me that my dad has been diagnosed with cancer. :(

Effective teaching requires teachers to pay attention not only to cognitive processes but also to the child as a whole. A child’s emotional state has a tremendous impact on how available he/she is for learning at any given time. As Maslow identified in his hierarchy of needs, an individual’s needs for safety, belonging, and self-esteem (in addition to the basic physiological needs) must be met before the higher levels of cognitive development, including academic learning, can be accessible. As educators, we must be informed about situations that affect our students emotionally and also to be able to guide students toward effective coping strategies when appropriate. Lifestyles have also changed over the past decades in ways that significantly affect children and families. Students today are confronted with stressors that are greater in scope and in severity than ever:

Many school systems today include school counselors as part of the resource or support