The 74 Million – Kate Stringer
“When California sixth-grader Quincin was being disruptive in class, his teacher, Mr. Armstrong, didn’t yell. Instead, he took Quincin outside the room and asked what was wrong. His teacher didn’t get mad, and he kept his voice soft. “I can tell you’re having a bad day,” he said. “Just try to calm down.” That’s how Quincin, a student at Katherine Smith Elementary School in San Jose, remembers a teacher intervening to help rather than discipline him. “It changed my day because I could tell that he cared a lot about his students and stuff,” Quincin said. Katherine Smith is one of the schools that participate in surveys of students across the country that are conducted by a nonprofit called YouthTruth. Since YouthTruth began asking Katherine Smith students about their school, administrators have changed disciplinary policies, taken steps to help kids address bullying, and implemented circle time to check in on social-emotional issues. As a result, the school culture has markedly improved.”(more)