Description: In educational settings, we often focus on managing behaviors — enforcing rules, responding to disruptions, and working to reduce “problematic” actions. But what if we shifted our lens from behaving to belonging? In the book From Behaving to Belonging, Julie Causton and Kate MacLeod invite us into a re‑imagining of classroom culture: one grounded in love, acceptance, and radical inclusion.
In this session we will:
- Explore the mindset shift from traditional behavior‑management (punishment, compliance, reward) to a strengths‑based, belonging‑centered approach.
- Dive into how inclusive practices can better meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of students, especially those whose behavior challenges typical classroom norms.
- Reflect on your own values, educator identity and mental well‑being — because creating spaces of belonging begins with how we show up as adults.
- Leave with concrete strategies you can implement the next day to foster deeper connections, build community and reduce the “us vs. them” divide in your learning environment.
Whether you’re a teacher, support staff, administrator or guide, this session will inspire and equip you to transform your classroom (or school) from a place where students behave into a place where they belong.
* Reading the book is not a requirement for this session.
Dr. Barbara Petrella
Lower School Psychologist