How can you create a positive and supportive classroom culture that reduces anger and conflict?

Anger is often a reaction like a volcano. The source of anger is often not the current situation. Introduce something that lets that moment pass so the mind has the ability to return to analyzing the situation verses reacting to it. Act not react is a common thought. In Dianetics, L Ron Hubbard claims that our reactions are determined by a reactive mind. He erases the trigger by walking through them verbally a number of times. The weight of the trigger literally disappears and the memory underneath the reaction is placed in the standard memory bank. Dianetics targets painful emotions or painful physical reactions as the source of these triggers.

Model emotional intelligence strategies for your students. These can be accomplished through utilizing easily adaptable materials/routines to emphasize the importance of keeping your “thinking side in charge.”

We forget how powerful taking a breath can be. I had a patient come to me with congestive heart failure. He had decided his life was over. As I looked at his breathing, I could see the accessory muscles straining to lift his lung up to breathe. I asked him to push his stomach out when breathing in, pull his stomach in when breathing out. Breathe evenly and slowly to a count of 5-10 for ten breaths. That brings in oxygen to the bottom of the lung which up to 48 percent more. He literally began to breathe. Now he is motivated with better health, fresh goals, and a new life. His congestive heart failure is history. It took 2 days to feel it and 2 months to make the transition. So be patient in this process.

Humor cuts through the boredom of subjects. Find funny moments in history and paint pictures that illustrate the humanity of the struggle to discover or create. I find both humor and creativity require practice. Write creatively by writing daily the outrageous and funny. Seeing it emerge will make it easier to see it emerge. In my profession I find humor helps lighten the load of those who are ill and brings them a bit of hope. Students brighten up as they begin to look forward to another fun day that is both creative and funny.

My perspective on anger is that it arises when our strategies to manage our fears fail. Theses strategies are commonly known as addictions. All of the fears within us result from trauma, which are always an effect from being loved less than perfectly. When most people experience the same traumas, we describe those fears as being hardwired…just an unavoidable part of being human. In a sense, those fears are hardwired, but with the proper understanding and support, all of it can be re-wired…resulting in a truly fearless existence.