Unlocking Potential: Teaching Emotional Intelligence Reinforces Positive Classroom Behavior
Douglas Green
I work at the intersection of AI, education, and entrepreneurship empowering students' limitless potential as a Guide at Alpha School.
How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Impact Classroom Dynamics
Our thoughts are an autonomic response to external stimuli. We are constantly evaluating our environment for threats to our survival. In prehistoric times this was a very real, necessary, and helpful behavior if one wanted to survive. It is an ingrained hereditary trait that has allowed our survival. Over time this has shifted into an autonomic response rooted in our ego. For children, who crave respect and status as they begin the journey to autonomy and adulthood these autonomic responses feel very similar to life or death experiences creating a very real biological fight or flight response to anything challenging self esteem, security, or control. Trauma occurs when one of these three areas, as defined by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, are over activated by an extreme external stimuli that triggers our gene expression networks to encode proteins for a response. The external stimuli is so severe or repeated to varying degrees over time that these gene expressions form complex networks to encode proteins to activate a survival behavior. This is a biological response rooted in survival that manifests in a variety of different ways.
In short, Trauma is an exaggerated response to survival mechanisms that are meant to protect us but, when overactivated, can disrupt our sense of security, self-esteem, and control. These disruptions often manifest in young people through negative behaviors, particularly in environments like classrooms.
Teachers, especially those in public education serving at risk youth, deal with trauma on a daily basis whether they have conscious awareness of it or simply attempt to treat the negative behaviors that trauma manifests. One only needs to review threads on Twitter (X) to recognize the very real challenge faced by teachers in the public education system. At Alpha School we begin working with students in our K-8 program on strategies that empower them to regulate their emotions and modify their behavior. This allows our Guides to focus on mentoring and empowers Alpha Students for success later in life. In fact, a recent study of 1,000 students over 40 years found that the number one predictor of success was emotional intelligence, specifically the ability to cognitively regulate our emotions in our 30’s and 40’s.
By recognizing the root causes of trauma and by providing strategies for managing the behavioral responses they manifest, teacher’s can better navigate and empower their students.
Trauma and Security
Trauma related to security stems from events that undermine a person's sense of safety and trust in the world. This may include abuse, neglect, or exposure to violence. Having supported the work of Child Protective Services (CPS) for years I know first hand that this trauma is real and is far more common than we, as a society, are prepared to accept. It goes beyond socio-economic status. It affects everyone regardless of how well the victim portrays themselves to the outer world. Trauma is tricky and can lay dormant for years or it can manifest on a daily basis due to the ingrained gene expression networks and the subsequent neural networks they form.
Classroom Manifestations
Healing Strategies
Trauma and Self-Esteem
Trauma affecting self-esteem often arises from experiences like bullying, neglect, or interpersonal violence. While bullying has been around since before schools and formal education were a ‘thing’, it is important for those of us in older generations to recognize that bullying has been amplified by social media that moves bullying from the classroom to the globally interconnected world which compounds and amplifies its effects. These events damage a young person's self-worth and identity causing biological trauma response systems.
Classroom Manifestations
Healing Strategies
Relevant Data
Research shows that low self-esteem is a risk factor for PTSD and complex PTSD (CPTSD). High self-esteem has been shown to reduce symptoms of trauma and improve emotional resilience13.
Trauma and Control
Trauma related to control stems from experiences where individuals feel powerless, such as natural disasters, abuse, or medical emergencies.
Classroom Manifestations
Healing Strategies
Developmental Insights from David Yeager
David Yeager’s book 10 to 25 highlights the importance of autonomy and respect during adolescence. He explains that young people are highly attuned to social rewards like pride and respect but are equally sensitive to social pain, such as humiliation24. His "mentor mindset" approach combines high expectations with empathetic support, helping young people feel empowered rather than controlled68.
Final Thoughts
Trauma's impact on security, self-esteem, and control affects not only individual well-being but also classroom dynamics. By understanding these connections and implementing strategies rooted in mindfulness (Keating), presence (Tolle), and mentorship (Yeager), educators can create environments that foster healing and growth. Addressing trauma is not just about managing behavior—it’s about empowering young people to reclaim their sense of safety, worth, and agency.
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