Back-to-School Series | Episode 5: Classroom Management, Reframed

What Nobody Taught You About Classroom ManagementNobody teaches you how to run a classroom. Kristy Herrera cannot remember a single lecture on it in her teacher preparation program. Chrizia Dela Rosa was told to be strict and not to smile until December.Between them, they now hold two of the most visible roles an educator in California can hold. Chrizia Dela Rosa was named California Teacher of the Year. Kristy Herrera was elected teacher union president. Neither of them got there by learning to control a room. Kristy describes the shift that changed her practice as moving away from managing student behavior and toward “figuring out what they needed.”Dr. Ilana Nankin brings them together - one kindergarten teacher and one high school math teacher - to ask whether the work of classroom management is actually the same across thirteen years of student development. It is. The language changes. The underlying human needs do not.Together, they get practical about what that means: what to do on day one, what to do when your structures get tested, and what to do when the classroom comes apart anyway. And beneath every strategy is a deeper shift: from managing behavior to understanding the whole human being in front of you - and creating the conditions for every student to feel, connect, learn, and thrive.Best MomentsWhy Chrizia was taught not to smile until December, and what she does insteadThe first-day family photograph that stays on Kristy’s classroom wall all yearThe question almost no teacher asks families: “Who should I call when your child does something well?”What changes when you stop asking what is wrong with a student and start asking what they needThe three C’s - culture, consistency, and connection - invented live in the final minutes of the conversationWhat You’ll LearnHow to build classroom agreements students will actually hold each other to - from kindergarten through high schoolA practical first-week approach for learning who is actually in your room, not just who is on your rosterHow to create a calm-down space that supports regulation rather than becoming a rewardWhy consistency matters when building a classroom rooted in trust and connectionHow to hold meaningful consequences without abandoning a relationship-centered approachEpisode Highlights00:00 - Opening: Educator Energy and Student Connection01:21 - Introduction: Rethinking Classroom Management03:14 - Back-to-School Check-In: Feeling "Scare-Cited"04:05 - Redefining "Classroom Management" Beyond Control05:34 - Shifting from Compliance to Whole-Child Support11:03 - Co-Creating Classroom Agreements vs. Rules18:48 - Intentional Ways to Build Student & Family Relationships27:05 - Streamlining Daily Check-Ins & Data with AI31:31 - Cultivating Belonging Through Presence & Eye Contact37:40 - Trauma-Informed Teaching: Choice, Voice & Emotion Naming47:43 - Safe & Predictable Routines to Foster Self-Regulation52:56 - Navigating Escalation, Accountability & Restorative Consequences56:26 - Conflict Resolution & Nonviolent Communication (Peace Corner)1:00:50 - The 3 C's: Culture, Consistency, and Connection1:01:46 - Resources at Breathe for ChangeAbout Breathe for ChangeBreathe For Change is leading the movement to transform education through human intelligence, starting with the people who make it possible. As a transformative higher education institution, we offer teacher trainings, certifications, and graduate degree programs that empower educators to enhance well-being, improve educational outcomes, and reach their full human potential.Connect With UsLearn more about Breathe for Change's Master of Education and discover how to bring these practices into your classroom, career, and life: https://breatheforchange.com/#BreatheForChange #HumanIntelligence #ClassroomManagement #Teachers #Educators #TeacherWellbeing #StudentWellbeing #SocialEmotionalLearning #WholeChildEducation #EducationPodcast