Teacher scripts for the hardest moments

In hard classroom moments, improvisation is expensive. Pre-rehearsed sentences take less cognitive load. Here are seven that we teach in every training cohort.

• “Your feelings are OK. Your body is staying safe.”
• “You don’t have to explain yet. I’ll sit next to you.”
• “You are not in trouble right now. We will figure this out together.”
• “I see your body is saying it needs a break. Let’s take one.”
• “I’m going to stay quiet for a minute. You talk when you’re ready.”
• “I believe you. And I also saw X. Help me understand.”
• “We can repair this. That’s what this classroom is for.”

None of these are magic. They buy a minute. A minute is often what the child needs, and often what the adult needs too.