1. Take a deep breath.

This advice seems so absolutely silly and obvious. I used to hate when people would tell me to take a deep breath. “Got it. I’m breathing. I’m not going to suffocate myself. Chill.” But then I realized that sometimes in a crisis I jump in split second too early. Yes, when there is a safety risk we want to act as quickly as possible. But the 3 seconds of taking a deep breath before acting usually resulted in me responding not reacting. A reaction is based off of emotion, it’s impulsive, and it’s more likely to be wrong. A response is planned and thought. A deep breath is the difference for m. 

2. Have a crisis plan.

Sick of hearing me talk about crisis plans? Too bad! They are still THAT important. This is your insurance policy. Hopefully you’ll never have to use it but you sure as heck better have one. Check out my mini video training series on Developing a Crisis Plan. You can also download my simple and visual crisis plan here. 

3. Keep other students safe and on task.

What’s worse that one crisis? More than one crisis. Keep your other students safe but also try to keep them on their schedule and engaged in an activity. I always recommend keeping bins of puzzles, file folders, and other independent work in every area of the classroom so you always have something to give other students. If students are getting distracted, give headphones and an iPad to keep them occupied during this time. 

4. Gather information. 

Every major behavioral incident is a chance to learn about your student. What are his triggers? What helps him deescalate? Even though you are working on keeping your student and others safe, be gathering valuable information while doing so. Write it down as soon as you can. This information may help prevent this issue in the future.