Mrs. Chang passed out papers to each sixth grade language arts student. Not a second after the assignment hit Kayla’s desk, her hand went up: “I need help!” This plea was followed by several other students creating a chorus of “Wait. What do we do?”, “I can’t do this”, “How do we do this?” and “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Teachers are spending an inordinate amount of time supporting anxious students. One in four students struggles with anxiety, which can add up to many stops and starts in the lesson and crucial learning time missed. What’s worse, many teachers’ supportive efforts do not seem to be yielding effective results, as managing student behavior remains time-consuming and dependent on adults throughout the year. By changing the way we help, teachers can promote independence, self-monitoring, and self-advocacy in students.

Read the Rest of this Article on Huffington Post