by Taylor Philcrantz (Psychology), CTI part-time faculty fellow

In 2006, the self-help book The Secret introduced the “law of attraction”: that people attract what they think about. How might this idea apply to teaching and our students? Well, the way we think and talk about our students actually shifts how we engage with them in the classroom.

Using strengths-based language in place of deficits-based language may not shift the ultimate outcome of the situation, but it can shift our feelings and approach, as well as the emotional burden on all parties.

For example, a student may be labeled as “manipulative” in a deficits-based view. However, behavior is always a message. To reframe our understanding of the student’s behavior, we might say instead that they are skilled at getting their needs met. With this shift in language, we can start to see the student’s perceived need and work from there, rather than work from a feeling of defensiveness around being manipulated. Ultimately, the student’s need may not be met in the class, and their desired outcome may not be the final outcome, but through multifinality, a different path was taken to get there.

When we are able to recognize our deficit-based thinking in our interactions with students, we can reframe how we think, engage, and understand the situation. With the situation viewed differently, approaches will change, leading to less emotionally charged situations.

For more language swaps, see Decoding Problem Behavior.

Decoding Problem Behavior

Adapted from No Such Thing As a Bad Kid: The Power of a Strengths-Based Approach in Reshaping the Lives of At-Risk Children, Youth, and Families by Charlie Applestein

Response to problem behavior: Understand > Reframe > Squeeze

Behavior is always a message.

Language Swaps
Pejorative Label	Positive, Hope-based Reframe
Obnoxious	Skilled at pushing people away
Rude, arrogant	Good at affecting people
Resistant	Cautious
Lazy, uninvested	Skilled at preventing further hurt, failures
Manipulative	Skilled at getting needs met
Just looking for attention	Good at caring about and loving self
Different, odd	Under-appreciated
Stubborn, defiant	Good at standing up for themself
Tantrum, fit, outburst	Big message
Learning disability	Roadblocks

Life isn’t what you see; it’s what you perceive!