As an elementary school principal I see lots of students with trauma that we must mitigate often.  That trauma is often compounded by other factors such as race, poverty, instability at home, etc. All of this leads to under-performance at school which leads to all kinds of negative outcomes both in school and beyond school. 

I have met many people who say that misbehavior is either from bad parenting, bad students, or is directed at them personally.  In fact, I have had conversations about student misbehavior with teachers who, after finding out what a students home life is like or what they've experienced, change their tone from angry to compassionate. I have had teachers actually say "if I had known that I would've responded differently."  The question in my mind is always "if a student is misbehaving, why would you not assume something traumatic happened?" 

All behavior, including misbehavior, is communication.  While true for everyone, it is especially true with children who have not developed the skills to communicate verbally. 

We all have needs wired into our brains that have been developed through eons of evolution.  When these needs are met, we feel complete, good, satisfied, and life has meaning.  When one or more of these needs are not met we feel anxious, angry, and/or frustrated.

Our needs fall into 4 categories.  

I. Core - The basics such as food, water, clothing, shelter, hygiene, medication, etc.

II. Control - The inherent human need for predictability, certainty, and safety.

III. Connection - The need to form meaningful relationships.

IV. Competence - The need to feel to successful.

Developing strategies to meet these needs is our brains' way of keeping us alive.  When we have our needs met we lead meaningful lives.