The Training that Made me Cry

In this week’s 10 Minutes on Tuesday (sorry, I went into overtime), I share a story about a child I call Kevin, and how he reshaped my understanding of what it truly means to teach, lead, and build relationships with children who use behaviors we find challenging.

This video isn’t about having more time, more tools, or perfect strategies. It’s about remembering that every child in our care is somebody’s somebody. It’s about pausing long enough to ask ourselves whether the way we show up for children, especially on hard days, is the way we would hope someone would show up for our own.

If you work with children, this is a reminder that relationships are not an “extra.” They ARE the work.

Reflective Questions

Use these questions for personal reflection, journaling, or team conversation after watching this episode:

1. When a child’s behavior feels challenging, what assumptions do I tend to make, and where might curiosity create a different outcome?

2. How do I define “relationships” in my daily practice, and what does that look like in real, observable actions?

3. Are there moments when I dismiss small, relational strategies because they feel inconvenient or inefficient? What might I be missing in those moments?

4. If this child were my own, how would I hope an educator would respond—especially on the hardest days?

5. What is one relational shift I can make this week to better support a child who is struggling to be understood?