Featured in SMU Stories

At one point during her time as a school counselor at Mt. Baker Middle School in Auburn, Lyndsay Morris M.Ed. ’08 was trying to work with a number of students in an anger management group—but she wasn’t having much luck connecting with them. “I tried to talk to them and it didn’t go well,” Morris recalls. “They were like, ‘Who are you? Why would I talk to you?’”

Featured in TES Magazine

It’s only the second lesson of the day and Connor is hiding under the table again. What do you do—ask him what’s wrong, try to reason with him, or offer a reward?

None of these will work, says former school counselor Lyndsay Morris. “Connor’s brain is in fight-or-flight mode, and logic can’t override that.” Speaking at the 2018 IPEN Festival of Positive Education, she explained that understanding brain science can help teachers respond more effectively.