A rewired middle school ELA resource and inclusion teacher, Sally Coates opens up about her own ADHD, years of feeling controlled in school, and the moment she realized the classroom could work differently. The advice most teachers are given about behavior is making classrooms harder, not easier. Sally shares the neuro-affirming shifts that helped her move from survival mode to the kind of classroom where students feel safe, seen, and genuinely capable of learning.

Together with the Strong Starts Podcast hosts, she breaks down what actually changes when you stop chasing compliance and start building autonomy, regulation, and trust.

You'll discover:

• Simple sensory shifts that reduce overwhelm fast, including lighting, visual clutter, fidgets, and timers
• How to give students real choice without creating 20 different lesson plans
• Why “you don't have control” can be liberating, not discouraging, for teachers
• Practical tools like 5-4-3-2-1 attention cues, “no vibes,” visual stem videos, and quick regulation resets
• How a vibe check and support check can reveal what students have likely never been asked before

Sally also explains why she doesn't use rewards or token systems, and how that decision reduces shame, increases buy-in, and changes the emotional climate of her room. She shares the moment she stopped class to model her own breathing, then came back and watched students respond with more independence than she thought possible.

Choice board link:

https://payhip.com/b/ST1qI?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaAVLVgRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAmZkaWQWUQ_pUdja1M79xeAQ3ePG7NYuZ6nl-HNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABpxLgJfB8TqCd4yH--JH8QyWT3233vJCNovrvpQ2MB_EWGV13CcYpv_kNmU7M_aem_-BIXeKHsrZgZdfvqg4r6OQ

Link to fill out to get Student Jobs Freebie:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfe-9wzh443LXGR93a6fUF4XFAfiq6pbYlojQYbn7c4eikZmw/viewform?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

Here’s a link to the LNDTA (Let’s Not Do That Again) course:

https://www.rewirededucationgroup.com/lndta

Most classrooms think they’re inclusive, but the real test is this: does every student actually belong, or are some kids just being managed on the side? Sarah and Jessica unpack the difference between true inclusion and the sneaky "illusions" schools often mistake for it, and what it takes to build a classroom where access, autonomy, and belonging are real.

They break down the common traps that look like support but quietly create separation: island desks, peer helper hierarchies, contingency-based access, and lowered expectations dressed up as inclusion. If you’ve ever wondered whether your classroom setup is helping students or just making inclusion look good on paper, this conversation gets honest fast.

This episode matters because the old accommodation-first model leaves too many students waiting to be included later. True inclusion changes the starting point so more kids can access learning, participate with dignity, and show what they know in ways that work for them.

Restraint and seclusion are not “behavior management”, they are signs the system has already failed. In this season two kickoff, Sarah and Jessica respond to a wave of recent news stories that expose what happens when school culture prioritizes control over child safety, and why the fallout is bigger than most people realize.

They unpack a disturbing string of cases, including a Pierce County principal resignation tied to a so-called “red room,” a Federal Way educator accused of assaulting a student in a hallway, a Greenwood County teacher charged after physically escalating an art-class incident, and a DOJ finding that a St. Louis district’s restraint and seclusion practices discriminated against students with disabilities. Along the way, they connect the dots between fear-based decision-making, routine punishment, trauma, and the long-term harm these practices can cause.

You’ll hear Sarah and Jessica break down:

• Why restraint and seclusion are not rare exceptions, but common practices in too many schools
• What the latest reporting reveals about “calming spaces,” reactive interventions, and repeated use
• Why “it makes sense knowing the students we have” is exactly the wrong mindset
• How data from Washington, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Missouri points to a much bigger pattern
• Why staff must stop treating children’s bodies like something to control

Jessica shares why these cases hit close to home and why backlash won’t slow her down, while Sarah pushes the conversation toward a harder but necessary question: if a practice is harmful, why is it still in the toolbox?

Together they make the case that changing the culture means removing the option, finding better tools, and refusing to normalize pain as policy.

Articles:

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/puyallup-herald/article316938078.html

https://www.king5.com/article/news/education/federal-way-paraeducator-accused-of-assaulting-student/281-643c5346-26b0-4fb1-9eb7-00b835b82cb7

https://www.theameryfreepress.com/news/amery-reports-uptick-in-seclusion-restraint-incidents/article_78fe752c-8f47-48ba-83af-28e10d5645be.html

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-special-school-district-st-louiss-seclusion-and-restraint-practices