The Education System Is Reactive —And It’s Hurting Our Classrooms
Unpopular opinion? Maybe not—but here it is: Our education system is built to be reactive, not proactive. After nearly two decades of experience as a classroom teacher, behaviorist, and special education teacher, I’ve seen this play out time and time again. We wait. We wait for students to struggle, for behaviors to escalate, for a student to fail—then we step in.
When Help Comes Too Late
A student has to fall far enough behind to qualify for special education. They have to exhibit behaviors that are "bad enough" to warrant BCBA support. They have to act out, sometimes in extreme ways, before real interventions begin. Even well-intentioned systems like RTI or MTSS (especially for behavior) are often structured around this “wait until it’s a problem” approach. Sure, they’re meant to catch students early, but timelines like “try this for 6-8 weeks and we’ll revisit” simply don’t match the urgency teachers are facing.
By the time behavior becomes a documented concern, classrooms have often been evacuated. Teachers are exhausted, frustrated, and on the brink of burnout. Peers are emotionally, socially, and academically affected. We’re dealing with behaviors after the explosion, not preventing them from reaching that point.
The Reality of Behavior in the Classroom
Behavior follows a cycle. We often intervene at the peak—when a student is yelling, throwing, or melting down. That’s when we pull them out, call for admin, or say things like, “Go to the principal’s office,” “We don’t scream in this class,” or “Remember our lesson on managing anger?” But in those moments, the child isn’t in a place to listen—they’re in survival mode, experiencing fight, flight, or freeze. That’s not a teachable moment; that’s crisis management.
So, What If We Flipped the Script?
What if we started the school year with the mindset that challenging behaviors will happen—because they will? We know five-year-olds will struggle with sharing. We know some students will have ADHD, processing delays, sensory needs, or be on the autism spectrum. These aren’t exceptions—they’re a part of every classroom each year.
Instead of waiting for a behavior to become a major disruption, what if we planned for it from the start? Imagine a classroom where simple, proactive strategies are part of the daily routine. Where teachers are already using supports that help prevent meltdowns instead of managing them after the fact. Where students are taught self-regulation skills before they’re in fight, flight, or freeze mode. And where teachers feel prepared, not constantly overwhelmed.
That kind of classroom isn’t a dream—it’s entirely possible when we shift from reactive to proactive behavior support.
The Bottom Line
I’ve worked in enough schools to know that most systems are designed to wait—wait until the student fails, wait until the behaviors escalate, wait until the teacher is exhausted. But when we stop waiting and start planning, everything changes.
When teachers receive real-time coaching, when classrooms are observed with a focus on finding patterns, and when behavior plans are written with the teacher’s voice in mind, the environment starts to shift. Support doesn’t come from a binder—it comes from understanding the students and what they need to succeed.
Behaviors aren’t getting easier, and trying to “react better” isn’t a sustainable plan. It’s time to stop waiting for the explosion and start creating classrooms that prevent it from happening in the first place. Let’s rethink how we support behavior—because every teacher deserves support, and every student deserves a chance to succeed before they fall apart.
