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From Behaving to Belonging: The Inclusive Art of Supporting Students Who Challenge Us
Challenging behavior is one of the most significant issues educators face. Though it may seem radical to use words like love , compassion , and heart when we talk about behavior and discipline, the compassionate and heartfelt words, actions, and strategies teachers employ in the classroom directly shape who students are—and who they will become. But how can teaching from the heart translate into effective supports and practices for students who exhibit challenging behavior? In From Behaving to Belonging , Julie Causton and Kate MacLeod detail how teachers can shift from a "behavior management" mindset (that punishes students for "bad" behavior or rewards students for "good" or "compliant" behavior) to an approach that supports all students—even the most challenging ones—with kindness, creativity, acceptance, and love. Causton and MacLeod's approach
* Focuses on students' strengths, gifts, and talents.
* Ignites students' creativity and sense of self-worth.
* Ensures that students' social, emotional, and academic needs are met.
* Prompts teachers to rethink challenging behavior and how they support their students.
* Helps teachers identify barriers to student success in the cultural, social, and environmental landscape.
* Inspires teachers to reconnect with their core values and beliefs about students and teaching. We need to transform our classrooms into places of love. To that end, this book represents a paradigm shift from a punitive mindset to a strengths-based, loving approach and encourages the radical act of creating more inclusive and caring schools.
* Focuses on students' strengths, gifts, and talents.
* Ignites students' creativity and sense of self-worth.
* Ensures that students' social, emotional, and academic needs are met.
* Prompts teachers to rethink challenging behavior and how they support their students.
* Helps teachers identify barriers to student success in the cultural, social, and environmental landscape.
* Inspires teachers to reconnect with their core values and beliefs about students and teaching. We need to transform our classrooms into places of love. To that end, this book represents a paradigm shift from a punitive mindset to a strengths-based, loving approach and encourages the radical act of creating more inclusive and caring schools.
135 pages, Paperback
Published July 24, 2020
79 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 8, 2023
From Behaving to Belonging is a book that addresses teaching students who are perceived as challenging. The authors utilize a variety of literary devices, including analogy, critique, and narrative writing. The authors use a variety of analogies throughout the text, one example is the empty cup analogy. This compares the energy and drive of a teacher to a cup, and that cup can only “pour” energy and drive into the cups of students if that cup is full. The authors also utilize critiques, in that they critique several current and widely accepted procedures and attitudes a lot of schools have about “problem students”. For example, suspensions for minor infractions and other punishment-based discipline can negatively impact a student’s school experience. The authors also use narrative writing in the text. These narratives provide examples of what they are writing about in the real world and allow the reader to get a more rounded understanding of the theory presented.
I did enjoy a lot of aspects of this book. I particularly liked the style of the writing, which encouraged readers to do a lot of self-reflection and consider the implications of what is written. I also liked that there were examples and strategies included. I really liked that the mental health and well-being of teachers were treated as a priority. Oftentimes, the teacher can be held to unrealistic standards in a book like this, so I was happy to see a chapter dedicated to maintaining teachers’ mental health. My only criticism of the book is that at times it felt idealistic. Based on my limited experience in the classroom, it seems like a lot of the strategies given would be difficult to implement. Not impossible, but difficult. However, that is more an issue with the current state of schools than of this book in particular.
I was interested in reading this book because of the title. I was intrigued by the juxtaposition between behaving and belonging, and I was curious about what the book was about. A reviewer on Goodreads said, “This book is a wonderful fresh take on how to work with students who exhibit behavioral challenges. It takes a very holistic and student-centered approach, which is built on fostering positive experiences and relationships”, and I agree with this review. The authors wrote the book because of their genuine passion for supporting inclusive education for the benefit of all students. Julie Causton, one of the authors, has written seven books about inclusive education and also many relevant research articles. I would be interested in reading some of her other books since I really enjoyed this one. Kate MacLeod, the other author, has written a variety of other books, including some mystery novels and other books about education. I would be interested in her other educational books as well.
This book provides an informative discussion about the mindset teachers should have regarding their “difficult” students. The book describes creating an inclusive and loving environment, as well as ways to support all students. Additionally, maintaining the mental health of teachers is also a priority. I liked the way this book was set up and as I was reading it I was interested in trying several of the strategies mentioned in my future classroom. It is so important for educators to support their students, and this book guides you through loving, compassionate, and inclusive ways. I would recommend this book to anyone in the education field.
February 25, 2021
The authors start right out having you think of the students who challenge you most, and rethinking everything you do. For so long we have used time and energy looking for ways to get those kids to behave. Causton and Macleod challenge us to find ways to help those children belong, and how we create that culture of inclusion in our classrooms and schools. This would be an outstanding summer book study for a school staff or even small group of like minded teachers.
June 10, 2024
Important message and approach that guides my beliefs about students, especially the ones with challenging behaviors that I work with. I wish it had a few more practical examples or templates.
July 15, 2024
ReLaTiVe & NeCeSsArY
August 18, 2021
I enjoyed this book because of the focus on students' strengths and shifting mindsets away from focusing on problems but to look at solutions. Identifying barriers and reconnecting with core values helps to reshape approaches in classrooms. Our beliefs about teaching and learning catapult us forward to ensure students’ social-emotional and academic needs are met.
A quick read, but one you can slow down to re-read as you work on segments of improvements within your teams.
A quick read, but one you can slow down to re-read as you work on segments of improvements within your teams.
May 7, 2023
Written by Causton and Macleod, From Behaving to Belonging illustrates the correlation between educator and student. One element within the book that took hold of me as a reader was the attitude. The authors utilize a sense of attitude through the perspective of an educator and working on theory-based practices. The attitude of the book is aimed toward educators providing resources on self-care and relationship building. As seen in the first chapters, the authors address the educator directly in a formal suggestive tone which represents the attitude. I really appreciated the attitude style because it felt personalized to situations that many educators face. The attitude sets the positive tone of the writing which prompts the audience with engaging examples and situations. This style of writing encouraged an upbeat read about difficult and concerning topics to balance the content and enjoyability.
The element of contrast used within the book is excellently executed to dispel misconceptions about common education practices. Within chapter six, contrast is used to set up the background of common education practices and then provides the alternative. The authors begin the chapter by examining the common use of discipline to fix a student’s behavioral issues. Using contrast, the book offers collaborative problem-solving to be a positive reinforcement tactic instead of discipline. Not only do they mention the benefits of collaborative problem-solving, but the authors also include in-depth strategies to employ the methodology. Contrast can be seen in several areas of the book that enhance the audience experience by introducing real-world examples. By providing supporting practices, I found this book to be very informative for my future teaching career. My previous view on discipline has completely changed into a collaborative mindset that places student identity first.
The element of bias can be found within the book with light undertones and a choice of examples of teaching practices. I found the book to have practice-based supports grounded in lower-grade level teaching strategies. As a future teacher focused on secondary teaching, some of the provided examples are not viable for older students. This bias is explored in the example of having students perform a conga line after recess because one student’s behavior improved when dancing. While this example of positive reinforcement may be a supportive practice in their classroom, older students may feel belittled. Both the theory and practice included in the book may be helpful, but it is biased toward younger students. I wish the authors may have included more supportive practices for high school students and focused more on practice instead of theory. I still found this book to be useful for my future classroom community and relationships but the bias was frustrating while reading.
I wanted to read this book because the topic of student behavior interested me deeply. I often read a book’s introduction before deciding to read it, and the authors provided thoughtful insight into student behavior. The authors wrote the book to bring teaching through love back to the spotlight of educators’ minds. Both authors have been in classrooms, done research, and collaborated with countless educators to encourage teaching through love and compassion. The authors also make a great effort to include modern movements in their work such as restorative justice, the school-to-prison pipeline, and PBIS strategies. I believe this book is a transformative read that challenges our own beliefs on student behavior and reshapes our classroom relationships.
This book challenges educators to rethink their approach to student behavior by displaying love and compassion. Practical support is provided through real-world application of the theory presented in the book for easy application. The authors do a great job of addressing student disability, inclusion, and relationship-building in each of the chapters. Crisis and trauma are also addressed within the book and help mediate educator response in a compassionate mindset. The book also goes in-depth into educator self-care, positive mindsets, and mentor roles that educators can take charge of. The book really changed my perspective on student behavior and trauma to be centered around compassion. It is easy to become overwhelmed by student responses and behavior. The book really prioritizes educator self-worth and ways to create a healthy classroom balance. I have been able to apply my classroom experience to the method and theory presented all while reshaping my future teaching style. I would recommend this book for educators of younger children for a practical sense. Older grade educators can still benefit from the ideas of the book but may have far less practical implications.
The element of contrast used within the book is excellently executed to dispel misconceptions about common education practices. Within chapter six, contrast is used to set up the background of common education practices and then provides the alternative. The authors begin the chapter by examining the common use of discipline to fix a student’s behavioral issues. Using contrast, the book offers collaborative problem-solving to be a positive reinforcement tactic instead of discipline. Not only do they mention the benefits of collaborative problem-solving, but the authors also include in-depth strategies to employ the methodology. Contrast can be seen in several areas of the book that enhance the audience experience by introducing real-world examples. By providing supporting practices, I found this book to be very informative for my future teaching career. My previous view on discipline has completely changed into a collaborative mindset that places student identity first.
The element of bias can be found within the book with light undertones and a choice of examples of teaching practices. I found the book to have practice-based supports grounded in lower-grade level teaching strategies. As a future teacher focused on secondary teaching, some of the provided examples are not viable for older students. This bias is explored in the example of having students perform a conga line after recess because one student’s behavior improved when dancing. While this example of positive reinforcement may be a supportive practice in their classroom, older students may feel belittled. Both the theory and practice included in the book may be helpful, but it is biased toward younger students. I wish the authors may have included more supportive practices for high school students and focused more on practice instead of theory. I still found this book to be useful for my future classroom community and relationships but the bias was frustrating while reading.
I wanted to read this book because the topic of student behavior interested me deeply. I often read a book’s introduction before deciding to read it, and the authors provided thoughtful insight into student behavior. The authors wrote the book to bring teaching through love back to the spotlight of educators’ minds. Both authors have been in classrooms, done research, and collaborated with countless educators to encourage teaching through love and compassion. The authors also make a great effort to include modern movements in their work such as restorative justice, the school-to-prison pipeline, and PBIS strategies. I believe this book is a transformative read that challenges our own beliefs on student behavior and reshapes our classroom relationships.
This book challenges educators to rethink their approach to student behavior by displaying love and compassion. Practical support is provided through real-world application of the theory presented in the book for easy application. The authors do a great job of addressing student disability, inclusion, and relationship-building in each of the chapters. Crisis and trauma are also addressed within the book and help mediate educator response in a compassionate mindset. The book also goes in-depth into educator self-care, positive mindsets, and mentor roles that educators can take charge of. The book really changed my perspective on student behavior and trauma to be centered around compassion. It is easy to become overwhelmed by student responses and behavior. The book really prioritizes educator self-worth and ways to create a healthy classroom balance. I have been able to apply my classroom experience to the method and theory presented all while reshaping my future teaching style. I would recommend this book for educators of younger children for a practical sense. Older grade educators can still benefit from the ideas of the book but may have far less practical implications.
May 5, 2023
There were many major literary elements infused in “From Behaving to Belonging”. Three that stood out to me while reading were characterization, themes, and overall tone. The different themes within the book tend to focus on inclusive education practices, equity in education, and a sense of belonging for students with disabilities. The format the authors used as a way to explore these themes was by navigating the reader through real world examples and case studies. They also spent a lot of time highlighting the importance of creating learning environments that prioritize socio-emotional well-being of all students. There was an emphasis on characterization in the book as well because the authors provide the reader with real-life, lived examples from a variety of perspectives within an educational setting. These perspectives include stories from students, teachers, and administrators. These situational examples provided the reader with inclusive instructional strategies that they can incorporate into their future classrooms. I think the overall tone is another major literary element of the book. It’s packed with great, detailed information and delivered in a way that is engaging for the reader. It provides readers with the tools and knowledge they need to create inclusive learning environments for all of their students which should be the goal for all educators past, present, and future.
As I mentioned previously, the author's writing style is engaging in my opinion and easy to understand. They made it easy for readers to stay engaged with the material. I really like the areas throughout the reading where they ask you to take a moment and fill out specific questions or charts in order to reflect. Another strength of the book is its practicality. The book provides clear steps educators can take to create inclusive classrooms and schools, making it a very reliable and valuable resource for anyone working in education. Another strength of the book is the amount of time and focus was put on the socio-emotional needs of students with disabilities. This is often overlooked so I like that they spend ample time discussing useful strategies for addressing this. One of the weaknesses of the book is that many of the examples that were discussed and highlighted throughout the book were more relatable for teachers of elementary to early middle school aged students. As a future high school teacher I found it difficult to think of ways that I would adapt what was in the reading to a high school setting but the majority stories and examples can easily be adapted to fit into older classrooms.
When I was picking a book to read for class, I was instantly interested in, “From Behaving to Belonging”, because I am always interested in finding ways to create a classroom environment that is completely inclusive for all of my students and one that is student centered with an heavy emphasis on culturally relevant teaching. The authors wrote the book to provide educators with the tools and knowledge they need to create inclusive learning environments and after reading it, I can definitely see myself using it as a primary source of reference down the road when I have my own classroom. In the book the authors wrote, “Our mission is to help teachers and schools move from a place where students with disabilities are seen as ‘behaving’ to a place where they are fully ‘belonging’ in school communities” (Causton & Macleod, 2019). In my opinion they are doing just that with this book.
As I mentioned previously, I think this book is powerful and practical for educators trying to create inclusive learning environments for their students with disabilities. The authors provide clear and concise steps for creating this kind of environment in classrooms and schools as a whole. In addition to highlighting the importance of prioritizing the socio-emotional well-being of all students, they also provided a lot of helpful material for teachers to take care of their mental health. I loved this because it’s oftentimes overlooked in school but if your self care cup isn’t full then you aren’t able to pour into your students like you should be. This book also challenged some of my preconceptions about students with disruptive behavior and it provided me with new tools and instructional strategies I can put into action when supporting students in future classrooms. I would definitely recommend this book to educators that are interested in creating more equitable and inclusive classrooms!
As I mentioned previously, the author's writing style is engaging in my opinion and easy to understand. They made it easy for readers to stay engaged with the material. I really like the areas throughout the reading where they ask you to take a moment and fill out specific questions or charts in order to reflect. Another strength of the book is its practicality. The book provides clear steps educators can take to create inclusive classrooms and schools, making it a very reliable and valuable resource for anyone working in education. Another strength of the book is the amount of time and focus was put on the socio-emotional needs of students with disabilities. This is often overlooked so I like that they spend ample time discussing useful strategies for addressing this. One of the weaknesses of the book is that many of the examples that were discussed and highlighted throughout the book were more relatable for teachers of elementary to early middle school aged students. As a future high school teacher I found it difficult to think of ways that I would adapt what was in the reading to a high school setting but the majority stories and examples can easily be adapted to fit into older classrooms.
When I was picking a book to read for class, I was instantly interested in, “From Behaving to Belonging”, because I am always interested in finding ways to create a classroom environment that is completely inclusive for all of my students and one that is student centered with an heavy emphasis on culturally relevant teaching. The authors wrote the book to provide educators with the tools and knowledge they need to create inclusive learning environments and after reading it, I can definitely see myself using it as a primary source of reference down the road when I have my own classroom. In the book the authors wrote, “Our mission is to help teachers and schools move from a place where students with disabilities are seen as ‘behaving’ to a place where they are fully ‘belonging’ in school communities” (Causton & Macleod, 2019). In my opinion they are doing just that with this book.
As I mentioned previously, I think this book is powerful and practical for educators trying to create inclusive learning environments for their students with disabilities. The authors provide clear and concise steps for creating this kind of environment in classrooms and schools as a whole. In addition to highlighting the importance of prioritizing the socio-emotional well-being of all students, they also provided a lot of helpful material for teachers to take care of their mental health. I loved this because it’s oftentimes overlooked in school but if your self care cup isn’t full then you aren’t able to pour into your students like you should be. This book also challenged some of my preconceptions about students with disruptive behavior and it provided me with new tools and instructional strategies I can put into action when supporting students in future classrooms. I would definitely recommend this book to educators that are interested in creating more equitable and inclusive classrooms!
January 31, 2023
This book is a wonderful fresh take on how to work with students who exhibit behavioral challenges. It takes a very holistic and student centered approach, which is build on fostering positive experiences and relationships. I read this book as a work book study and found a lot of great information and discussion from it. I appreciated the early focus on helping teachers first support their own mental health in order to better support students. This book also makes small digs at more classic "behaviorist" approaches to supporting a students. While I understand the need to be different, their approach is really just focusing more on the value of relationships and creating a safe classroom, all stuff which goes beyond the "carrot and stick" approach but still falls within the scope of applied behavior analysis. All to say, there are a lot of great ideas and values in this book about how to connect and work with a student who is struggling at school. I do wish there had been a little more practical; strategies and resources (there are some). Some of the language does fall into the classic "easier said than done" criticism, but I think the holistic lens and heartfelt approach goes a long way still. I'd recommend this book to all adults working in education or any service provider who works with youth. There are many important lessons here which I will be returning to and using in my professional line of work.
July 25, 2023
I had to read this for a class. It was very easy to read and had actual useful ideas. As a teacher who worked through the Pandemic, I don’t like being told “self-care!!! Take care of yourself so you are your best self for your students and school!!” After having that fed to us for a few years, it just seems insincere and kinda insulting - I’m taking care of myself for myself and my loved ones, not just to be depleted at work the next day. Rant over! I digressed. I very much enjoyed this text and will be referring back to it when school starts this August.
April 22, 2022
Read this for professional development and I definitely enjoyed the book. Real relatable shared experiences with strategies to get through similar crisis situations.
Positive loving approach to dealing with students who are experiencing a crisis moment.
Positive loving approach to dealing with students who are experiencing a crisis moment.
July 4, 2022
I love how this book immediately has you thinking about your students that are the most challenging and then focuses on strengths-based thinking instead of deficits. I found this to be a great book that would make for a solid staff read for dialogue and shared ideas.
December 8, 2023
sooooo I read ~most~ of this. I skimmed a lot of it. I just didn’t think it was that profound, to be honest, and I think that led me to being disinterested throughout. also, a lot of the ideas just felt a bit elementary.
April 29, 2024
I highly suggest this to any educator (experienced or not), parent, or just truly anyone working with kids in any capacity. This was very eye opening and humbling. I hope to implement a lot of their techniques and suggestions in my own classroom.
June 29, 2025
Not just a book but an invitation to parents, grandparents, educators, and anyone supporting or working with youth to rethink how adults respond to behavior, debunking the old belief that children should be seen and not heard.
April 2, 2021
Read this for Professional Development Book Club with a few fellow teachers and we all really enjoyed this book and got a lot out of it.
June 30, 2022
The book was predominantly a repackaging and introduction to many of the concepts and ideas I have been employing for close to a decade.
December 11, 2022
Read this for work. There were multiple quotable parts that I found profound.
August 11, 2023
Normalcy is a myth.
There are no bad students.
How can you support yourself in order to support your students?
There are no bad students.
How can you support yourself in order to support your students?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2023
Excellent book for educators. Lots of good ideas for supporting not only students but also colleagues and yourself!!
October 10, 2023
This was really well done! Books read for school pd can be pretty hit or miss. This is well structured, thoughtful and digestible.
June 7, 2024
A book we read for leadership committee at school. It had some good ideas, but some chapters rambled on.
August 27, 2024
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
December 27, 2024
so good and important and fascinating:(
February 19, 2025
Great ideas for classroom.
August 25, 2025
Beautiful ideals for teaching here! Whether or not they’re all possible in practice is a different convo… but great reminders as we go into a new school year nonetheless!
July 1, 2023
I read this for work, and didn't find it to be earth shattering information. I like the focus on strengths and thinking about the kids as humans with varying levels of emotional competency, but not something I will likely refer to regularly.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews