[Source:  Edutopia]

Many children and adolescents walk into our schools and classrooms carrying toxic levels of stress. They’re on edge, and their neuro-anatomy is in a state of dysregulation, which drives their behaviors and makes it difficult for them to learn.

I recently traveled to Mississippi and met a number of young students in a primary classroom who brought these points to life.

T. is 8 years old, although his lexicon is that of a street-wise 19-year-old. He’s angry all the time. He’s volatile, aggressive, and defiant beyond words. He feels deeply and is very protective of his younger sister. A few years ago, T. watched his mother murder his father. Now his mother is incarcerated, and he lives with his grandmother. T. is on medication for attention-deficit disorder, high blood pressure,

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