A nationally recognized specialist in classroom management and youth character development, Jim Kestner will present practical, hands-on strategies to address unique challenges for building bridges that empower your students to overcome barriers from traumatic environments and circumstances to find empathy, acceptance, predictability, and hope through their time in your class. Specifically, the session will address the following:
Understanding the science of trauma* Compelling students to pursue character-based discipline as a tool for overcoming trauma
Facilitating student interpersonal communication, collaboration, and problem solving
Addressing confrontational student situations
Maintaining consistency in exceptional circumstances
Accounting for trauma in everyday classroom policies
Establishing a safe, trusting classroom environment
Teaching self-respect as a strategy for surviving long-term traumatic environments
Encouraging open communication
Adapting the physical environment to promote safety and success
Helping students set and achieve goals for managing uncertainty in their lives
Addressing changes in parent and custodial relationships
During this session we will be looking at the four functions of behavior. We will discuss the importance of finding the correct function of a behavior to determine the appropriate replacement behavior. We will share some ideas and have discussions on challenging behaviors across all school settings.
This training will provide educators with techniques to use in the classroom. There will be s focus on using restorative practices and positive supports in classroom management. This will include giving students the identify and address problem behaviors themselves and help create a collaborative and safe class environment for all students.
Principal/Director, Harvard District 50/Chancelight
Helena is an ISBE-licensed special education teacher, principal, and board-certified behavior analyst. She provides families and stakeholders with exceptional ABA and special education expertise, offering more than a decade of public and private education experience. She has worked... Read More →
Thursday June 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT Room 317
This presentation will give teachers more quick strategies to build stronger relationships with students and increase academic achievement in their classrooms. CLICK HERE to access presentation!
Social media has reshaped school culture in ways far beyond phones in classrooms. From group chats and gaming platforms to video sharing and messaging apps, online interactions now drive peer relationships, conflict, mistrust, and administrative burden that spill into schools every day. In response, many systems have defaulted to safety-driven, restrictive measures such as phone bans and compliance-based media literacy mandates, often without the resources, research, or capacity to support meaningful change. This session examines how engagement technology has cultivated a culture of fear, reactivity, and safetyism that strains staff, students, and leadership. Participants will explore how social media and device use have fundamentally altered attention, behavior, and social dynamics before students even enter school buildings, compounding challenges around learning and belonging. Designed for school and district leaders, this session uses a systems-thinking lens to move beyond checklists and punitive responses toward sustainable, community-responsive approaches. Participants will examine where schools are overinvesting in ineffective solutions, how legal and operational pressures shape decision-making, and what it means to lead with education and capacity-building rather than control. The session focuses on reshaping both online and offline school environments to restore trust, connection, and learning.
This presentation is a collaborative opportunity to share best practices and the A (attitude), B (behavior), and C's (community/culture) of classroom management. Tips, tools, and tricks to help navigate challenging classroom dynamics will be shared.
Jim Kestner will present his nationally recognized program in a high-energy session dedicated to helping teachers in their early career years address a wide range of classroom management issues. Teachers who attend will find strategies that lead students to make good choices, replacing controlling behaviors with strategies that lead students to monitor and take responsibility for their own behavior. Specifically, the session will address the following:
* Arranging the environment to improve student engagement * Developing and implementing effective classroom policies * Addressing common challenging behaviors * Difference between controlling behaviors and building good decision-making skills * Translating the concept of consistency to a variety of students and settings * Establishing a character-building classroom culture * Teaching self-respect, self-discipline, and responsibility * Self-esteem vs. self-respect * Grading systems that encourage student effort and engagement * Assessing student behavior * Parent and administrator involvement * Keeping and maintaining good records
During this session we will be looking at the four functions of behavior. We will discuss the importance of finding the correct function of a behavior to determine the appropriate replacement behavior. We will share some ideas and have discussions on challenging behaviors across all school settings.
This training will provide educators with techniques to use in the classroom. There will be s focus on using restorative practices and positive supports in classroom management. This will include giving students the identify and address problem behaviors themselves and help create a collaborative and safe class environment for all students.
Principal/Director, Harvard District 50/Chancelight
Helena is an ISBE-licensed special education teacher, principal, and board-certified behavior analyst. She provides families and stakeholders with exceptional ABA and special education expertise, offering more than a decade of public and private education experience. She has worked... Read More →
Thursday June 18, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT Room 317
Social media has reshaped school culture in ways far beyond phones in classrooms. From group chats and gaming platforms to video sharing and messaging apps, online interactions now drive peer relationships, conflict, mistrust, and administrative burden that spill into schools every day. In response, many systems have defaulted to safety-driven, restrictive measures such as phone bans and compliance-based media literacy mandates, often without the resources, research, or capacity to support meaningful change. This session examines how engagement technology has cultivated a culture of fear, reactivity, and safetyism that strains staff, students, and leadership. Participants will explore how social media and device use have fundamentally altered attention, behavior, and social dynamics before students even enter school buildings, compounding challenges around learning and belonging. Designed for school and district leaders, this session uses a systems-thinking lens to move beyond checklists and punitive responses toward sustainable, community-responsive approaches. Participants will examine where schools are overinvesting in ineffective solutions, how legal and operational pressures shape decision-making, and what it means to lead with education and capacity-building rather than control. The session focuses on reshaping both online and offline school environments to restore trust, connection, and learning.
Verbal De-escalation and its role in Tier 1 (universal) supports. Identify early signs of distress and escalation in students. Apply 5 evidence based strategies in daily techniques. Practice techniques.
This presentation will give teachers more quick strategies to build stronger relationships with students and increase academic achievement in their classrooms. CLICK HERE to access presentation!
This presentation is a collaborative opportunity to share best practices and the A (attitude), B (behavior), and C's (community/culture) of classroom management. Tips, tools, and tricks to help navigate challenging classroom dynamics will be shared.
Educators will learn how to complete and implement FBAs and BIPs. Staff will gain an understanding of antecedents, behaviors, and consequences, as well as the functions of behavior. Educators will also learn special education laws around FBA and BIPs. Staff will learn each section of a BIP, including how to teach the replacement behavior and how to implement the plan with fidelity.
Principal/Director, Harvard District 50/Chancelight
Helena is an ISBE-licensed special education teacher, principal, and board-certified behavior analyst. She provides families and stakeholders with exceptional ABA and special education expertise, offering more than a decade of public and private education experience. She has worked... Read More →
Thursday June 18, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT Room 317
During this session we will be looking at the four functions of behavior. We will discuss the importance of finding the correct function of a behavior to determine the appropriate replacement behavior. We will share some ideas and have discussions on challenging behaviors across all school settings.
Social media has reshaped school culture in ways far beyond phones in classrooms. From group chats and gaming platforms to video sharing and messaging apps, online interactions now drive peer relationships, conflict, mistrust, and administrative burden that spill into schools every day. In response, many systems have defaulted to safety-driven, restrictive measures such as phone bans and compliance-based media literacy mandates, often without the resources, research, or capacity to support meaningful change. This session examines how engagement technology has cultivated a culture of fear, reactivity, and safetyism that strains staff, students, and leadership. Participants will explore how social media and device use have fundamentally altered attention, behavior, and social dynamics before students even enter school buildings, compounding challenges around learning and belonging. Designed for school and district leaders, this session uses a systems-thinking lens to move beyond checklists and punitive responses toward sustainable, community-responsive approaches. Participants will examine where schools are overinvesting in ineffective solutions, how legal and operational pressures shape decision-making, and what it means to lead with education and capacity-building rather than control. The session focuses on reshaping both online and offline school environments to restore trust, connection, and learning.
Verbal De-escalation and its role in Tier 1 (universal) supports. Identify early signs of distress and escalation in students. Apply 5 evidence based strategies in daily techniques. Practice techniques.
This presentation is a collaborative opportunity to share best practices and the A (attitude), B (behavior), and C's (community/culture) of classroom management. Tips, tools, and tricks to help navigate challenging classroom dynamics will be shared.
Educators will learn how to complete and implement FBAs and BIPs. Staff will gain an understanding of antecedents, behaviors, and consequences, as well as the functions of behavior. Educators will also learn special education laws around FBA and BIPs. Staff will learn each section of a BIP, including how to teach the replacement behavior and how to implement the plan with fidelity.
Principal/Director, Harvard District 50/Chancelight
Helena is an ISBE-licensed special education teacher, principal, and board-certified behavior analyst. She provides families and stakeholders with exceptional ABA and special education expertise, offering more than a decade of public and private education experience. She has worked... Read More →
Thursday June 18, 2026 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT Room 317
This presentation will give teachers more quick strategies to build stronger relationships with students and increase academic achievement in their classrooms. CLICK HERE to access presentation!
Verbal De-escalation and its role in Tier 1 (universal) supports. Identify early signs of distress and escalation in students. Apply 5 evidence based strategies in daily techniques. Practice techniques.
This presentation is a collaborative opportunity to share best practices and the A (attitude), B (behavior), and C's (community/culture) of classroom management. Tips, tools, and tricks to help navigate challenging classroom dynamics will be shared.
A nationally recognized specialist in classroom management and youth character development, Jim Kestner will present practical, hands-on strategies to address unique challenges for building bridges that empower your students to overcome barriers from traumatic environments and circumstances to find empathy, acceptance, predictability, and hope through their time in your class. Specifically, the session will address the following:
Understanding the science of trauma* Compelling students to pursue character-based discipline as a tool for overcoming trauma
Facilitating student interpersonal communication, collaboration, and problem solving
Addressing confrontational student situations
Maintaining consistency in exceptional circumstances
Accounting for trauma in everyday classroom policies
Establishing a safe, trusting classroom environment
Teaching self-respect as a strategy for surviving long-term traumatic environments
Encouraging open communication
Adapting the physical environment to promote safety and success
Helping students set and achieve goals for managing uncertainty in their lives
Addressing changes in parent and custodial relationships
During this session we will be looking at the four functions of behavior. We will discuss the importance of finding the correct function of a behavior to determine the appropriate replacement behavior. We will share some ideas and have discussions on challenging behaviors across all school settings.
This presentation will give teachers more quick strategies to build stronger relationships with students and increase academic achievement in their classrooms. CLICK HERE to access presentation!
Social media has reshaped school culture in ways far beyond phones in classrooms. From group chats and gaming platforms to video sharing and messaging apps, online interactions now drive peer relationships, conflict, mistrust, and administrative burden that spill into schools every day. In response, many systems have defaulted to safety-driven, restrictive measures such as phone bans and compliance-based media literacy mandates, often without the resources, research, or capacity to support meaningful change. This session examines how engagement technology has cultivated a culture of fear, reactivity, and safetyism that strains staff, students, and leadership. Participants will explore how social media and device use have fundamentally altered attention, behavior, and social dynamics before students even enter school buildings, compounding challenges around learning and belonging. Designed for school and district leaders, this session uses a systems-thinking lens to move beyond checklists and punitive responses toward sustainable, community-responsive approaches. Participants will examine where schools are overinvesting in ineffective solutions, how legal and operational pressures shape decision-making, and what it means to lead with education and capacity-building rather than control. The session focuses on reshaping both online and offline school environments to restore trust, connection, and learning.
Verbal De-escalation and its role in Tier 1 (universal) supports. Identify early signs of distress and escalation in students. Apply 5 evidence based strategies in daily techniques. Practice techniques.
