S3 EP10 - Every Middle Schooler Needs Grace: Don’t You (Forget About Me)

About this episode

Suzanne Swain discusses the challenges of middle school behavior and the importance of understanding the underlying signals from children.

Middle school can feel like a daily showdown… until you realize the kid isn’t always the problem. Sometimes the kid is the signal. In this episode of The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast , Suzanne Swain, EDS LMSW explores the moments that make adults throw their hands in the air and ask, “Seriously?!” — and why that reaction is understandable, but often aimed at the wrong target. When behavior goes sideways, we tend to place the full weight of the situation on a 12- or 13-year-old navigating hormones, identity development, social pressure, emotional overwhelm, and a brain that is still developing impulse control and executive functioning. That isn’t an excuse for harmful behavior… it’s a roadmap for understanding it. Drawing from years of real middle school classroom management experience, Suzanne walks listeners through a systems-based approach to behavior that focuses on emotional safety, clear expectations, simple procedures, and consistent boundaries. You’ll hear why consistency matters more than intensity, why fewer rules often work better than dozens of threats, and how becoming “annoyingly predictable” can actually help kids feel safer and more regulated. The episode…

People in this episode

Host: Suzanne Swain

Topics covered

• middle school
• behavior
• parenting
• grace
• communication

Keywords

• middle school
• behavior
• parenting
• grace
• communication
• adolescence
• understanding

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