Djed I Learning

Djed I Learning Helping parents and educators decode behavior and support children with evidence-based strategies. Created by a Licensed Educational Psychologist and BCBA.

Home of Behavior Bootcamp for Parents (BB4P)

08/26/2026

“Sit back down.”
The student sits.
You walk away.
They’re up again.
You redirect them.
They’re back up.
And after enough rounds, everybody in the classroom is frustrated.
But what if staying seated isn’t actually the problem we need to solve first?
What if getting up is helping that student escape or delay the task in front of them?
Now we have a different question to ask.
Instead of only asking:
❌ “How do I stop them from getting up?”
Ask:
✅ “What is getting up accomplishing?”
Because when we understand why a behavior keeps happening, we can choose a response that addresses more than what we’re seeing on the surface.
🎥 Watch the full video down in the comments 👇🏿
🎁 And if you want help identifying why behaviors keep happening, grab our FREE Behavior Function Cheat Sheet.

“First–Then” isn’t bribery. It’s clarity.When a child is resisting something they don’t want to do, we often respond by...
08/23/2026

“First–Then” isn’t bribery. It’s clarity.

When a child is resisting something they don’t want to do, we often respond by repeating ourselves:
“Come on.”
“I already told you.”
“You need to do it now.”
“How many times do I have to ask?”

But more words don’t always create more cooperation.
Sometimes a simple First–Then statement can.
🗣️ “First shoes on, then we go outside.”
🗣️ “First two math problems, then a short break.”
🗣️ “First clean up, then you can choose the next activity.”

The idea comes from a behavioral principle called the Premack Principle: access to a more-preferred activity can help increase participation in a less-preferred activity.

The key is that the expectation comes before access to the preferred activity—not as a reward suddenly invented in the middle of a battle.

Simple. Predictable. Consistent.

Sometimes cooperation doesn’t require a bigger consequence.
It requires a clearer path forward.

👇🏿 Parents & educators: What’s one “First–Then” statement you could use this week?

08/23/2026

This was EXCELLENT. 👏🏾
Before the situation escalated, Dad had already established:
“First, brush your teeth. Then, Supergirl.”
That’s a simple first-then statement.
The child knows what’s expected and what comes afterward.
But this was only one moment from a much larger interaction—and there were things Dad did really well and other moments worth looking at more closely.
🎥 Watch this clip, then check out the full breakdown:
“Psychologist Reacts to Toothbrush Tantrum”
👇🏿 Full video in the pinned comment.

Caring about students and holding boundaries are not opposites.Sometimes the most supportive thing we can give a student...
08/21/2026

Caring about students and holding boundaries are not opposites.

Sometimes the most supportive thing we can give a student is a response that is calm, predictable, and consistent.
Compassion says: “I understand this is hard.”
Boundaries say: “And the expectation still matters.”

Students need both.

When expectations constantly change depending on the behavior, the moment, or how exhausted the adult is, students are left trying to figure out where the boundaries actually are.
But when we can pair empathy with consistency, we create something powerful:
❤️ Connection without giving in.
🧠 Understanding without excusing everything.
🧱 Boundaries without losing compassion.

You don’t have to choose between being the teacher who cares and the teacher who holds the line.

You can be both.

👇🏾 Educators: What helps you stay compassionate AND consistent when student behavior gets difficult?

08/18/2026

🍎 Before you decide you can’t do this anymore…ask yourself one question:
Were you ever actually taught how behavior functions?
There’s a big difference between being given:
📋 behavioral expectations�📚 a behavior framework�⚠️ a list of consequences
…and being taught how to determine WHY a behavior keeps happening in the first place.
That distinction matters.
Because when we repeatedly respond to behavior without understanding what’s maintaining it, we can work incredibly hard—and still see the same behaviors tomorrow.
That doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
It may mean you were never given the full behavior toolkit.
In this series, we’re breaking down why consequences sometimes don’t work, what student behavior may actually be communicating, and the behavioral principles that can make classroom management feel a little less exhausting.
👇🏼 Educators: Were you explicitly taught behavior function during your teacher preparation—or did you mostly learn behavior management once you entered the classroom?

💬 TALK IT OUT TUESDAYSomewhere along the way, disagreement started feeling like disrespect.But two people can see the sa...
08/18/2026

💬 TALK IT OUT TUESDAY

Somewhere along the way, disagreement started feeling like disrespect.
But two people can see the same situation differently—and both still deserve to be heard.

Healthy communication isn’t about winning every conversation or convincing everyone to see things your way. Sometimes it’s being able to say:
“I hear you. I may see it differently, but I respect where you’re coming from.”

That skill matters in our homes, schools, workplaces, friendships, relationships—and communities.
We don’t have to agree on everything to communicate with empathy, curiosity, and respect.
And sometimes, a better conversation really can create a better day. 💙

👇🏾 What do you think makes it hardest for people to disagree respectfully today?

08/17/2026

What if they’re not “being difficult”?

Your child refuses to answer questions in class.
They become upset when the routine changes.
They struggle when they don’t know what’s coming next.

From the outside, it can look like:
❌ Defiance
❌ Overreacting
❌ “Being difficult”

But sometimes what we’re actually seeing is anxiety.
Children don’t always tell us:
“I’m anxious because I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Sometimes we see the behavior first.

That’s why it’s so important to get curious about what’s happening underneath the behavior before deciding what it means.

🎥 Today’s short explains why anxiety may not always look the way adults expect.

Watch the full video in the comments below. 👇🏼

Back-to-school is here—but getting everyone out the door is only the beginning.What happens when…😩 Mornings immediately ...
08/16/2026

Back-to-school is here—but getting everyone out the door is only the beginning.

What happens when…
😩 Mornings immediately become a battle?
📚 Homework turns into a nightly struggle?
😡 Behavior suddenly gets worse after school?
😰 Your child seems more anxious, overwhelmed, or exhausted?🏫 You’re not sure when a problem is just an adjustment—or a sign that your child needs more support?

We tackled these questions and more during our Back-to-School LIVE, and the full replay is now available. ▶️

We talked about practical ways parents can approach:
✅ Morning and after-school routines
✅ Homework battles
✅ Challenging behavior
✅ Stress and warning signs
✅ Parent-school partnerships
✅ Building systems that make the school week easier

The goal isn’t a “perfect” school year.
It’s having a plan for what to do when things aren’t going perfectly.

🎥 Watch the full Back-to-School LIVE in the comments below 👇🏿

And tell us below: What has been the biggest back-to-school challenge in your house so far?

08/14/2026

Before we call it defiance, we should ask one more question:
Can they actually do what we’re asking them to do?
Imagine someone hands you a page full of problems you’ve never learned how to solve.
You try to leave.
They tell you to sit down.
You struggle.
They tell you to finish.
Eventually, your frustration starts showing up as behavior.
Children experience versions of this every day.
When the same behavior repeatedly appears around a particular task, don’t stop at:
❌ “They don’t want to do it.”
Ask:
✅ “Could there be a skill deficit?”
Sometimes what looks like defiance is a child trying to escape something they genuinely don’t know how to do yet.
🎥 Watch the full video in the comments below 👇🏾.
🎁 FREE Parenting Tools 👇🏼.

🧠 THROWBACK THURSDAY: Sometimes looking back helps us understand who we are today.An old song.A childhood neighborhood.A...
08/13/2026

🧠 THROWBACK THURSDAY: Sometimes looking back helps us understand who we are today.

An old song.
A childhood neighborhood.
A teacher who believed in you.
A mistake you learned from.
A moment you didn’t realize would become a memory.

Our memories aren’t just records of what happened. They become part of the stories we tell ourselves, the lessons we carry forward, and the way we understand our lives today.
Some remind us of how much has changed.
Others remind us of how much we’ve changed.

So for this Throwback Thursday, take a moment to look back—not because you want to live in the past, but because sometimes the past gives you a better view of just how far you’ve come. ✨

💭 What’s one memory from your childhood that still influences who you are today?

Share yours below. 👇🏿

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Djed I Learning posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category