This time of year can feel like the perfect storm in the classroom. The holidays are coming, schedules get messy, behaviors spike, and the collective energy level rises about ten notches. Kids feel it. We feel it. And sometimes it feels like everyone is just trying to stay afloat until break. This is exactly when Motivational Interviewing (MI) can become one of the most grounding tools in your teacher toolkit.

Have you ever tried to convince a child or teen to want to change a behavior and found yourself stuck in a tug-of-war? Whether it’s a student who avoids homework, a teen who shrugs at every suggestion, or a child struggling with self-control, you’ve probably noticed that change rarely happens just because we tell kids what to do. That’s where Motivational Interviewing (MI) comes in.

The M.I. Teacher approach centers on the experience of the child—what motivates them, what drives their choices, and how they can grow into independent, self-aware humans both inside and outside of school.