ASK A TEACHER Anger with Nancy Downing |
"In your anger do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." (Ephesians 4:26) Q: My daughter’s anger is causing problems not only in our family, but also in her relationships with her friends. Do you have any advice? A: Anger is a normal feeling. The key is expressing it appropriately. Ask your daughter to make a list of what makes her angry. Have her make another list of what physically happens to her when she does get mad or when she knows she is getting mad. Possibly she feels her face turning red, her heart might beat faster, she could find herself clinching her fists or tightening her jaw, and/or her voice level may escalate. This will help her get to know herself better. These physical characteristics will be her signals. Help her brainstorm ways she can control her feelings of anger appropriately. Examples of this might be walking away from the situation; taking deep breaths; doing 20 jumping jacks or some type of physical activity; thinking happy thoughts or telling the person that she is angry about what just occurred, and that she would like to discuss it after she has cooled down. When she finds she is being physically “signaled” that anger is at her doorstep, she can put her brainstorming strategies into play. When the strategies don’t work, remind her that “Practice makes perfect.” Copyright © by Nancy Downing. All rights reserved. |
Nancy has been an educator for 30 years and is currently a special education teacher.
She is the former Center Director of LearningRx in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has
received local, state, and national recognition for her development of Downfeld
Phonics, a multi-sensory reading program. Nancy also wrote curriculum for an
educational technology company.
Nancy is a single mother of three children: one with learning differences, one gifted,
and one who has to work for his grades. Not only does she know what it is like to teach
all these different learning styles at school, but she has the experience of dealing with
all aspects of each twenty-four seven.
She is the former Center Director of LearningRx in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has
received local, state, and national recognition for her development of Downfeld
Phonics, a multi-sensory reading program. Nancy also wrote curriculum for an
educational technology company.
Nancy is a single mother of three children: one with learning differences, one gifted,
and one who has to work for his grades. Not only does she know what it is like to teach
all these different learning styles at school, but she has the experience of dealing with
all aspects of each twenty-four seven.
| Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6) |