One of my biggest concerns about making the switch to ABA was figuring out how I’d complete my program to the best of my abilities — all while working full time as a third-grade teacher. Spoiler: It was overwhelming at first. After a month into my program, I finally started wrapping my head around the idea that behavior is all around us. But what would happen the moment I stepped back into my classroom, you ask? That realization would go out the window, because I was instantly swept up in the complete chaos of the million roles of teaching. (I mean… my classroom is obviously always put together and perfect — cough cough) Needless to say, my first semester felt like treading water. I completely compartmentalized teaching my students and being a student myself. But everything shifted in my second semester. Once I started supervision (with some amazing supervisors, I might add), I finally began to do what educators are always told to do — integrate learning.

It wasn’t until I took a step back and looked at my students, my colleagues, my family members (cats included), and even myself — through a behavior analytic lens — that things started clicking. I realized just how simple it was to see all the behaviors constantly happening around me. Every interaction — verbal or nonverbal. Every thought, feeling, movement — all of it is behavior. With this new lens, I began seeing the concepts I was learning in class play out in my classroom. Interventions became real-life examples. Even though I’m still learning all the technical definitions, I now know that every behavior has a meaning, a function, and a purpose.