For elementary school leaders navigating post-break behavior challenges.

January is often when school leaders feel a quiet sense of whiplash.

Students return from break more dysregulated than expected.
Teachers feel like they’re starting over.
Behavior referrals spike—even in schools with strong SEL programs.

And the common response is almost universal:

• Review expectations.
  
  
• Reteach routines.
  
  
• Remind students what they already know.
  
  

This response makes sense — but it assumes behavior is a memory problem.

Yet for many schools, this doesn’t produce the reset they’re hoping for.

That’s not because SEL “isn’t working.”
It’s because SEL knowledge alone doesn’t automatically translate into regulated behavior—especially after a disruption.

Knowing Is Not the Same as Doing

Most students know what the expectations are by January.
They can often articulate calming strategies.
They’ve sat through SEL lessons that explain emotions and choices.

But regulation isn’t a concept you recal...