“When I first became a teacher, I thought I was helping my students by intervening in their conflicts. It was painful to see them struggle, crying and yelling at one another. It felt like my responsibility to ensure they resolved issues peacefully. The trouble was, they soon depended on me to help them resolve even the smallest of arguments. By constantly involving myself in the process, I became my students’ crutch. I robbed them of the empowering experience of learning these skills themselves.”