How We Can Help Every Child Succeed with Ross Greene

**Guy Kawasaki** (0:00)
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**Ross Greene** (0:57)
That's right. We're still hitting kids on the butt with a two foot piece of plywood in 17 of our states to help solve the problems that are causing their concerning behavior. We're still restraining and secluding them. And of course, we're doing that disproportionately to kids with disabilities and to those with black and brown skin. You know what? We have to face that. We have to say, we need to come up with how to keep that from happening because that ain't right.

**Guy Kawasaki** (1:29)
Hello, everybody. I'm Guy Kawasaki. This is the Remarkable People podcast, and we have a remarkable guest today. His name is Ross Greene, and Ross Greene is a clinical psychologist. He's on the faculty of Virginia Tech, and he has this very, very interesting approach to education. This is his latest book. It's called The Kids Who Aren't Okay.
That's what we're going to discuss today, the current state of the educational system in the United States. Ross has a whole career of helping parents and educators and clinicians improve the educational system. Welcome to the show, Ross.

**Ross Greene** (2:13)
Thank you for having me.

**Guy Kawasaki** (2:15)
I got to say, let's start off with some basics, which is what is your definition of a good teaching?

**Ross Greene** (2:21)
Meeting every kid where they're at, which doesn't tend to get much pushback.
Even from educators, it's just that it's hard to do. Harder not to meet every kid where they're at, but it is hard to meet every kid where they're at.

**Guy Kawasaki** (2:35)
How does one find out where a kid is at?

**Ross Greene** (2:39)
How do you find out where a kid is at?
First, you notice that they're struggling, and then you ask them, and adults aren't that bad at noticing. They're not that great at asking. Their interpretations of what's going on with a kid, when they notice that a kid is struggling, can get in the way too.

**Guy Kawasaki** (2:58)
When I first read that definition in your book, my initial reaction is suppose I'm a teacher, I'm getting 50, 75 grand a year, I'm using my own money to buy school supplies, the school board is picking the books I can use, the district is telling me to put the Ten Commandments up on the wall, incorporate the Bible into the curriculum, and I'm supposed to now meet students where they're at. How can I possibly do that? So now I thought, maybe I should do a reality check, and I asked a friend who was a high school teacher, and she told me that she has 140 students. She's teaching in the classroom 26 hours a week. She has four hours to prep and grade and do all the paperwork that goes with having 140 students.
So I guess this diatribe is leading up to the very simple question is, how can teachers possibly have the time and resources to do that?

**Ross Greene** (4:04)
First of all, you're right. It's a lousy setup.
We don't pay teachers enough, not even close, especially at the secondary level. We overload them with students. But here's what's interesting. Most kids are still doing okay. So it's not that hard to meet most kids where they're at. The students who consume massive amounts of time cost massive amounts of dollars if we don't get it right.
Or the kids who it's much more difficult to meet where they're at. We haven't created structures or systems that permit educators to do that. We can. We've helped many schools create those structures and systems. It's actually not that hard to do. But let there be no doubt, it's a set up for teachers under these circumstances is hard. That said, there are many who do it anyways.

**Guy Kawasaki** (5:05)
So if I were to walk into a school that is meeting students where they're at, what would I notice is different or would I notice anything at all?