From Behaviour Management to Connection: What if There’s a Better Way?

In this powerful first conversation of Linewize Amplify, New Zealand educator, TEDx Speaker, and wellbeing leader Jase Williams sits down with internationally renowned psychologist Dr. Ross Greene to challenge traditional thinking about student behaviour.

“Kids do well if they can.” Dr. Ross Greene

In this conversation, our speakers unpack why common strategies,  like rewards, punishments, zero tolerance policies, and “circuit breakers”, often fall short for the very students who need the most support. What follows is a refreshingly honest conversation about power, connection, and what it really takes to help all tamariki thrive.

For NZ school leaders navigating behaviour, inclusion, and student wellbeing, this is an invitation to pause, reflect, and ask: What if there’s a better way?

Watch the conversation below

Key Takeaways

• Behaviour is communication, not defiance.
  Students with behavioural challenges often lack specific skills (like frustration tolerance or flexibility), not motivation.
  Rewards and punishments won’t build skills.
  
  
• Incentives don’t solve the root problems; they simply mask them temporarily.
  The real work happens before a crisis.
  Shifting from late interventions to early problem-solving creates better outcomes for all students.
  
  
• Equity matters more than equality.
  Every child’s needs are different, and systems that acknowledge that serve all students better.
  
  
• Recognition systems can create unseen harm.
  If half the school is left out, are we really living our values of inclusion and belonging?
  
  
• Mindsets can shift through doing.
  You don’t need to believe everything first. Try it. Do the work. The belief will come.
  
  
• Parent blame has no place in school solutions.
  Most issues arise from school-based expectations. Solutions should start there, too.
  
  

About The Experts

Dr. Ross Greene
A clinical psychologist and founder of Lives in the Balance, Dr. Greene is the author of The Explosive Child and Lost at School. He developed the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model, a relational, skill-based approach now used in schools across the globe. His work helps educators and whānau reframe behaviour as a lagging skill, not a character flaw.

Jase Williams
An experienced New Zealand educator, former principal, and hauora advocate, Jase leads professional development and community hui across Aotearoa. As a compassionate and equity-centred relational neuroscience educator, his work focuses on trauma-informed practice, cultural safety, and the systems that either heal or harm. Jase is passionate about creating spaces of real belonging in our schools.

 

Want to bring this thinking into your school?

If your team is ready to move from behaviour management to early, meaningful connection, Linewize Pulse can help.

Pulse gives schools a simple way to hear directly from students, helping you spot those quietly struggling, track wellbeing over time, and open up earlier conversations. It’s designed for the realities of Aotearoa classrooms, giving school leaders better visibility, deeper connection, and a stronger foundation for support.

Pulse isn’t a replacement for what you already do; it’s just a better way to see who needs you most.

Find out more about Pulse

Want to Amplify your voice, or someone else’s?

We’re always looking for honest conversations to help school communities across Aotearoa reflect, grow, and connect. Whether you’re a school leader with a story to share, an expert in the field, or you’d love to hear from someone on a specific topic, let us know.

Suggest a speaker or topic at enquiries@linewize.co.nz