In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, Amanda discusses how to handle apathetic and defiant students in the classroom. She shares her personal experience as a parent of a neurodivergent child and suggests a collaborative approach that involves building relationships with students and engaging them in conversation about their behavior and the impact it might be having on others. Amand emphasizes the importance of explaining the purpose of classroom work and valuing students’ intelligence and bright spirits. She also encourages teachers to have heart-to-heart conversations with the whole class or specific groups of students to address the classroom environment and highlights how overloading students with constant work may be exacerbating the mental health crisis among students and adults.