For fourteen years I have worked with elementary students affected by poverty, homelessness, immigration, foster care, racism, abuse, physical and mental disabilities, and a variety of diagnosis, including PTSD. I meet with parents unfamiliar with American culture (even if their children are familiar), parents with felonies and addictions, illiterate parents and too often parents who are very young, my youngest mom being 18 when her four year old started school. Generational and immigrational poverty and its lack of resources necessitate my language instruction to be direct. Explicit instruction in the area of emotional language-how they feel and why, is essential for struggling students to manage relationships. Conflict negotiation and resolution