In second grade, Matthew Wells nearly broke his teacher’s arm in a sudden fit of rage.
When Matthew was expelled from his elementary school two years ago, his mother, Desiree Powell, enrolled him at Lake Forest Academy, New Hanover County’s five-year-old alternative public school and day treatment program for children with behavioral or emotional difficulties.
The school uses innovative approaches to behavioral issues such as daily small group time where children talk about their feelings or behaviors. Last week, the kindergarten class sat in a circle talking about anger and how to express it.
