Education can be a battle, especially in the face of violent, aggressive and self-destructive behaviours. Patrick Thomas shares his 20 years of learning from the battles won and lost within the trenches of the alternate education system. He uniquely explains how and what these youths adaptive behaviours have not so subtly been communicating and how their identity development is the critical force behind their ability to change and achieving personal happiness. Within the guise of practical education strategies, he outlines the universal Adaptive Identity Model founded on the science behind his students successes and how the basic understanding of neuroscience can re-prioritize how we educate our youth by "giving them what they need, not what they expect".