As I sit here and re-read my notes from our workshop last week I can’t help but feel both overwhelmed and excited about the information that was shared with us. One of the comments I highlighted was “Connect before you Correct.” This quote struck me as a very important tool. There is no way I can begin to help a child out of their stress behaviours if a connection has not been made between us. There needs to be some sort of relationship and trust so that the child can feel safe to become calm and to share. I feel that I have this with many of my students but perhaps not quite as much with those who need me the most. I tend to remain a little guarded around them and I think it’s because I was not aware of the difference between stress behaviour and mis-behaviour. My eyes are definitely open now.
Some of the other items that I noted were:
- it’s ok to stop what is happening in the class and take a break if everyone is off task
- kids need to have some time in their day/week to play and to explore
- you cannot do a good job at co-regulating if you are not regulated yourself
I feel that these points give me permission to slow down and take mu students best interest ahead of my curriculum. Learning cannot happen anyways if we are not in a good place.