Connect BEFORE Redirect

 My training this week was on SEL and Trauma. The training was a great review of trauma and how we can support a student utilizing SEL and mindfulness or we can continue to traumatize and retraumatize a student.

Our attitudes and behaviors can reinforce feelings of being lonely, not valued, unwanted, etc. We need to ensure that we are connecting with our students and building relationships before we redirect their behaviors.

Behaviors are often the way children express unmet needs and express to us what they need from us to help them.

If a student leaves the class every day during math...they are expressing they do not understand and are escaping to ovoid the feeling of frustration due to not knowing.

I had a student this week very sad and withdrawn upon entering class. He shared that he was late to school, missed breakfast, and right away was told he was walking too slow. He felt hungry, behind from being late, and then as he slowly walked (sad about being late and hungry) he was yelled at instead of being greeted warmly. 

I want to share a video with you that really speaks to connecting with students. Please take a few minutes to watch and reflect.

Every Opportunity

We have every opportunity to connect with our students. Connection matters. When we connect and build relationships, we build character, we build empathy, we build up students.

The idea of building connection leads me to reflecting on 2x10. Spend 2 minutes a day for 10 days with one student, connecting. Connecting about life, not school. I saw a post recently that was funny and spoke to connecting to with students in a new way.

We need connection. More now than ever. Our students have been in social isolation from a pandemic and honestly every day they choose to spend more time on a screen than with people in person.

We need to show them how to connect by connecting with them.

When we practice mindfulness with students we show them how to connect with their own feelings. Connecting with oneself can be a challenge. We need to teach students how to understand themselves, as well as others.

Mindfulness done with your students shows them that you want to connect with yourself and with them.

It only takes a couple of minutes to show a student that they matter.

It only takes a few minutes to have a daily mindfulness practice that matters.

Connect. 

The more we connect, the less we have to redirect and the easier it is done when we must.