Every Moment Matters. Every Student Matters. Make Connections.

Connection is more important than you think. It's why we at Fortis encourage the 2x10. The video above is a great example of connecting with students and that connection having an educational benefit. 

You never know if the small things you do to promote a community in class will have a big impact on your students. The other day my daughter came home from school and was playing school with her toys. She told me "I have to have my morning meeting, don't worry it's lesson planned." Clearly her class has morning meetings and somewhere along the line she has heard about lesson planning. Kids pick up on the things we say and do. Every moment matters.

Research shows that routines matter to the mind. This helps students know what is coming for their day. Research also tells us that starting and ending days with something positive and engaging encourages and creates positive connections.

We all would rather be greeted with a smile not a scowl. 

We all would like a sweet good-bye not a sour one.

Building relationships matters to our students and the more you engage in this practice the more it will matter to you. 

Below is a link to some great ways to connect with our students. If you notice we already talked about number one.

Connection Matters

Let's highlight a couple of the ideas from the article. 

Getting to know non-school related things about your students. Asking favorite ice cream, food, sport, hobby, etc. Ask about favorite music, song, animal, or show to watch. Just get to know them as a person. This lets the student know that you see them as more than another filled seat to teach.

Walk and talk. This is great especially for boys. Research shows that boys are more likely to be closed off and quiet if they are sitting and looking at the person talking. I love to start with a walk. It's side-by-side, not face to face. No eye contact needed. Walking increases blood flow to the brain. Walking is a great mindfulness activity and has been used as a type of therapy. It is a great way to calm and steady a student and encourage openness. 

Listen. Just listen. Not all of our students go home to a house filled with adults willing or able to sit and listen. And kids like to talk. Just listen. No advice. No sharing. Just listening. This shows them they have your attention, you care about what they have to say, and they are important.

Edutopia has a great read on evidence based ways to connect with students.

Evidence-Backed Connection

At the start the information shares that students need a clean slate. While the article talks about the first day of school, this can apply to any student at anytime. Think about a student who is returning to class after a buddy room, PAR, or OSS. They need a clean slate.

Number four is a great idea too. Banking time. Again, much like our video, this one suggests that when you invest in a student as a person, educational benefits will be noticeable. I liked the words they used, telling us to balance relationship and rigor. 

Number six reflects a topic we have talked about in the past. Be the calm in their chaos. Do not meet chaos with more chaos. They need your calm. Emotions are contagious. Be the calm you want them to catch. When you work to build a relationship you want to be a calm person that can be relied on.

As we wrap up week 5 of school it is not too late to make connections. It is never too late to make a connection. Start today with a class meeting, a walk with a student, a 2x10, listening, fresh start, banking time, etc. 

Connection matters. Every moment matters.

Tip, Tricks, and Techniques

Do you need a reset? Have you observed a student who is in the beginning of a spiral? This week lets learn 10 (actually 9 we learned #7 last week) weird psychology hacks to help.

1. Sour Shock. 

There are a number of benefits to utilizing this strange technique. 

The sour taste disrupts and helps manage anxiety or panic. It is a sensory jolt that can bring one back to the present.

Sour affects the Amygdala. One of the parts of the brain we talk about in mindfulness. Our emotion center. Our Fight or Flight. The sour dampens the response of the amygdala allowing our Prefrontal Cortex to regain control. The prefrontal cortex is another part of the brain we talk about with mindfulness.

Last, sour can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is our rest and digest system. 

If you want to try sour for yourself or a student come see me. I made sure to stock up on sour candy for this blog.

2. Ice Cube Reset

Much like our number one trick, the ice cube can disrupt the anxiety and bring us back to the present. Holding the cold can help lower ones heart rate, reduce breathing, and promote relaxation. This trick involves the Vagus Nerve, which is also connected to our parasympathetic nervous system and promotes rest and digest.

Head to the staff lounge and grab a cup of cubes and give it a try.

3. Power Pose.

It has been a few years since we talked about the Power Pose. Below is a link to our past blog related to power pose and it's benefits.

Power Pose

4. Sing Therapy 

Singing out loud slows ones breath. It has even been found to improve memory, posture, and coordination. 

It also helps alert the Vagus Nerve helping to tell our bodies to calm down.

5.Sock Swap.

It has been said that this helps give one a mid-day mood boost. 

Maybe grab some extra socks to have on hand for yourself or your students. 

6. Cold Water Dunk

I would not recommend this one at school. Unless you have that one student... no, let's stick to the rest of the list. 

But if you need a quick cold dunk, go for it! They say cold shock is good for the body and brain.

7. 3rd Person Talk

Take a look back at last week's blog on third person talk. Give it a try. 

I have been working with students on using this. The younger ones just repeat me and go with it, the others students think I'm strange. But Pamela will keep trying.

8. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

Five things you can see

Four things you can touch

Three things you can hear

Two things you can smell

One thing you can see

This could also be used in combination with #1. The taste element could be something sour.

Have a sensory box near by in your calm down space. Make sure you have four different textures in the box. Grab some smelly stickers or markers. Find things and build a grounding kit.

Grounding brings us back to the hear and now. The present moment. It's mindfulness.

9. Chew Gum

This one could be more for you than students. Or you could use this during a 2x10. Give the student gum to chew while you walk and talk then remind them to spit it in the garbage before returning to class.

10. Weighted Hug

Some people do not like touch. Others love it, crave it, and need it. Studies show that we need daily hugs. In fact it has been stated that we need 4 hugs for survival, 8 hugs for maintenance, and 12 hugs for growth. 

Now add in pressure. Pressure calms the nervous system.

If you have a student that needs a little weight on them during the day come see me. I have two weighted dogs and a weighted cat. I had a student last year who would place them on his shoulders and take a walk. I've had students borrow them to sit on their laps for test taking. Others simply spend time with them in my office.

We now all have 8-10 techniques we can utilize to support students who are in a moment of struggle. We now have 10 ways to help ourselves in a moment of struggle.

I encourage you to try a new one each day. If you tried number seven last week, great! This week pick a different number daily and give it a go. I know I'll be using the sour candy in my office (you can too). 

 

McKenzie has got this...and so do You!

 

It might sounds wild but what if you had your students start each day using their own names to encourage themselves? 

Dallas will have an amazing day.

Zyanah will do great today.

Damion is the best.

I'm sure that it would take some getting use to for both you and your students. Maybe you need to start your day in third person too.

Mrs. Nelson can do hard things.

Mrs. Ali can meet any challenge.

Ms. Hiller is strong.

Research backs up this strange but effective practice.

As mentioned in the short video we started with, Michigan State University (Go Green!) researched third person self-talk and emotions.

The findings show that when we speak to ourselves in third person we create an emotional distance. Using words such as "I" and "me" immerse us in our emotions. Our names distance us from the emotions, almost as if a trusted friend is providing the encouragement we need. This technique tricks our brains and helps regulate our emotions.

The research also suggests that we can utilize this when asking ourselves about our feelings. "Why is Sandy upset?" The idea is that we become someone who explores emotions better. Another idea is that we give more grace, understanding, and feelings exploration to others than we typically do to ourselves.

During the research process it was discovered that third person talk did not require more effort than first person. When asked to do third person, the participants in the study completed the task without hesitation. In fact, the research found that third person took less effort than mindfulness or thinking on the bright side. 

We shouldn't give up thinking on the bright side and mindfulness but perhaps we should add third person speak to our emotional regulation toolbox.

For all of you U of M fans, after MSU began exploring this topic of third person self distance talk;  admiring "little brother" U of M began similar research too. (just a little light fun 😉)

Each university utilized a different method of exploring the brain; fMRI and EEG. They were both able to explore various aspects of the brain and it's behavior. One finding was that third person talk helped decrease activity in the self-referential part of the brain. That part of the brain is commonly associated with rumination and painful experiences.

When you look at the findings of both schools you can see that third person self talk has potential to support us and our students.

This week I encourage you to start your day with some third person affirmations.

Sal can make this day great.

Wray is the best.

Gina is amazing.

Lea can do it!

There is no stopping Steph.

Once you have said your own third person talk, take it to your class.

Pamela is helpful. 😉 Pamela will keep exploring more topics to share so stay tuned weekly.