Shaking Up Emotions - Simple Steps to Support Educators in Schools

When emotions run high for the preschooler in our home, it brings all of our emotions into focus. We have two children and two adults, all of whom process feelings differently. 

Not that different from a classroom.

Kids, of any age, having a moment of emotion is like a snow globe being shaken. Whether it was shame, embarrassment, a burst of anger or a grasp at control, the outburst is the emotional response of that young person to whatever emotional stressor just entered their mind and body. It’s like they are a snow globe of reaction - tears, anger, frustration and many others - and the reaction continues as long as something is shaking their emotions. 

For us, as adults, the reactions rarely come “at the right time”. And our own regulation comes into play. 

• We might be curt, our face tightens up and head tilts in disapproval (kids of all ages perceive this)
• We might turn to sarcasm “well, isn't’ this a great time to suddenly speak up.”
• We might get angry ourselves and start upping the ante, threatening ultimatums “Cool down and sit in your seat or you won’t be going to recess, coming back to class today, going to the class party, etc.”

But isn’t that a version of us shaking the snow globe?

 Aren’t we adding to the emotions already swirling around for that young person?

Whether they are 4 or 14, the children and young persons in our homes and schools are all navigating their way through how to respond to the emotions they feel. They are looking to us to be mirrors, to let the snowflakes settle to calm and then just move forward as if nothing happened. We might not be able to move forward as if nothing happened, but we can and should let the snowflakes settle without adding our own emotions to the mix.

That’s the tricky part in schools, though.

You’re tired. 

You’re feeling that what’s asked of you keeps growing and the peace never comes.

You have your own life and emotions outside of school and it is entirely possible for that one student’s response to be the last straw for YOU emotionally.

That’s when the recipe for being able to help mirror regulation to the kids in our schools starts with supporting the emotional regulation of the adults in our schools. 

Can you bring options and resources onto your campus that meaningfully support the adults? Here are places considering creative ways to genuinely relieve stress for their educators (teachers, classroom aides, office staff included):

SHORT TERM ACTIONS

• Creative resource allocation - Do you have any resources you can allocate to a roving substitute to relieve teachers for an extra hour? Is there any way that you can come up with a schedule to concretely give them the gift of time without an ask, just an extra bit of time that they can use as needed. 

• Audit your systems for redundancies - It’s highly likely that you have one or more required items that could be streamlined at your school and simply improving those processes would feel supportive to teachers and reduce their time on paperwork or the computer. Sit down with 1-2 people (can be administrator, teacher leader and front office staff) who can look at the key routines around (a) attendance, (b) grading, (c) required paperwork for intervention meetings (d) paperwork for field trips, announcements, etc. and see what can be streamlined or made more efficient.

• Cancel something - Meeting time is so precious for furthering school-wide learning goals and outcomes. Canceling something, though, can be a great gift to overextended teachers. Decide what can be handled in another way or at another time. It won’t be easy, but when you clearly remove something from a teacher’s calendar, it will help create space (which we all need when overtaxed).

LONG TERM ACTIONS

• Develop partnerships for wellness spaces ON YOUR CAMPUS - It’s a longer-term focus, but your district or organization can start thinking about how to bring physical fitness, art and other classes to your campus for the benefit of your staff. This can be yoga, interval cardio, indoor cycling, watercolor, drawing and other options. Long-term partnerships will be clear on shared use agreements and liability, but there are numerous models to get your mind going. Here’s one from Ohio (Fanning Howey - How to Approach School and Community Partnerships).