“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Let’s take the chance to listen, to hear, to approach others with compassion and understanding.

When children are distressed, we need to co-regulate with them first. Let’s approach with compassion and caring. Everything else can wait.

What do you think: Does stress accumlate? Or can it be resolved? Are we humans wired for resiliency? Joe Brummer Gerry🧠🌱 Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle

You know restorative practices are working when kids are *asking* to have these conversations. Dennis Wright TVDSB Mental Health Gerry🧠🌱 Dawn Fyn, PhD @RileyCulhane

Re-embody. Regulate. Relate. Reason. When students are in a highly dysregulated state, our first task is to help them settle their physiological responses and return emotionally to the Window of Tolerance. THEN we can get to re-establishing relationships and creating a plan.

If we are looking at how brains learn to read, shouldn’t we also be looking at how brains learn to regulate? A brain that is in flight, fight, or freeze isn’t available for good learning! Regulation comes first. Simple neurobiology. Gerry🧠🌱 Joe Brummer Lori Desautels

How are we adults reacting when a child’s brain is in a defensive state? Are we co-regulating, or are we adding to distress? What are your best tips to help a child return to a regulated state? Dennis Wright Joe Brummer Dawn Fyn, PhD @JenniferAbbanat Michael McKnight Michelle Obama

WOW - this is such a powerful article. heraldscotland.com/politics/24311…

Have you noticed how “those kids” can be great with one educator and reactive with another? It’s because of attachment. Kids can - and do - form secure attachments with people who are consistent and reliable. Adults: this is on us. Healthy relationships matter. Antonieta Contreras

A child who is traumatized has a nervous system in survival mode - and their distress is likely shown in maladaptive behaviour. Change happens when there is a deep sense of safety. Punishment reinforces disconnection and undermines healing.

Who do behaviour point charts work for? Kids who are securely attached and can remain in their ‘upstairs brain’ when distressed. Point charts are detrimental for traumatized kids who are in survival mode and responding from the ‘downstairs brain’. Survival > thinking.

A traumatized child tends to live in a constant state of hypervigilance. When a child doesn’t know what to expect, attachment becomes disorganized. Trust is the antidote to fear. This is why relationships and reliability matter. Joe Brummer Dennis Wright Dawn Fyn, PhD

How did we get to this point of such ruptured moral integrity? What can we learn? How are we going to respond and move forward?

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Survival brains respond to co-regulation and connection. ⁦Lori Desautels⁩ ⁦Dawn Fyn, PhD⁩ ⁦Jennifer Brackenbury⁩ ⁦Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle⁩