All you incredible educators out there – I want you to think about this today:
Just two generations ago, we lived in smaller homes, taught in smaller schools, and spent more time in the community and far less time on technology. We had more proximity to one another, and by virtue of this fact, there were more opportunities to interact.
This interaction – the face-to-face connection—is critical for the development of emotional regulation skills. So much of what we teach our children is nonverbal. Today, as we raise, teach, lead, and love our students, what has shifted significantly is our proximity to them.
As the pandemic has reminded us, we are wired for physical connection, and I think the effect this loss of proximity has had on our ability to connect and teach emotional regulation and worthiness has been profound.
We start to assume kids are lazier, more disrespectful, and not as motivated as they were in the “good old days.” There is no evidence, however, to suggest this is true. In fact, as I’ve said before, (inspired by the great psychologist Dr. Stuart Shanker) I’ve assessed hundreds and hundreds of kids and I’ve never, not one time, met a bad kid. The majority of children I have worked with over the years struggled with one common thing: regulating their emotions in times of distress.
Teachers These Days explores all these notions – proximity, connection, emotional regulation– it also brings together theory and practice, weaving the science of human development with real-life stories and tangible strategies told by those most qualified to share them – our teachers.
Coming soon to audible, and teachable, in course-form!
