Documentation has been deemed necessary by the profession of early childhood education, which is why I think you'll appreciate ANN PELO's  approach to reclaiming the task  as one that is rich with potential to name and honor each child’s uniquely lived experiences of joy, grief, angst, curiosity, intelligence, their unique proclivities, and ... you know … the full range … (in addition, of course, to reporting on what each child has done, said, learned and accomplished).

Ann shines her bright light of heartfull wisdom and well-reasoned insight on the task of documentation for the profound purpose of inspiring teachers to be fully intentional about observing and acknowledging… not just WHAT happens in each child’s day at school, but the meaning (the human heart of each child’s story… by telling stories that matter about each child's life… that will matter going forward, because what we observe and DOCUMENT, will permeate how we relate to those children in our care… which will have major impacts on our expectations, our judgments, our openness to the ALL of who each one of them is … which, as Ann will explain in our conversation, very definitely has an impact on their social and emotional learning and development. It might seem subtle, but actually, the impact isn’t that subtle… its reverberations are quite pronounced.

Ann warmly, and with great love, invites teachers to turn the concept of documentation on its head… that even though it’s about the children … to honestly, courageously and consciously acknowledge that what teachers observe speaks volumes about the personal lens through which educators determine what is meaningful, what is worthy of their focus, their time… Ann explains the importance and impact of being fully mindful, fully present in the documentation process, with genuine curiosity, with a fresh and un-biased mindset, with self-awareness that makes room for, even welcomes, uncertainty and openness to new understandings.

Info and links to learn more about Ann Pelo’s ideas and offerings:

https://www.childcareexchange.com/catalog/product/from-teaching-to-thinking/3600573/

https://www.reggioalliance.org/downloads/insights_ch10_1.pdf

https://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinars/from-teaching-to-thinking-a-conversation-with-ann-pelo-and-margie-carter/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOmpWnLqK0A

This episode of the BIG PICTURE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING Podcast is specifically focused on upcoming Halloween celebrations, and the ways in which teachers and parents can provide thoughtful environments for children who’ve been effected by trauma, which implies that they might be, or will probably be, more sensitive to the intensity of experiences they’ll be encountering around October 31st.

Kelly Vrchota is a founding member of the Hope Connections Team, which is on a mission to support Trauma Sensitive Teachers who are helping ALL students feel SAFE, LOVED, & CAPABLE. There will be more info about the Hope Connections team at the end of this brief episode …

Kelly has a degree in elementary education and has worked with many students who’ve been impacted by trauma. She is a mom of 5 -2 biological and 3 adopted … so, as you listen to our conversation, I’m confident that you’ll see: Kelly does, indeed, walk her talk.

If you’d like to learn more about Kelly’s work, please go to her organization’s website at: www.ToHaveHope.com.

ToHaveHope exists to support those who seek to parent, teach, care for, love, know and relate to children who’ve suffered trauma, especially trauma connected with abandonment and adoption. Trauma deeply affects children’s ability to develop socially and emotionally… which is why ToHaveHope provides multiple levels of tools, strategies and coaching for families, caregivers, and teachers to help with healing and open the way for increasingly more positive outcomes.

Here's a link to the article I referred to at the beginning of this episode:  https://www.tohavehope.com/tstblog/halloween-and-kids-whove-been-impacted-by-trauma

     Rusty May is a practical, deeply passionate educator, and a former basketball coach, committed to helping teachers create connected, caring, working relationships with every student. In this episode, Rusty provides us with unique and highly educated insights for interacting with even the most challenging students that walk into our schools and classrooms. Rusty was the son of a 3-Star General who tended to parent as a 3-Star General, by emphasizing punishments over communication and thoughtful age-appropriate discipline. Rusty’s childhood experiences were pretty rough, made all the rougher by the fact that his home was a different military base every two years… so he can relate to many of the challenges of disconnection that today’s youth are experiencing, even if they’re not growing up in military families.  Rusty and I shared a conversation that will provide you with a wealth of evidence-based, feet-on-the-ground, time-saving, effortless-to-implement tools that can support you in generating more positive and productive learning environments. Please share this episode with teachers and parents who you know will appreciate and benefit from its content.

     You can learn more about Rusty and his offerings at www.schooltoolstv.com. Take him up on his offer to give you 2 free months, rather than a 1-month free trial to his daily videos. All you have to do is mention that you learned about him on this podcast to get that extra free month. And if you do take him up on his offer, I’d love to hear what kinds of responses and effects start showing up as a result.  Meantime, thank you for all that you do… and, if you haven’t already, please subscribe, because this podcast is just getting started at shining a light on all the great people who are building belonging in and out of today’s school environments… for everyone’s healthy social, emotional and lifeskills development.

CHOICES ARE GOOD for children because they create a sense  of being RESPECTED, and because legitimate choices provide the opportunity for children to move from reactionary impulsiveness to more mindful and considered evaluation of available options that are constructive, which, of course, lights up important - in fact - critical areas of neuronal development that might otherwise not get the exercise needed for their brain’s development.

A fundamental theme of this podcast is BUILDING BELONGING. Providing constructive choices for children is an essential element of BUILDING BELONGING… because providing constructive choices is a natural way to build mutual respect within classroom environments, the environment everyone shares and contributes to.

Sometimes, when something or someone is markedly different from what we’re used to, our minds automatically jump to conclusions based on something or someone we've previously encountered… or maybe just read about, or just seen on the news or even in a movie …

Science explains that automatic response, which we all have - to one degree or another, as the brain’s attempt to maintain a sense of order within the high volume of sensory input all of us encounter every day ~ all day.  To put it mildly, it’s the brain’s attempt to manage the overload that is life in the 21st century. The trouble with that automatic response, if we’re not careful, is that we get loose and sloppy with how we judge people, and therefore how we respond to them… sometimes negatively, sometimes disrespectfully, sometimes fearfully, sometimes hurtfully.

When I met Sarah Ansari and learned a little of her story, a little about her values, I couldn’t NOT invite her to join me in conversation on this, the Big Picture Social Emotional LIfeskills Podcast, and I made an assumption that you too, good listener, might have some curiosity about Muslim women’s identity and how they fit into an America that seems to be leaning more strongly towards division than towards mutual respect regarding differences … which as educators, I hope you agree, is an area of students’ LIFESKILLS development that is our responsibility to constructively nurture.

I hope and trust that you will appreciate Sarah’s perspective, her grace, her intelligence, and the dignity of her heart as expressed through her answers to my questions and concerns… with an apology in advance for the abrupt start to this interview, due to some pesky techno glitches.

~~~   The BIG PICTURE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LIFESKILLS PODCAST is a non-commercial podcast, but I encourage you to visit Sarah’s website, because I feel that her company’s mission deserves to be acknowledged and shared. Her company’s website is www.artizara.com: The mission at artizara is:

"We truly believe that people are alike in many more ways than they are different.      The Artizara aesthetic is all about crossing geographic divides to create beautiful products that not only celebrate the deep richness of Islamic artistic heritage but also find common ground among people of all backgrounds. We hope to help build a world where all people hold their heads high and celebrate their identity."

There are so many ways to  build healthy belonging in schools... ways that require little to no formal training in order to implement.  This episode suggests just a few of the wide-ranging options available:

Therapy dogs in the classroom are dogs specially trained to provide both physical and emotional health benefits for students. According to one study published by the National Institutes of Health(NIH), having a dog present in the classroom promotes a positive mood and provides significant anti-stress effects. The simple act of petting a dog lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Pet therapy also lowers stress hormones, like cortisol, and increases happiness hormones, otherwise known as endorphins. In other words, just being in contact with a therapy dog calms kids down when they’re upset and helps to reduce their anxiety... enabling them to better focus on getting along with others, while increasing actual learning ability.

Additionally, the NIH study states that interacting with a therapy dog leads to “increased stimulation of social behavior.” These relationships build trust and trustworthiness in children and help them develop a greater capacity for empathy. https://www.weareteachers.com/dogs-in-the-classroom/

And then there’s the phenomenal value of genuine, honest-to-goodness laughter in the classroom … https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/laugh-and-be-thankful-its-good-for-the-heart-20101124839

According to research (yes, they even do research on laughter) … laughter induces real, measurable, physical changes in the body. Laughter stimulates the heart, lungs and muscles, while increasing endorphins (those naturally-produced ‘happy’ hormones.)

Visit the website for Dr. Greene’s non-profit organization, LivesInTheBalance.ORG  This website includes general information about Dr. Greene’s model - which can be initially  summed up with the understanding that ‘kids do well if they can/when they know how’. The website provides answers to lots of questions about applying Dr. Greene’s model in school settings; as well as LOTS of other info, articles, and research papers.  The website also provides streaming video, which is fantastically helpful and hope giving.

There are so many ways to  build healthy belonging in schools... ways that require little to no formal training in order to implement.  This episode suggests just a few of the wide-ranging options available:

Therapy dogs in the classroom are dogs specially trained to provide both physical and emotional health benefits for students. According to one study published by the National Institutes of Health(NIH), having a dog present in the classroom promotes a positive mood and provides significant anti-stress effects. The simple act of petting a dog lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Pet therapy also lowers stress hormones, like cortisol, and increases happiness hormones, otherwise known as endorphins. In other words, just being in contact with a therapy dog calms kids down when they’re upset and helps to reduce their anxiety... enabling them to better focus on getting along with others, while increasing actual learning ability.

Additionally, the NIH study states that interacting with a therapy dog leads to “increased stimulation of social behavior.” These relationships build trust and trustworthiness in children and help them develop a greater capacity for empathy. https://www.weareteachers.com/dogs-in-the-classroom/

And then there’s the phenomenal value of genuine, honest-to-goodness laughter in the classroom … https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/laugh-and-be-thankful-its-good-for-the-heart-20101124839

According to research (yes, they even do research on laughter) … laughter induces real, measurable, physical changes in the body. Laughter stimulates the heart, lungs and muscles, while increasing endorphins (those naturally-produced ‘happy’ hormones.)

Visit the website for Dr. Greene’s non-profit organization, LivesInTheBalance.ORG  This website includes general information about Dr. Greene’s model - which can be initially  summed up with the understanding that ‘kids do well if they can/when they know how’. The website provides answers to lots of questions about applying Dr. Greene’s model in school settings; as well as LOTS of other info, articles, and research papers.  The website also provides streaming video, which is fantastically helpful and hope giving.

Linda Glaser, a former LAUSD teacher, created Community Circle LA over 7 years ago.  Linda is on fire about this program, because it’s proven to be powerfully effective at helping students, TK thru 5th grade, focus on and improve their social interactions, their emotional well being and their life skills development. Her program is uncommonly creative and wide reaching… and it is the most effective approach to creating family engagement that I have yet to learn about.      LINDA'S WEBSITE:  https://communitycirclela.wixsite.com/ccla

High school junior, Enrique Alverde and I met at a day long community forum which invited attendees to build a collaborative tomorrow by participating in interactive study sessions with the local board of education and also with district leadership. There were a lot of great adults there… educators, parents, coaches, volunteers, and just 3 students… Enrique was one of those 3, and I couldn’t resist the chance to have him share his thoughts and ideas with all of us on this podcast… so I invited him and he accepted. In this interview, he respectfully describes some of what’s working and some of what’s not working according to him and his classmates. This is a uniquely refreshing interview with a voice from the other side of the classroom, which IS a voice of the future. I hope you enjoy listening as much I enjoyed this conversation with Enrique Alverde.

Skills, USA:    a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.  You can learn more on their website: www.skillsusa.org