麻豆传媒入口

Brains can only take so much. The exact line that marks the boundary between 鈥渆nough to manage鈥� and 鈥渢oo much鈥� is defined by individual experiences and personalities, but I think it鈥檚 safe to say that the last two years have been universally Too. Much. Especially for educators.

One of the things we know about brains that have been pushed too far is that they can鈥檛 learn. They just can鈥檛. They need an opportunity to calm, to feel safe, to find their way out of the lizard-brain response that is fight-flight-flock-freeze-appease. The absolute worst way to do that? Pile more on. Ask for more effort, more learning, more higher-level thinking requiring empathy and reflection and synthesis and analysis. That will get you exactly the opposite of what you鈥檙e looking for.

Stress Upon Stress

So as I look at schools that are trying鈥攚ith what I believe to be the best of intentions鈥攖o respond to student brains that have had just too much, I see teacher brains that have had just as much too much. They are being asked for more effort, more learning, more higher-level thinking requiring empathy and reflection and synthesis and analysis, essentially making the pre-pandemic too much鈥攚hich wasn鈥檛 sustainable but was at least familiar鈥攁nd adding a whole new level of too much on top of it.

The result? Angry, frustrated teachers who are deciding minute to minute whether or not they can stay on the job. Teachers walking out after second period, dropping off their keys and lanyards three months into school, leaving behind hard-earned licenses and dreamed-of careers because they just can鈥檛 do what鈥檚 being asked of them.

What can we do? I like to lean on the teachings of and what I refer to as his best formula ever: High social complexity + low form predictability = stress reactive behaviors.

High social complexity (lack of clarity around the social expectations, cultural norms, and how to navigate the expected social realities of a situation) + low form predictability (confusion about what is going to happen moment to moment, day to day, week to week) = stress reactive behaviors (fight-flight-flock-freeze-appease or signs that the amygdala, the lizard brain, has taken control and the prefrontal cortex鈥攖he part that learns and plans and creates鈥攊sn鈥檛 fully engaged).

In my experience, this formula holds true for most everyone鈥攕tudents, teachers, and leaders alike鈥攑articularly right now when so much of this is out of our control. We don鈥檛 get to decide whether or not school will be closed because of an uptick in cases or if a group of adults is going to picket or disrupt school because of mask or vaccination requirements or if there are going to be enough鈥攐r any鈥攕ubstitutes when family emergencies arise, so we may or may not end up covering a class on 10 minutes鈥� notice.

Students who don鈥檛 know what the social rules are may choose to engage in the latest TikTok challenge because it provides some clarity around social expectations, sorely lacking after two years away from their peers. They鈥檙e trying to find their place in the social hierarchy of a grade or school that they weren鈥檛 allowed to grow into.

Possible Solutions

What can we do? We can seek to decrease, wherever possible, the social complexity by slowing down, by working in the smallest groups possible, by building real community through meaningful work, by building expectations with students鈥攌eeping them simple and concrete鈥攁nd then using those expectations to provide much-needed boundaries.

We can seek to provide as much predictability as possible for ourselves and our students. We can go over Plan A and Plan B, Plan 鈥渋n class鈥� and Plan 鈥渞emote,鈥� and take the guesswork out of 鈥渨hat will happen if.鈥� Create routines and live into them鈥攑ersonally, professionally, and pedagogically鈥攕o we can minimize decision points in the day.

Administrators must seek to do the same: build appropriate, clear, simple, concrete expectations with teachers around expectations and routines for students and for one another and then present a unified front with the professionals in their classrooms.

Mostly, though, we can extend grace to ourselves, our peers, and our students. We can be patient with our students, ourselves, and one another. This could mean holding unconditional positive regard; questioning our internal assumptions; allowing extra time for processing and responses (fact-to-face or digitally); asking follow-up questions; intentionally speaking more slowly, more gently, and more carefully; or taking a pause at transition points in your day.

Because I wanted to be reminded of my commitment to working within our current reality and be transparent with my colleagues and students, I added these words of Alex Shevrin Venet to my email signature: 鈥淧lease note: We鈥檙e still in a global pandemic. Things are not normal. Your health and well-being are more important than anything. I鈥檓 going to do my best to teach, advise, and collaborate to the best of my ability. I understand that you are all doing your best given that there鈥檚 a pandemic and nothing is normal. Almost everything is flexible. Just ask.鈥�

We didn鈥檛 get here in a few months, and it鈥檚 going to take more time than that to get beyond it. We all must commit to actions and values that demonstrate a culture of support and above all flexibility. We鈥檝e suffered a collective trauma鈥攚e鈥檙e still suffering it鈥攁nd expecting business as usual or even more than that isn鈥檛 going to get us anything but anger, frustration, and hostility from those we seek to serve.