You are who you eat lunch with. Emotions are contagious. There is an actual science behind this contagion of emotions. When we catch someone else’s emotions, we can thank our mirror neurons, (or our empathy neurons, as we like to call them). Educators tend to have an abundance of these neurons at our disposal -we are especially empathetic people! We talk about how this impacts our  work with kids in our book, Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students. Turns out, it is just as important to be aware of our mirror neurons when we think about the educators we work with!

When a student has not yet learned to read or solve a math equation, educators don’t get angry or take it personally. The same thing needs to be true for behavior.

Students are going to make mistakes. Educators must remember that mistakes don’t define a person. When we help students understand this, they are much more willing to make changes and become a better version of themselves.

You love kids. We know this because you are reading this. Plus, this work is too hard to do for any other reason - after all you didn’t go into it for the money! If this is not ringing true for you, we invite  you to consider a different profession. For real. 

If you are still reading this, we are going to assume you love kids. You know that. We know that. Your colleagues know that. You know who probably doesn’t know that? Your students. 

Summer is an excellent time for reflection and rejuvenation. And we all know how much educators need this! As helpful as it is to recharge during this time, the effects of summer can only carry us so far into the very busy school year.

We like to think that in education we get two opportunities for a reset - New Years Day and the start of a new school year. We encourage you to use this time to both reflect on the habits you hope to maintain during the school year, and think how you can incorporate what you are doing for yourself and your family now, during these lazy days of summer. This, of course, is easy to say and hard to do!

Our educational community is vast. It includes folks from all walks of life, various political affiliations, diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. What connects each of us is that we all genuinely care about kids. No matter where we are in the world, when we come together to create a culture of connection, our ripple effect is profound. It brings our vast community together.

Are you navigating springtime behaviors with students? We know we are! Check out our first blog for some helpful tips to help avoid the power struggle trap.

Ever felt frustrated and just needed to vent, only to be bombarded with advice? Did it leave you feeling even more irritated? Check out a better way to connect through conversation using Acknowledge, Validate, coach. It works for preschoolers, high schoolers, colleagues, and even your most challenging family members!

Eye contact is controversial. We get it. This means, we must examine our purpose when asking students to use it. Connected Communicators allow students to focus on someone’s  words instead of their face. When a student is avoiding eye contact we remind ourselves that there are times when a student can look at us or listen to us, but not both.

Connected Communicators know that all behaviors communicate a need or a feeling. Some students seem to communicate through unexpected behaviors a lot. If you are struggling to support an "over communicator," it may be helpful to take a step back and make a plan. We promise- taking a few minutes to be intentional with your response will make all the difference.

Apologizing is hard work, and frankly no fun. Knowing we are going to mess up, we have to ensure our missteps don’t cause long-term harm to our relationships. The only way to do this when a mistake is ours is to apologize and mean it. No matter your resolutions, give yourself some grace. Humans make mistakes. Congratulations on being human.

When students are struggling at school with unexpected behaviors, it is critical we partner with their caregivers. Connected Communicators know how important this is, and yet, we also know how tricky this can be. This is especially true when the caregiver is likely to become heightened about their child’s unexpected behaviors.

Work gratitude into your daily routine so that you, your students, and your colleagues can reap the many benefits of gratitude.

Every student needs something slightly different from us in order to reach their academic potential. Isn’t it strange that this is so much easier for us to consider for academics, and yet we struggle to apply the same logic to behavior?

The October Slump is for real! Lets examine some ways we can overcome and persevere through this sometimes challenging time of year.

The connected communicator knows that taking some time to plan for a connected conversation can make all the difference.

Connected Communicators understand that in order for kids to learn from us, they first have to know we care about them. You might be thinking, “Of course we care. Why else would we do this challenging work?” Although as educators we know this, students often don’t. So, it is our job to intentionally and explicitly show and tell students how much we care about them. Read the rest of this post by clicking below.

The Connected Communicator knows how critical it is to get to know our students well. This means learning about our students' families, interests, likes, dislikes, and even their favorite snack. As we gear up for the new school year, we have a whole new group of students to get to know! So, how do we even start?

Emotions are contagious. As Educators, we need to make sure our emotions are worth catching! Read more about how to help students catch your calm.