Darryl Connelly: Supporting Students Who Are Anxious - PLD

12/10/2020

Daryl Connelly 3:15 – 4:20 

The following are the notes I took as the Zoom session took place:

Understanding anxiety is about receiving love and giving love.

Daryl began with a Karakia in English.

He’s conscious that it’s really hard to always give to one child.

Using a lot of information from Karen Young (heysigmund.com) and Melon Health.

Anxiety is absolutely normal.

Research suggests that anxiety is increasing in both adults and children - global uncertainty is adding to this.

Children have less opportunity to take risks and to make mistakes, and to be comfortable with mistakes. There’s no intrinsic opportunity to take risks and be rewarded. Diets are deteriorating. The use of devices and computer games are increasing; the pressure to be ‘perfect’ on social media; less sleep, less food, and less physical activity – Emerging Minds, 2020.

Anxiety can feel different for each person, but it’s generally not nice.

It’s normal and to a degree functional; the brain wants us to do something, thinks there is danger… misperceives risk.

Fright, flight, or freeze – this is different for everyone and can be physical as well as psychological.

Understanding where anxiety is coming from is a great way to begin to deal with it – and the fact that it’s normal.

Window of tolerance is where we function the best, how we learn. How do we bring students back in that have gone outside the ‘window’?

Is it out of proportion to what’s going on and is it interfering with everyday function?

Anxiety is the ‘fear of being afraid’.

Kids find interesting ways to manage their anxiety – hiding under tables…

Relationships are so important – seek first to understand – active listening – ABC, always be calm and if you can’t then find someone else who can be there for them. Reflecting, clarifying, summarizing, remembering; validating feelings, acknowledge bravery; acknowledge these thoughts can be scary and keep hanging around even when we don’t want them.

Panic attacks are anxiety on steroids – this can be incredibly scary.

Positive self-talk will help with mood and understanding.

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths – Etty Hillesum

Different breathing techniques are helpful to calm down. There’s Alphabreaths – The ABCs of breathing.

If you’re unable to be calm, then please leave… (this clearly works in certain settings e.g., if there is a safe space to go.

Grounding refers to a practice that helps people remain in the present; bring them back without doing any damage.

Thoughts and beliefs affect our emotions which then affect our actions.

Helpful, unhelpful, and neutral thoughts fill our minds; we can use which we pick up; which we hold on to and which we leave behind. Yes, I’ve got these thoughts, but I don’t have to listen to them.

Aroha’s Way by Craig Phillips – there’s also a range of books that go with this; awesome Kiwi book about a young girl dealing with her anxiety.

Pleasant events scheduling and gratitude; behavioral activation; distraction are all strategies for coping with anxiety.

Grateful; Learnt; Accomplished; GLAD

Research shows grateful kids are happier and more optimistic; Notice, think, Feel, Do… ask your kids these questions… Less likely to be jealous and materialistic; more likely to use their strengths when they are grateful. Positive self-talk is important.

Brave, Strong, and Powerful – breathing techniques and touching each finger to your thumb and repeating, I am brave, strong, and powerful. Darryl mentioned a kid he worked with who did this at the top of a hydroslide that he really wanted to go down but was struggling with anxiety. He overcame this by focusing on the aforementioned calming strategy.

The below statement is a part of this PLD that is meaningful to me on various levels. I understand how important relationships are in terms of teaching and the relationships I form with my colleagues as well as the students I teach are vital - however I'm also aware that these relationships aren't always going to be easy or necessarily positive. In the Fabric room, where producing 'products' is the end goal, it can get very difficult in large classes to ensure every student is successful - successful could be overcoming their anxiety when using a sewing machine or pushing through challenges when they are tired and grumpy or just plain bored. A positive relationship with their class room teacher is essential to understanding a student's needs or dealing with troubling behaviour - trusting that their classroom teacher has filled in the Google Doc we share about high/behavioural needs. I'm going to try my best if/or when situations arise to use the below strategy of validating their feelings, acknowledging that tasks in the Fabric room can be scary, and to encourage students to move forward and persevere.

Relationships are so important – seek first to understand – active listening – ABC, always be calm and if you can’t then find someone else who can be there for them. Reflecting, clarifying, summarizing, remembering; validating feelings, acknowledge bravery; acknowledge these thoughts can be scary and keep hanging around even when we don’t want them.

I acknowledge that sometimes I feel anxious, teaching large classes and stressing about students behaviour/choices and how they affect the whole class at times. I feel anxious about coming back to school after lockdowns or knowing that Covid is in the community, or even knowing that I will have to teach a certain student who's behaviour I struggle with. I feel anxious when students have ben away and I have to find ways to catch them up on the work as well as keep the other students on task and/or up to date. I feel anxious when students have had to wait for my help and sit in my class doing nothing, or when they don't finish their work in the time that's been given. I know a number of these things are out of my control, however the things I can control are the way I respond to situations that induce a students anxiety or my own. I'm going to try my hardest to tune into my own self efficacy to ensure students' who /are/become anxious in my class can succeed.