How are you feeling about going back to school?

This experience will have been different for every student, teacher and parent. Some will be happy, others traumatised and everything in between. We can’t assume how anyone feels. How do we deal with all of this?

Phychologist Dr Helen Street, chair of Positive Schools, suggests we ask 4 questions similar to these. Make sure EVERY person has a chance to answer each one in their own way- speaking, drawing, one to one or in the group. They must feel they belong and have an equal voice : 1. What felt different for you learning at home? 2. What did you enjoy? 3. What did you miss? 4. What would you like to do differently back at school?

It’s very healthy to TALK about and experience your FEELINGS. Use Circle Time, so everyone has a chance to speak. ALL feelings are good, it’s what we do with them that can make a difference. If we let them CONTROL us, that’s where we can be in trouble! YOU need to CONTROL your feelings so you don’t hurt either yourself or others, and so you can feel happier. We need to all build strategies to control our feelings. (See some helpful posters below)

Controlling your feelings by SELF SOOTHING

What helps YOU clam down? Everyone is different. Modeling Self Soothing gives the best example that it works, do some together: e.g. Deep breathing, drinking water, reading, walking, running, playing outside, painting, cooking, eating (not too much!!), listening to music, singing, dancing, playing sport, watching a movie, mediation, mindfulness, games, jokes, laughing, lying down, resting, sunshine, swimming, a bath, the gym, exercises, yoga, writing, drawing, puzzles, jigsaws, climbing, sitting under or in a tree, the park, a playground, talking to a friend or helper, pets, animals, fishing, lego, IT, robotics, etc.

Mindfulness or Meditation

Always helps to ground and centre us, and has much research to show it works. There are many resources such as Smiling Mind, that can be used.

Routine

PREDICTION = SAFETY Have a schedule up each day so there are no surprises, and if the schedule changes, let the students know in advance if possible. After all the disruptions, routine is comfort.

Gratitude

There are ALWAYS things to be grateful for. Focusing on the things that go right can help to increase mood. Do this in a written, spoken, in your mind or pictorial way. Try and do it every day until the next holidays to get them into the habit. Have a gratitude board in the staff room, tell students to ask their parents what they are grateful for.

Discover Strengths

Use strength cards and discussions, or questionnaires, to discover each others strengths – both physical and emotional. Talk about how you could use your strengths to help others. Make Strength posters, display them. We ALL have strengths we can share to make the world a better place.

Exercise every day

Get the students and yourself moving, both in the classroom, or work area and outside. Dance, sing, do brain gym, PE, a ‘Play is the Way’ game, Simon says, etc. have frequent breaks if students are not settled.

Relationship and Empathy

Get to know your students all over again, things will have changed. Some will have improved, some will have regressed – in either learning and /or behaviour. Relationship is VERY important, every person wants to belong, this goes for staff as well. Empathy is relationship building.

Posters that may help:

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By Barb Bellesini

Even though children or adults may not show outward signs of worry or anxiety, almost ALL will be effected in some way. They may have been in the fires, lost their home, been worried about the smoke everywhere, seen pictures on TV, heard adults talk about it, had their holiday changed or stopped, donated to the fire charities, been at sporting matches were they were raising money or had someone effected by the Coronavirus – all of these things can play on their minds. Until you ask the question, you don’t know what they are thinking. Try the following strategies:

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Routine at any time helps you feel safer and less anxious. You know what is coming. Go over safety plans, but NOT an unscheduled one, as is often the case for ‘practice.’ Put up your schedule every day, and try and stick to it.

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Watch, observe and listen. Are there mood changes? Unusual outbreaks? Lack of interest? Drop in motivation? Do they react to noises, sudden movement or sounds, smells or colours? Use a ‘Mood Map’ or ‘Catastrophe Scale’ to help them monitor their own moods and readiness for learning.

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Get to know each child. Learn their likes, hobbies and show an interest in them. Rapport and respect are essential.

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Use Circle time to give children an opportunity to state how they feel, using ‘silent statements’ may be a good way to start. Allow each child to talk, write and draw about things they did over the holidays, some will mention the fires, smoke or virus, others may not want to talk about it. Never force them to speak, always give them the option to ‘pass,’ but keep a close eye on their behaviour. Let them talk and walk with a friend or support person if they need to.

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Use deep breathing, mindfulness, gratitude, self soothing, counting to ten, music, physical exercise, colouring, reading, massage, walking and talking etc. Teach them as many different ways to calm as you can, as some will work on one day and may not work the next! They will know what works best for them. Gratitude is a wonderful way to show them they have good things in their lives. It can change their mood and attitude. Setting Goals can also help them to focus.

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Get them to draw a hand and write an adult they can trust to talk to and tell them any worries on each finger. If they are older, write friends or extras on the palm. Everyone needs someone to let out worries to. Different people may be for different worries. Some may need to be referred to a Doctor, Psychologist or Psychiatrist. Let them know that is OK.

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Watch and listen for negative self talk, encourage and teach positive self talk. This will lead to a Growth Mindset.

Other resources: Blog from Berry Street with more ideas on how to cope in the classroom. https://blog.goodchildhood.org.au/2020/01/22/supporting-our-communities/?utm_source=Berry+Street+Childhood+Institute&utm_campaign=d08356712e-BSEM-supporting-communities-2020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e9cacd28b5-d08356712e-429994321

Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/bushfires-and-mental-health/ https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

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What is inspiration? Middles and Seniors watched the following short video called: –‘NEVER GIVE UP, Nick Vujicic in a School.’ Nick is a motivational speaker who was born a Thalidomide, with no arms or legs. He has a short limb he calls ‘Chicken drumstick’, and has become a VERY independent adult, teaching and challenging himself to do many and varied things that ‘able bodied’ people can achieve. The children were touched by the presentation and have come up with their own ‘Inspirational Statements.’ Watch the video again with your children to see what they saw.

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 by Barb Bellesini

We do the right thing,  because it’s the best thing to do.

This is from a Wilson McCaskill Poster from his Play is the Way program Life Raft  see : https://playistheway.com.au/

IT TAKES GREAT STRENGTH TO BE SENSIBLE

These are suggestions from the Seniors on ways we can do this:

How many of these do you do??

Consider others

Listen to everyone

Respect other’s work and property

Practise makes perfect

Be compassionate

No talking at the wrong times

Think about others- respect, kindness, listening, being nice

We should follow instructions

Stay confident

Don’t be encouraged by people doing the wrong thing

Let everyone have their say

Stand up for others

Help and include others

Have self-respect and respect others

Think before you act

Believe in yourself

Be resilient and be yourself

Trust yourself

Work co-operatively with others

Be positive at hard times

Control yourself

Think of things positively and meditate

Make time and be patient

Don’t say things about others when you don’t know the full story

Recover from mistakes and learn from them

Be strong in mind

Be fair with everyone, even if you are cross!

Stay calm when you are upset

Try hard even when things are frustrating or difficult

Co-operate with new and different people

Don’t do things you will regret, walk away

Encourage everyone

Believe in yourself, even if you don’t think it’s possible

Treat people how you want to be treated

Be strong and have goals

Think before you speak

 IT TAKES GREAT STRENGTH TO BE SENSIBLE –

HOW STRONG ARE YOU??

Control your Feelings

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Welcome to the Be Positive Program. This is a Resilience and Wellbeing  Program that has been developed and tested in Australian schools, and covers every Social and Emotional Curriculum Standard, but can easily be used in any English speaking country. The Posters are currently being used at every school level, from Prep /Pre-Primary to the final year at secondary school, as well as in waiting rooms, and by some Psychologists.

The current Lesson Plans and Workbook are best for children from 4 – 8 years, but can be adapted up or down to suit different levels. By the end of 2018 there will be lesson plans and Blackline Masters for all primary grades and up to year 8 – 13 or 14 year olds.

Hi my name is Barb Bellesini. I am a mother of 4 very different children and have been taught every level from Pre-Primary to Grade 6. (4yrs -13yrs) As a classroom teacher and Specialist in Physical Education and Positive Education, my experience is broad.
My philosophy of teaching has ALWAYS been- ‘To form a relationship with your students, and make them feel listened to and understood, then they will have much more potential to learn.’

Social and Emotional Learning has been a passion and I have been lucky enough to be a Specialist ‘Positive Education’ Teacher for 6 years, teaching from Prep to 6 and developing these programs.

I have refined a Prep program that covers all of the SEL areas, which sets up a basis, language and strategies to be built on and developed in future years.

Developing programs for the other levels was done on a year to year and term to term basis, but I would try to cover all areas over a two year period. In the 6 years no two were the same!

All SEL programs help to build resilience, but it is more effective and better retained if followed up at home as well as school. I also began a Positive Ed Blog, which documents many things we have done over the last few years including songs, children’s ideas, some of which i will share with you here.

I would write in the Newsletter each fortnight with a Home Practise section for parents to follow up at home. Some did, some didn’t, but those families that did built better relationships and built up new strategies and ways to communicate as a family.

I have many resources to share- The Junior Workbook and Lesson Plans, posters, program notes for all other Primary levels, a Gratitude Journal and PD opportunities.

www.bepositiveprogram.com.au will have both old and new Blog posts with songs, stories, outcomes and various ‘child raising’ issues.

Contact me through my website or my email and leave me your details for further information.  barb@bepositiveprogram.com.au

Thank you in anticipation of having happy, balanced people surrounding you.

Barb Bellesini

Package 1

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