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A “firm foothold” of our own family experience is a reminder of one way we derive our resilience which should never be assumed with the children we see.

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The children who find their way to us for help, children who have been hurt and mistreated by those they’ve had to rely on for care, children who—undiminished by their repeated failed efforts—still fight for what they need, only to bring more attention to the fight and less to what they really need, children who no longer trust—constantly hijacked by phantom threats and imagined rejection, children who are afraid of the world every day, complicated children who have long surpassed the capacity of their parent’s, teacher’s and therapist’s to fully understand them or to help them. These children need to be seen by us for the depth of their distress and the full extent of their ordeal, without minimizing, normalizing, denying, or needing to spare the feelings of those who have tried to help and failed, or those who have not tried as they should have.

Without blaming, accusing, or finding fault with anyone who has been involved, or anyone who is involved right now, we must have the courage and the honesty to face the truth behind the suffering that comes through the school door in the morning. We must truly and fully see these children—not the story that others have imposed on them—and we must convince them that they are fully seen, heard, felt, and understood, that we will endeavor to help them and that we are capable and unafraid and won’t look away.

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We know what the children are saying even when they are saying something else, and we know how they are feeling about it well before they recognize it themselves. We are the inventors of what to do when nobody knows what to do, and the doers of what must be done when no one else can do it or no one else wants to do it. We advocate for the kiddos who need us most at a time when their options are most limited. Sometimes we are the only ones who see what is possible, so we lead by example, with quiet strength, boundless creativity, and an unyielding determination. Drawing from deep reserves of our own resilience, we try again, and again, and again, to change the trajectory of life for each young student within the therapeutic classroom community.

You have some precious souls in your room, all trying to be somebody, all struggling with themselves and the world, trying to trust someone and believe in themselves, and with you as their teacher they are in the best possible hands. I appreciate what you do.

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There are also specialized Guidelines for Teachers to build connection and support students in a virtual classroom environment. Many of these materials are useful to both parents and teachers.

Also please see the Managing Pandemic Stress Toolkit to support caregivers, educators and healthcare providers, or anyone experiencing unprecedented stress during the corona virus pandemic.

There are also guides and tools to help you Prepare Yourself for the Return to School in the Fall. Including support for trauma-impacted children.

Support Children Who Are Home

Modules I-VIII are guidelines to help parents support their children while they are home from school during corona virus (Covid 19). Each module is a different component of support, because you may want to provide this information in smaller organized pieces. Modules are grouped, so please be sure to scroll through longer documents.

Module I:  Structure Through Schedules and Routines
Module II:  Attunement, Increasing the Quality of Adult Attention
Module III: Quiet Time, Solitary Time, Restore and Reset
Module IV: Promoting Positive Actions and Positive Emotions
Module V: Expressing Gratitude and Appreciation
Module VI: Information Control for Children
Module VII: Supportive Communication (Part 1)
Module VIII: Supportive Communication (Part 2)
Related Materials and Links (All Modules)

Please also see: Additional Related Materials/Links for Modules I-VIII

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Materials to support teachers managing virtual classrooms:

Promoting Engagement in a Virtual Classroom
Achieving Social Connectedness While Physically Distant: The Appreciation Journal
Building on Your Student Relationships:  Staying Attuned in a Virtual Classroom
Building on Your Student Relationships: Recognition and Reward
Related Materials for Teachers (All Articles, Guidelines/Links)
Engaging Less Motivated Students: A Checklist of Intervention Options for Virtual Classrooms
Student Performance During Distance Learning – Rating Form

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The Pandemic Stress Management Toolkit for caregivers, educators and healthcare providers.

Stress during this pandemic is like no other stress we’ve experienced before, which is why large numbers of educators and service providers are breaking down and experiencing uncontrolled stress responses. Many of our normal and automatic means of coping are inadequate for this increased demand. We need to be more deliberate in our efforts to reset the stress response ourselves. The following toolkit gives specific instruction to support individuals to interrupt the stress response and reset their brains and bodies.

Go to: Prepare for Your Return to School

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We must give serious thought to the stress and the emotional impact that working under pandemic conditions has created for educators, because they will be returning to the school buildings in the fall and the job cannot be done well by people who are worn out, burdened by stress, scarred by trauma and filled with feelings of guilt, regret and inadequacy.

The pandemic experience has already had a profound effect on educators personally, professionally and emotionally. What can we do right now…

Introduction: Prepare Yourself for Your Return to School
Teachers of the Pandemic
Reflection on the Pandemic
Understand the Adverse Impact
Mitigate the Adverse Impact
Helping Students Feel More Secure
Supporting Trauma-Impacted Students Returning to School
Pandemic Trauma in Students Returning to School Buildings

Related Reference Materials

Please also see: Supporting Our Children and Ourselves During A Stressful Time.

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Related Articles 

Compassion Fatigue: Educator and Clinician Resilience Guide (this page)
Compassion Fatigue and Resilience With Staff in Therapeutic Program
Signs and Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue
Risk Factors for Compassion Fatigue
Minimizing Compassion Fatigue
Options for Creating a Resilience Plan: From Protect to Revitalize
Signs of Work Engagement and Compassion Satisfaction

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Also see:
Coping During Corona 19
Preparing Yourself to Return to School
Reflection on the Pandemic  

The post Teachers of the Pandemic appeared first on Kevin Plummer, PhD.

Please also see:
Coping During Corona 19
Preparing Yourself to Return to School
Managing Pandemic Stress Toolkit
Teachers of the Pandemic

The post Reflection on the Pandemic appeared first on Kevin Plummer, PhD.

May you be thoughtful, patient, generous and supportive.
May you inspire hope; may you always imagine the possibilities
And may you see each day as full of promise

May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you be safe and secure
May you be free from suffering

May you see the best and bring out the best in each other
May you feel understood, listened to, respected and appreciated
May you feel valued, worthwhile and proud

May you be well
May you be peaceful
May you live with ease, and free from fear

May you be open, humble, trusting and forgiving
Kind, courageous, compassionate and strong
And may you be resilient in the face of adversity

May you experience joy and share laughter
May you feel the warmth of friendship
May you strive to be kind to yourself and each other

May you believe in each other, advocate for each other, embrace each other’s strengths, share each other’s struggles, pull each other up, lead the way, follow the other’s lead, and be willing to carry more than your share of the load whenever it becomes necessary

May you be well.

Save PDF: Compassion Meditation – May You Be

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