Welcome to the new school year! It can be a time of anticipation and excitement, or apprehension and anxiety - or a combination. In the Connection Corner we will share information, tips, and tools for social-emotional skills, well-being, and positive mindsets, applicable in the home, classroom and virtual learning environments, to enhance everyone’s educational experience.

As our sights become set on summer break, there is a tendency to want to abandon routines and structure, and just “go with the flow.” While taking a break is important and needed, it’s also important to maintain health and well-being. Dr. Dan Siegel’s research-based “Healthy Mind Platter” is a guide for finding balance, offering “seven daily essentials” for a healthy mind for adults and kids: https://drdansiegel.com/healthy-mind-platter/

There exists a stereotype of toddlers referred to as the ‘Terrible Two’s. The increased abilities and autonomy characteristic of that age present parents/teachers with the challenge of finding a balance between allowing for exploration and discovery while keeping them and others safe. It is also a time of testing which can result in power struggles that feel ‘terrible’ for both adult and child.

Having options and the opportunity to choose is liberating and facilitates self-directed and self-determined behavior. When confronted with challenges or feelings we’re not sure what to do with, having a Wheel of Choice keeps us mindful of options and takes us to next steps.

I was struck by the lessons the mother bird provided for human parenting/teaching. In addition to adults providing safety, nourishment, and modeling, children need freedom, autonomy and trust to independently practice survival skills on their own. We can read their cues and step in only as needed. We can recognize that each child develops in their own time and in their own space, and that cooperation from those around them enables this to occur.

In order to accomplish anything with others, we need to understand the components of collaboration. The following steps provide a framework for ‘co-labor-ing’ for solutions with students and others.

How many times have we said, “He made me angry,” or “I lost my temper.” Have you ever been arguing with someone when another person walks in that you don’t want seeing you angry, and then instantly curb your anger? In the first two situations, we typically think we have no control over our anger, while in the second, we can and do control this feeling. How can these both be true?

Today’s offering is an 18 min. video that covers the effects of screens and technology on the brain, including the developing brains and minds of young people. There is science-based information about the effects on sleep, focus, the potential for addiction, communication, social-emotional skills, and relationships.

The word ‘trust’ means different things in different contexts, i.e., public trust (responsibility and accountability to society), trust in God (internal confidence or faith) and trust in the future (a hope that things will be better).

When it comes to relationships, ‘trust’ becomes more clouded.

When the calendar flips to a new year, it is common to mark this turning point as an opportunity to make a change in one’s life. Some make well-intentioned New Year Resolutions, some do so half-heartedly expecting at some point to fail, and some are simply not interested.

Did you know that practicing gratitude can change your brain and also help you become healthier? Research has shown that feeling grateful releases dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain that help enhance mood.

In the movie “Shrek,” Lord Farquaad justifies his unkind comments about the ogre by saying, “It’s not as if it has feelings.” This line emphasizes that what makes us truly human is our ability to experience feelings, as well as being able to empathize with another’s feelings.

Neuroscience has shown that the brain is a “social organ,” wired for connection. As social beings, we exist in relationship to others whether in the home, school, workplace or community. Relationships work best when we can understand the situation, thoughts and feelings of another, to facilitate cooperation. This is empathy.

Did you know that from birth to age five, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life? A baby is born with 100 billion neurons just waiting to connect! Neurons are nerve cells, the building blocks of brain development, and neuronal connections are made through everyday experiences.