Wellbeing, Fear and the Common Good
The 2021/22 academic year marks my 30th anniversary as an educator. And while the 11 years I spent in university have no doubt informed my career, the lived experience of teaching and leading schools has been my true professional development.
One of the slow burning light bulbs that took a while to turn on and is now glowing brightly, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, is that well-being is everything. I’ll repeat - well-being is everything. Without well-being - both physical and socio-emotional - learning, at best, will be a struggle and at worst will not take place. The distressed brain is not our critical thinking brain and if students (and staff) do not feel safe and secure in their environments, then the limbic fight/flight/freeze response kicks in and dominates, pushing our poor cognitive brain to the background. It is for this reason that I am such a huge proponent of support in all its forms, whether it be socio-emotional or learning, in the quest to provide the optimal learning environment. I encourage students to ask for help, and to know that to do so is a sign of strength, not weakness. And there is no better way to build community than reaching out to someone for support and knowing we will be there for each other, unconditionally.
One of the many challenges that Covid has presented is that it is raising society’s fear level to an all time high. None of us have ever experienced such collective uncertainty and the ever changing landscape that it is presenting. And seemingly with no end in sight. The result - our brains are distressed! Our talented limbic brains are providing us with an endless supply of worst case scenarios to get our attention and we need to be able to acknowledge this brain chemistry at work and with that awareness manage our fears. And to seek solutions that are for the greater good and on that front, in-person learning for all students is sacrosanct. So I would ask that if there is the option for your students to attend school, that you allow them to do so, despite your fears. And for the vaccine hesitant, that if you can be vaccinated safely, that you do so to protect those who cannot.
It will be fascinating to see how history records this pandemic period. My hope is that it will celebrate the resilience of communities in the face of adversity and show that through facing our fears and working in collaboration towards a shared goal, we were able to not just overcome the pandemic but to begin a journey of reimagination for our precious planet.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. Your support and encouragement are greatly appreciated by all the staff at Somersfield.
Peter