Guest Appearances: Podcasts

Cultivating Resilience podcast interview with Hannah Beach and Tamara Strijack Hannah Beach — provides emotional health consulting and professional development to schools, and speaks at conferences around the world about the power of bringing more feeling and human connection into the classroom. Tamara Neufeld Strijack — the academic dean of the Neufeld Institute, where she develops and delivers courses and workshops supporting parents, teachers, and helping professionals around the world make sense of children through developmental science. The Takeaway As much as possible, teachers should try to make space for unstructured play to help students process the outside world and specifically trauma. Natural development needs patience, guidance, and trust. Play-based activity brings students together and allows teachers to understand how each individual student learns. Play is the missing piece in most schools today, and it is the crucial part that will guide students to positive development. As you listen Why is there a disconnect among children in a modern environment? What is the trauma associated with the loss of play? Why is play beneficial for cognitive development? How can teachers direct students to release emotions through play-based activity? What are the 3 Rs and how are they related to trauma? How does a student dealing with trauma interact during play-based activity?

Cultivating Resilience podcast interview with Mary Peter and Richard Matthews Mary Peter — District Vice-Principal, Indigenous Education, Cowichan Valley School District Richard Matthews — District Counselor at the Cowichan Valley School District The Takeaway It takes a community to raise a child and an action plan is required to maintain the connections between youth and adults in times of crisis. Becoming trauma-informed as a school community accelerates a child’s development and supports their well-being. We must learn from one another about how trauma impacts individuals uniquely and generationally. As you listen How can teachers be supported during change due to traumatic events, such as COVID-19? What goes well in the school when teachers are trauma-informed? Why is trauma-informed training and support plans so crucial for the future of school districts? How does the connection between students and adults decrease negative risk factors? How can debriefing after trauma support the school community? What has been the longitudinal impact of residential schools and colonization on indigenous people?