Self-Reg Begins With Me

I am one of the educators referred to in this poster. I learned through TMC's Foundations One course that applying Self-Reg had to begin with me first.  This embodied learning took time and I noticed that my thinking changed more profoundly as I applied this new knowledge to my own circumstances.  I needed time to just take in the information and let it settle in my brain.  Sometimes, it was a perfect fit and I could make connections to how I’d been living for years.  Other times, the knowledge was a bit foreign and I wasn’t sure how to interpret it.   It didn’t fit nicely into a package and sometimes it contradicted all my earlier learning.  This was when I would need to re-read, re-watch and re-listen to the material presented each week.  There were times I had to admit that I was struggling to understand or accept what I was learning.  I think the most uncomfortable time for me was when I was learning about the classical view of human nature in Module 2; Plato’s and the early Christian thinkers' influence on our western view of human functioning.  It caused the most discomfort because it forced me to wrestle with the origins behind the concepts of self-control and effortful control. Understanding that self-regulation makes self-control possible was a lot to think about!

Like so many other Foundations learners, I went through a period of unrest early on.  This actually happened before I took the course. It was when I read Dr. Shanker's book Calm, Alert and Learning.  I was feeling uncomfortable because I couldn’t find the recipe for Self-Reg in the pages of the book. There wasn’t a set of lessons to follow.  Once I attended the Institute at Trent University and heard the message that this wasn’t a program, I began to relax.  Hearing from the various speakers helped me understand that I was about to embark on a journey, not adopt a program.

For me, the on-line Foundations course was a great fit for my learning style.  I appreciated the pace of the course over many months and the option of suspending my learning if necessary and joining another cohort later on.  I didn’t end up having to do that, but it was wonderful to know the option was available.  I found the best way for my learning to develop was to just watch/listen to the videos or read the material while walking on my treadmill. Originally, I decided that I needed to do this so my back wouldn’t hurt while leaning over my laptop screen.  I didn’t take any notes at all during my first viewing/reading.  Actually, I did attempt to type some notes a few times, but it was just too hard to multi-task!  So I just let the material settle over me as I moved and then I began to feel so focused during my weekly walks/lessons. The science behind why this was working for me is really what Self-Reg is all about.  I needed to reduce my own stress from my workday in order to be able to focus on the material and for me, walking did that.  As the weather improved, I took to walking outside.  The Foundations material didn’t play on my phone so I decided to purchase some audiobooks - one of them was Dan Siegel’s Mindsight.  These additional resources recommended by Dr. Shanker helped me to develop a deeper understanding of Self-Reg.  I used this time to get an embodied understanding of Self-Reg with each week’s bite sized portions of material. My weekly notes and assignments came more easily once I reframed, recognized and reduced my own stressors. I was able to learn about Self-Reg by practicing it.

Applying what I learn to my own circumstances has always been important to me.  I learn even more when I teach others.  While I was taking the course, I shared my learning with my staff in a variety of ways.  I want my school to become a Self-Reg Haven, so I’m intentional about wearing my Self-Reg lenses every day.  I want the language of self-regulation to become part of our school community so I’m always talking about the first three steps with others.  I try to reframe behaviour, recognize and reduce stressors in a wide range of contexts. It has taken many months, but now some of my staff see the importance of practicing Self-Reg themselves so they can be better educators for their students. This brings me great joy!  

I often share examples of when I wish I could replay a particular incident so that I could have recognized and reduced the stress in the moment.  I try to be gentle on myself by sharing that reflecting on these tough days actually helps us become better stress detectives in the future.  It’s kind of funny how quickly people think you are an expert at something because you are always talking about it. I cringe and immediately correct people when they refer to me as the ‘guru’ or ‘expert’ in Self-Reg.  I have so much more to learn! I always want people to know that I’m still learning to apply Self-Reg to my own life every day.  Helping others to apply the steps of Self-Reg is a learning journey we can take together, side by side.