Resilience Archives - Sound Discipline

14Jun 2022 by Mary Power

Graduation – Sound Discipline’s Identity and Values

In the News, Resilience, School Partners, Teachers

It’s June – graduation season: These times are so precious and vital. Graduations mark the unfolding of our stories.

What is the story of the 2021/2022 school year? Heads nod when I sum it up this way; This was a year like no other. The return to in-person learning as the pandemic raged on meant doing the best we could under constant stress, strain, and uncertainty. Teachers and administrators worked harder than ever. Community partners showed up in creative and responsive ways. Families leaned in to support their school communities.

Our students showed the effects of isolation and …

13May 2021 by Mary Power

ACEs Awareness and Knowing Your Own Number

In the News, Resilience

ACE Resource Network recently announced the first ever public awareness campaign about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). At Sound Discipline, we’ve been talking and teaching about ACEs for a long time, and we’re thrilled to see a movement putting resources into spreading the word about ACEs and trauma-informed practices.

The term ACEs was invented with a 1990s study conducted by Dr. Vince Felitti, MD and Dr. Robert Anda, MD in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control. Over a two-year period, Kaiser collected data from more than 17,000 mostly white participants which traced adverse experiences …

19Apr 2021 by Mary Power

The Journey to Understanding Trauma and Resilience

Point of View, Resilience

“The question we should be asking is not what’s wrong with that child, but what happened to that child?” – Oprah Winfrey

“The more healthy relationships a child has, the more likely they will be to recover from trauma and thrive. Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.” – Dr. Bruce Perry

Let’s talk about trauma and resilience. At Sound Discipline, we teach and coach educators and adults working with or raising kids about trauma-informed practice. Ten years ago, this concept was just migrating to schools and social service delivery. Like a …

15Mar 2021 by Mary Power

The COVID One-Year Mark: Let’s not go back

Brain Science, Connection and love, In the News, Point of View, Resilience

We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate, and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.

— Sonya Renee Taylor

On March 5 of last year, Sound Discipline’s leadership team met to make a COVID contingency plan. A 2-week school closure had just been announced. We drew all over a whiteboard, planning for three scenarios; 1) …

Resilience through Transition – An Art Activity for Classrooms or Families

All of us have experienced loss and change. We are tempted not to talk about it, fearing that bringing it up will bring to the surface emotions that are difficult for our students to feel. But in reality, ignoring the grief connected with letting go and change creates a confusing disconnect for children. Being able to process the feelings allows them to understand that this part of change is normal and that talking through difficulty helps individuals and communities heal and move forward.

The activity below is designed to support students (and adults too!) with transition and change. Originally created …

10Jun 2019 by Pase Garrett

Teaching Tenaciousness

Feelings and emotions, Motivation, Resilience, Tips & Tools

Every teacher has some students who seem eager to lean into challenges or take on new things – and other students who do the opposite. They seem pull away from taking risks and struggle to manage the frustrating feelings that naturally arise when learning new ideas or tasks. Growing the internal capacity to “lean into learning” helps students thrive in school. Here are some ideas:

Teach some brain science. Explain that the process of learning is hard brain work – and some people are more sensitive to the physical sensations of that kind of work. You are actually growing new

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10Jun 2019 by Pase Garrett

Stubbornness is Perseverance in Disguise

Feelings and emotions, Motivation, Resilience, Tips & Tools

Can you remember a time your child insisted on continue to build something, or play or read – when you needed to go somewhere? Perseverance can be frustrating and inconvenient! When your child is sticking to something they want to do – even though you want/need to do something else it is challenging. Yet, the ability and desire to persist in the face of adversity (your request to do something else) is an important life skill which will benefit them in the future. Some children seem to be born with this kind of focus and determination, while others need more …

01Aug 2018 by Pase Garrett

Harnessing Hope

Connection and love, Feelings and emotions, Motivation, Resilience, Tips & Tools

Hope is the belief or feeling that something positive will happen. It is a positive, exciting sense of what is possible. In the day to day challenges that we face, it can be hard to hold onto hope, and hope can give us the energy to persevere and can offer a sense of purpose, calm and connection. Parents are children’s first hope builders. Your presence, connection, and attitude can help your child be more hopeful. Try some of these ideas to bring hope into your regular family practice.

Name hope. Share examples of when you feel hopeful about something.

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04May 2018 by Pase Garrett

Raising Resilient Kids

Resilience, Tips & Tools

Sometimes as parents, we think it is our job to make our children’s lives easy by doing things for them, solving their problems and protecting them disappointment. The challenges or struggles that are children face are actually where they learn both the skills of problem solving and develop the internal sense that they are capable. Initially adults provide guidance, empathy, and support. Ultimately these experiences lead to them becoming resilient adults. Resilience, the ability to recover from or overcome adversity and challenge is something that we teach our children by modeling and allowing them to navigate the challenges without rescuing …

04May 2018 by Pase Garrett

Teachers Nurture Resilience

Resilience, Tips & Tools

Resilience is the ability to recover from adversity or challenges. As an educator, you know that some students are better at this than others. While some students seem to take failures in stride, others are so afraid of making a mistake or not being able to learn something, that they seem to give up or refuse to try. The good news is that you can help your students grow their resilience.

Build relationships with your students. Get to know them and grow your ability to see the world through their eyes. Resilience, in part, results when children know they matter

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