{"id":288329,"date":"2022-08-15T15:04:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T19:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/server.peraltadev.com\/chooselove\/?p=288329"},"modified":"2022-08-15T15:04:32","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T19:04:32","slug":"school-safety-begins-with-personal-well-being-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/server.peraltadev.com\/chooselove\/school-safety-begins-with-personal-well-being-for-students\/","title":{"rendered":"School Safety Begins with Personal Well-Being for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strategic Planning to Negotiate Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Heidi Marlinghaus and Jennifer Ozgur<\/p>\n

We are Gen Xers.\u00a0 We baked in the sun with baby oil, played outside until it got dark, read books in order to get a personal pan pizza, and were obsessed with ET, Pac Man, and the moon walk. The one thing that\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>on our radar was the danger of mass school shootings.<\/p>\n

Growing up, we were not deeply affected by the gas shortage, Reagan\u2019s assassination attempt or even the Challenger explosion.\u00a0While we remember certain sounds bites and images, they didn\u2019t shake us to our core. While our childhood wasn\u2019t without its challenges \u2013 we also feared nuclear war and AIDS \u2013 we were more concerned about collecting enough friendship pins, taking quizzes in teen magazines, and owning Liz Claiborne purses, Swatch Watches, and United Colors of Benetton shirts.<\/p>\n

Recalling these memories help us to process the Uvalde tragedy because we are deeply concerned about childhood trauma, its effect, and the protective factors we can put in place to build emotional capacity and resilience.<\/p>\n

We sometimes wonder if the horrific events that bombard our phone, laptops and other screens on our news feed elude our children because of their cognitive development.<\/p>\n

Neuroscience tells us that the prefrontal cortex responsible for executive functioning doesn\u2019t even\u00a0start\u00a0<\/em>to emerge into the teenage years. That means that younger children are incapable of taking specific information and applying it to themselves.\u00a0 That could explain,\u00a0but that\u2019s not me, so it doesn\u2019t apply to me,<\/em>\u00a0thinking.\u00a0It certainly makes sense why, despite all the scary statistics about vaping, teenage use continues to go on the rise. However, in cases of violence in schools, it might actually help to protect the psyche of the young and vulnerable mind.\u00a0Adults\u2019\u00a0ability to project into the future \u2013 and children\u2019s inability \u2013 means that we need to do whatever we can to create safe learning environments.<\/p>\n

So, what does that look like in a classroom, and what can we do right now to make it happen?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

From our perspective, the #1 first action is to acknowledge that school safety begins with fostering a sense of personal well-being for students and all who serve them. Teaching emotional regulation, mindful practices, and the pillars of the Choose Love Movement \u2013 Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Compassion-in-Action \u2013 are essential in fostering cultures so everyone feels a sense of unconditional positive regard.<\/p>\n

To accomplish this endeavor, it is our mission to support the next generation of schools\u00a0in embracing\u00a0Nurturing Healing Love<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We work with schools to implement the\u00a0free resources on the Choose Love website<\/a>\u00a0into school\u2019s current practices in classrooms, hallways, meetings, and beyond.<\/p>\n

As school strategists, we provide that administrative support so all stakeholders can reflect, adjust, and adapt to the ever-changing needs life presents.<\/p>\n

Schools who engage in our process will:<\/p>\n