Responding to challenging situations
- Katy Bigsby
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
We are hearing more and more about rising challenging situations in school settings.
What do we do? How do we respond?
In all tricky situations, it can be tempting to go to a "fix it" mode. I know this reaction well after having worked in the public school system for 13 years. I think most educators are problem solving machines - they have to be. Yet, what if this is not what we need now?
In situations where we feel unsure or unsettled - when someone says or does something and we don't know how to respond, our default reaction is an authoritarian one. Whenever we're unsettled, we're more likely to want to get away from the discomfort - the not knowing, to move to a place of control. This, on a human level, is understandable. Yet, for complex challenges, such as the ones we're facing in school systems in Alberta, and across Canada, this reaction of increased control serves to strengthen fear which long term is not helpful in staying calm, remembering ourselves and the students, and families we work with. It serves to feed the fire of reactivity which right now rages on.
I work with teachers across Canada and have heard and empathize with complex scenarios they share and feelings of frustration and overwhelm.
In support of educators, and as a way to remember the importance of being pro-active in our work, I want to share a Pro-active Strategies framework I've developed to remind us of different options we have prior to and during challenging situations. The Pro-active strategies are Rapport, Boundaries, Expectations, and Flexibility.
A few things to remember about being pro-active:
Does not eliminate behaviors we find challenging, but can reduce the number of occurrences
Supports us in responding versus reacting
Helps is know ourselves and what irks us!
Facilitates kindness towards ourselves and others
Below, you can view and download the framework. I hope this tool supports you in your practice.
Be in touch with any questions, or if I can help you and your team with challenging situations by emailing REiLlearning@gmail.com
Katy
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