WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.419 Welcome to the Classroom Narratives Healing in 00:00:02.419 --> 00:00:04.900 Education podcast, the space where education 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:09.019 meets resilience. I'm Dr. Joey Weisler, and in 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.400 each episode, we dive deep into the personal 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:15.099 stories of educators, students, leaders, and 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:18.079 frontline advocates who are navigating the complexities 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.260 within modern education. Whether you're just 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:23.879 starting your teaching journey, Or are a seasoned 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:26.239 professional looking for inspiration, we'll 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:29.079 explore how to foster meaningful change, prevent 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:31.879 burnout, and build trauma -informed communities 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.979 within our schools. Now, let's take a seat at 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:36.859 the front of the classroom as we get started. 00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:40.259 Welcome back to the podcast. Today, I'm so inspired 00:00:40.259 --> 00:00:44.179 to have Kim Brooks with us, who is a former elementary 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:47.020 educator turned wellness entrepreneur. And through 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:49.939 her work from yoga and breath work to personalized 00:00:49.939 --> 00:00:52.420 coaching, She's on a mission to help teachers 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:55.719 and leaders move from burnout to flow. So we're 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:57.960 going to take today to dive into her story, her 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:00.780 strategies for energetic freedom, and just understand 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:03.840 how wellness and healing can work one breath 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:06.120 at a time. So I wanted to start today's conversation 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:08.840 by asking to share a little bit about your 00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:11.680 journey from classroom teacher to wellness advocate 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:17.390 and what inspired that shift. Yeah, so. I was 00:01:17.390 --> 00:01:20.049 an elementary teacher for 18 years. I taught 00:01:20.049 --> 00:01:22.030 third grade, I taught fifth grade, and I was 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:24.650 a reading specialist and literacy coach. And 00:01:24.650 --> 00:01:28.069 I did that in Maryland. And then I was also an 00:01:28.069 --> 00:01:31.010 international teacher. So I taught in Morocco 00:01:31.010 --> 00:01:37.109 and in Taiwan. And I was one of those teachers 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:41.670 that loved teaching. It was my everything. And 00:01:41.670 --> 00:01:48.010 that was also my downfall. I think over time, 00:01:48.150 --> 00:01:51.450 it was just you keep saying yes to things and 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:54.870 you keep doing more and giving more. And it's 00:01:54.870 --> 00:01:57.829 fine when you're in your 20s. But then as you 00:01:57.829 --> 00:01:59.709 get older and as I've learned in the work that 00:01:59.709 --> 00:02:02.909 I do now, it's like when we are living in that 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:06.790 heightened state of stress and we are in that 00:02:06.790 --> 00:02:10.650 fight flight mode constantly, our body never 00:02:10.650 --> 00:02:13.770 gets that chance to rest and digest and relax. 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:17.319 Our body thinks that we are being chased by a 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.939 tiger all the time. So it's like those bodily 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:23.280 systems that are supposed to function normally, 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:28.419 they are shut off while we are quickly supposed 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:30.699 to be defending ourself, attacking the lion, 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:33.800 and then coming back into our normal state of 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:35.939 being. So when we're not coming back into our 00:02:35.939 --> 00:02:38.219 normal state of being, that's when we start having 00:02:38.219 --> 00:02:41.800 health issues occur. So I feel like for me, that 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:44.060 over time that just started happening, then it's 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:46.039 like, When can you actually call the doctor? 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:48.699 When can you take off work? So you just keep 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:50.539 pushing through, pushing through, pushing through. 00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:54.039 And still saying yes, because I really loved 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:56.939 the things I was saying yes to. And teaching 00:02:56.939 --> 00:02:59.960 internationally really shifted my perspective. 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:03.319 I love traveling and the people that I met while 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:06.960 I was doing that were just like I found my people. 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:10.159 And then while teaching internationally, my dad 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:12.280 had gotten sick and I decided to move back to 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:16.520 the U .S. I went right back to my district and 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:20.500 I went back as a reading specialist. And after 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:24.379 like a couple of weeks, I was on the path to 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:26.860 burnout. It's like once you've experienced that 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:29.539 different lives, that freedom, that flexibility, 00:03:29.979 --> 00:03:33.800 less testing, it was hard to go back. And I thought, 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:36.560 like, how did I ever used to stay here until 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.889 8 p .m. or 9 p .m.? And it was like. I just couldn't 00:03:40.889 --> 00:03:43.750 go back to that anymore. And during that time, 00:03:43.830 --> 00:03:46.509 I decided to enroll in a yoga teacher training 00:03:46.509 --> 00:03:49.069 program just to deepen my practice. I was like, 00:03:49.069 --> 00:03:52.250 while I'm job hunting, maybe I'll do this alongside 00:03:52.250 --> 00:03:54.449 so that I can make sure that I'm sticking to 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:58.389 my practices while I'm doing this very new, hard 00:03:58.389 --> 00:04:02.629 thing. And then that just evolved in itself and 00:04:02.629 --> 00:04:05.909 opened different doors. I deepened my relationship 00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:09.939 with myself. I really went back to my why for 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:12.960 teaching. And even though I knew teaching isn't 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:15.900 exactly what I wanted to do anymore, like it's 00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:20.399 still embedded in everything that I do. That's 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:22.199 so inspiring because I'm remembering my first 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:24.920 year of teaching too. Like I felt that when I 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:27.579 was the teacher who stayed until 8:30/9 o 'clock 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:30.579 at night and admin wouldn't come down on me and 00:04:30.579 --> 00:04:33.019 say, there is no reason why you should still 00:04:33.019 --> 00:04:35.300 be the last car on this parking lot at 9 p .m. 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:37.959 And I would say, I have. every reason to still 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:42.480 be in this class until 9 p .m. And you're referring 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.019 me back to a conversation from earlier, both 00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:48.920 this year and last year, respectively. One was 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:51.560 from Erin Shook, who talks about teacher burnout 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.540 and putting the teacher's needs before the student's 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:56.620 needs for us to actually survive the job that 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:59.379 we do, because we are always in that fight -flight 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:02.529 mode. that we never come down from. And Pamela 00:05:02.529 --> 00:05:05.149 Rosenblum from Fall 2024, she was one of our 00:05:05.149 --> 00:05:08.050 opening segments here, she's a trauma therapist 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:11.089 who goes back to the works of Basil van der Kolk, 00:05:11.089 --> 00:05:13.649 who says that our trauma is stored in the body. 00:05:13.769 --> 00:05:16.430 And when we never come down from that heightened 00:05:16.430 --> 00:05:18.550 emotion, that trauma is going to be released 00:05:18.550 --> 00:05:20.550 in different ways that can eventually turn into 00:05:20.550 --> 00:05:23.709 something like PTSD. And I know we use the word 00:05:23.709 --> 00:05:27.129 trauma very loosely from time to time, very trivial, 00:05:27.290 --> 00:05:30.790 but it is my belief that first year teachers 00:05:30.790 --> 00:05:34.310 and what they are dealing with in a classroom 00:05:34.310 --> 00:05:37.649 on a day -to -day basis is a form of trauma because 00:05:37.649 --> 00:05:39.810 it is something that does get stored in the body. 00:05:39.970 --> 00:05:43.149 And so I mentioned that because in that first 00:05:43.149 --> 00:05:48.089 year of teaching, I loved yoga in college. And 00:05:48.089 --> 00:05:51.110 even during pre -teacher training, I went a couple 00:05:51.110 --> 00:05:53.829 of times a week to just sit there and focus on 00:05:53.829 --> 00:05:56.370 the breath. I did yin. And yin is when you sit 00:05:56.370 --> 00:05:59.040 back on the little rug for an hour. and stare 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.540 at nothing but your eyelids and just count sheep 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:05.540 until you just relax and focus on the breath. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:08.360 But when I began my first year of teaching, I 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:11.819 full quit everything about yoga because I said 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:13.920 to myself, well, what a waste of time and money 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:17.240 if I'm going to go there and just continue to 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:20.279 be aroused with my emotions because I'm focused 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:22.600 on what I need to do when I get home and what 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:24.379 Monday is going to look like if I'm doing yoga 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:26.160 on Sunday afternoon. I said, it's not going to 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:29.959 benefit me if I can't. quiet my thoughts and 00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:33.060 focus on rest. And that's what yoga is. It's 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:35.600 a breathing practice. So I completely abandoned 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:39.459 it. And I felt that trying to engage in self 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:43.420 -care or self -wellness would be counterintuitive 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:46.579 and hurting me in a way because of that. So for 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:48.660 other educators who do that, where they're abandoning 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:51.079 their wellness out of fear of causing more anxiety, 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:55.420 what would you tell them, Kim? Yeah, I mean, 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:57.980 I think that's really common and not even for 00:06:57.980 --> 00:07:00.180 just the reason that you shared, but there's 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:03.779 a multitude of reasons why we put our health 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:06.620 and well -being to the side. And really, it's 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:10.959 that time piece. And we're not valuing ourselves 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:14.699 as much as we are valuing our students and others. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:18.540 And there's almost like this codependence kind 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:22.180 of thing that happens to where it's like you 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.120 don't want to let your students down. And when 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:28.339 we should really be focusing on like empowering 00:07:28.339 --> 00:07:30.620 our students and giving them the skills and the 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:32.839 tools and the things that they need to help them 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.699 so that we can step away. We're just there as 00:07:35.699 --> 00:07:39.160 like people to guide and facility learning for 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:42.399 them. But we get our heartstrings pulled and 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:45.379 we become so attached. And we're working with 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:48.740 students who have so many things that maybe we 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:51.980 didn't experience ourselves. And so it's hard 00:07:51.980 --> 00:07:55.800 to manage. their energy and their emotions, and 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:57.500 then look at some of the things that they're 00:07:57.500 --> 00:07:59.240 going through and think, how can I go to the 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:02.420 gym when this just happened? So there's like, 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:05.959 you're laying in Shavasana and you're silent 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:08.300 and all these thoughts are coming up and these 00:08:08.300 --> 00:08:10.360 emotions that you stuff down because we show 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:13.040 up at work with our mask on, our happy face, 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:15.480 and we push everything to the side and we completely 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:19.750 forget about it. And then we lay there in silence. 00:08:19.829 --> 00:08:23.410 It becomes like a scary place to be because you 00:08:23.410 --> 00:08:26.009 don't know how much you're going to let out when 00:08:26.009 --> 00:08:29.509 you do find those little pockets of silence and 00:08:29.509 --> 00:08:32.409 connection with yourself. It's scary to walk 00:08:32.409 --> 00:08:36.070 in the door and show up for 60 minutes and be 00:08:36.070 --> 00:08:38.529 with yourself. That's confronting and that is 00:08:38.529 --> 00:08:42.879 hard. And I had very similar experiences. I would 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.080 always dip in and out of yoga. Like it was always 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:47.139 there for me throughout teaching, but sometimes 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:49.360 it was more consistent than others. And it's 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:51.539 like the thing that I needed the most, I just 00:08:51.539 --> 00:08:55.399 didn't do. My suggestion for anyone who's new 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:58.720 is if you can't attend a 60 minute class, just 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.100 take 10 minutes in the morning and just stretch 00:09:01.100 --> 00:09:05.559 and breathe. Just building in small moments where 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:07.779 you're actually caring for yourself, where you're 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:11.590 actually. nurturing yourself because what's the 00:09:11.590 --> 00:09:14.649 phrase you got to put on your oxygen mask first, 00:09:14.809 --> 00:09:18.669 right? And so it's really true. I mean, you can 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:22.090 walk in as a literacy coach. I was in many different 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:23.990 classes and you walk in the door and you feel 00:09:23.990 --> 00:09:27.009 the energy, you know, that energy that you feel 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:30.029 and what person's room compared to another person's 00:09:30.029 --> 00:09:32.309 room. And so when we are taking care of ourselves 00:09:32.309 --> 00:09:35.590 and we're happy and nourished and healthy, that 00:09:35.590 --> 00:09:39.340 is spreading outward. And it makes a huge difference 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:43.100 for ourselves, but also everyone around us. I 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:44.940 mean, as reading teachers and literacy teachers, 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:47.940 that's kind of the standing argument here on 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:51.919 the program that we are immersed into so many 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:55.419 more conversations that can morph into really 00:09:55.419 --> 00:09:58.259 touchy -feely topics than, let's say, the math 00:09:58.259 --> 00:09:59.980 teacher who's teaching the quadratic formula, 00:10:00.220 --> 00:10:03.019 right? It is what it is in math, and the numbers 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:08.490 are logically formed. But in English and humanities, 00:10:08.769 --> 00:10:10.870 especially when we ask those questions, well, 00:10:10.950 --> 00:10:13.149 what do you think? And how do you feel about? 00:10:13.509 --> 00:10:17.610 It can cause a spur of emotions that can really 00:10:17.610 --> 00:10:19.909 sometimes even heighten that state of trauma 00:10:19.909 --> 00:10:23.009 that we're already in, right? If we're in trauma 00:10:23.009 --> 00:10:25.269 from the day to day, from just being an educator, 00:10:25.529 --> 00:10:27.990 sometimes when a student solicits information 00:10:27.990 --> 00:10:30.970 about themselves, because they're trying to connect 00:10:30.970 --> 00:10:33.990 to a topic from a story, for example, that can 00:10:33.990 --> 00:10:36.440 heighten our sense more that. We're getting these 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:39.460 insights from students that maybe we are or are 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:41.340 not ready to know about and take action with. 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:45.600 So for educators that are in all different types 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:48.840 of classrooms and situations, what could be kind 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:51.539 of a twofold question? What could be a first 00:10:51.539 --> 00:10:53.759 step that they can take to both protect their 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.320 energy and what are even just some breathwork 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.379 practices that they can introduce to themselves 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:03.149 and their students starting today? I do square 00:11:03.149 --> 00:11:05.370 breathing, which is you can think of it as a 00:11:05.370 --> 00:11:08.750 square inhaling. You count for four. You hold 00:11:08.750 --> 00:11:12.250 your breath at the top for four. Exhale for four. 00:11:12.570 --> 00:11:15.590 Hold the exhale for four. And then you can keep 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:18.049 going around in that square. Maybe you increase. 00:11:18.690 --> 00:11:22.149 Do a five count. For some people, holding your 00:11:22.149 --> 00:11:25.370 breath can feel really like stressful, scary. 00:11:25.730 --> 00:11:28.470 You can skip breath holds, but just sometimes 00:11:28.470 --> 00:11:32.309 that counting. helps you to focus. And that's 00:11:32.309 --> 00:11:34.870 another one that's great to teach students. Something 00:11:34.870 --> 00:11:39.529 that I tell teachers when you are feeling that 00:11:39.529 --> 00:11:42.250 it's important to get to know yourself and what 00:11:42.250 --> 00:11:44.409 your sensations are. So when you start to feel 00:11:44.409 --> 00:11:47.909 that stress coming on or you're seeing things 00:11:47.909 --> 00:11:50.250 in the classroom and it's like bringing some 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:52.450 anxiety, like maybe they're talking when they're 00:11:52.450 --> 00:11:54.730 not supposed to or something's happening that's. 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:57.190 Should it be happening? Or maybe you're sensing 00:11:57.190 --> 00:12:01.190 an argument that's about to unfold. If you are 00:12:01.190 --> 00:12:04.970 feeling that, just pausing the class. And if 00:12:04.970 --> 00:12:08.629 you need it, they probably need it too. And just 00:12:08.629 --> 00:12:11.289 maybe turn off the lights, maybe do some breathing. 00:12:11.389 --> 00:12:14.929 For some kids, lights can be scary. So just being 00:12:14.929 --> 00:12:16.909 really mindful, getting to know your students 00:12:16.909 --> 00:12:20.330 so that you know what is supportive for them, 00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:24.080 but also getting to know yourself. in the same 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:25.700 way that you would get to know your students 00:12:25.700 --> 00:12:30.720 and realizing, okay, during this class, this 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:34.139 is when I am most stressed and I am most stressed 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:38.019 with this situation or this particular student. 00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:40.679 Getting to know that particular student can really 00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:43.080 help. This is also something I share with educators. 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:46.080 You have agency over so many of your choices 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:49.519 and giving kids the power to have agency over. 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:54.000 Like we are the... adults in the room, but we're 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:57.659 human and they're human. And it's not like we're 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:00.340 right and they're wrong. It's like understanding 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:04.919 that they have a voice as well and they're going 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:07.379 to have emotions and they're going to have responses 00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:11.519 to things that we say. And when we're not protecting 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:15.419 our energy and we're snapping. Quickly, we're 00:13:15.419 --> 00:13:17.559 not thinking about what we say. And so when a 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:20.039 kid turns around and immediately fires something 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:22.860 back to you, like, obviously they're going to. 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:25.240 You just yelled at them or said something or 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:27.100 caught them off guard. And this isn't how you 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:30.539 normally are. And there's this energy exchange 00:13:30.539 --> 00:13:33.580 happening. So protecting your energy is just 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:36.860 something that should be a daily practice. And 00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:40.159 you can even physically just wipe your arms, 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.779 wipe your hair, wipe your body, like physically. 00:13:43.610 --> 00:13:46.610 Feel the sensation of getting rid of something, 00:13:46.750 --> 00:13:49.090 shaking out your hands, shaking out your legs. 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:51.789 It's like this intention that you're setting 00:13:51.789 --> 00:13:56.450 to clear whatever negative space or even clearing 00:13:56.450 --> 00:13:59.409 the energy from the class before. Like you might 00:13:59.409 --> 00:14:03.690 play some music or just create your own personal 00:14:03.690 --> 00:14:06.950 thing that helps you feel grounded throughout 00:14:06.950 --> 00:14:10.139 your day and be consistent. It doesn't have to 00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:11.919 be the same thing every day, but be consistent 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:15.080 with after every class or after this thing. I 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:16.379 love that you brought up that word of grounding 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:20.399 techniques because it's really hard to think 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.399 about it in practice, but it's necessary that 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:24.820 when teachers are dealing with something in the 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:26.779 moment, that's going to really spark them up. 00:14:26.940 --> 00:14:29.779 And I was actually very good at this. It's grounding 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:34.320 where before you respond, you stop, place yourself 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.080 in the moment, and this takes a matter of split 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:39.149 seconds to do. Those split seconds can be a matter 00:14:39.149 --> 00:14:41.370 of fireworks or not to come off in your classroom. 00:14:42.070 --> 00:14:45.330 Rounding yourself, gathering, quickly assessing, 00:14:45.529 --> 00:14:47.830 okay, what am I doing? Okay, the sixth period, 00:14:48.029 --> 00:14:50.509 I'm staring at the situation over here. It's 00:14:50.509 --> 00:14:54.049 going on between the student and me. And we can 00:14:54.049 --> 00:14:56.190 redirect it either this way or that way. And 00:14:56.190 --> 00:14:58.509 taking the time to just within seconds, analyze 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:01.169 the situation and putting yourself in the moment 00:15:01.169 --> 00:15:03.570 and gathering what you want the outcome to be 00:15:03.570 --> 00:15:06.129 and working towards that works so much better. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:09.980 They had my first year mentor in teaching said 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:12.620 to me, you got to yell at those kids. They got 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:14.940 to look at you and say, oh, he's going to blow. 00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:18.139 And I'm happy to say never once in my entire 00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:20.419 career did I ever raise my voice at a student. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:23.000 I actually had a student say to me once he put 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:25.240 his feet back and said, Mr. Weiser, I want you 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:27.860 to yell at me. I looked at him and I said, but 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:31.360 why? What is that going to accomplish? You're 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:35.340 going to be upset. I'm going to be upset. And 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:37.139 no one's going to be happy. Why would I do that 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:39.279 to you? And I will tell you that student walked 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:42.700 away with his tail between his legs. And generally, 00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:47.659 in situations where I could see something brewing 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:50.480 in my classroom, I would just approach the students 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.080 and say, hey, I just want you to know that I'm 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:55.879 listening. What can I do to help you? And that 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:58.059 totally redirects the whole conversation from 00:15:58.059 --> 00:15:59.980 screaming at a kid, what's wrong with you, and 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:04.379 punishing them. Mm -hmm. Yeah. I mean, I think 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:09.399 it's just realizing that they are people. They 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:12.139 might be eight, they might be 10, they might 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:17.700 be 16, but this is like the part of their life 00:16:17.700 --> 00:16:20.960 where they are learning how to interact with 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:23.059 other people. And so we just need to be a really 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:25.039 good example of that. And I wish I could say 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:27.000 that I never raised my voice or never yelled, 00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:31.169 but that is absolutely not true. I have evolved, 00:16:31.350 --> 00:16:35.330 but you have those moments. And I will say that 00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:38.350 I would go back and apologize to my students 00:16:38.350 --> 00:16:42.149 and have those conversations if I overreacted 00:16:42.149 --> 00:16:45.309 or something like that. And I feel like that 00:16:45.309 --> 00:16:49.210 humanness is important because sometimes we do 00:16:49.210 --> 00:16:51.750 lose our cool. Sometimes we do see an unsafe 00:16:51.750 --> 00:16:56.200 situation and like we react because. it's dangerous. 00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:58.320 Or if there's a fight or something like that, 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:01.759 we just get into high gear. But just realizing 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.259 again, and this is where like a lot of the work 00:17:04.259 --> 00:17:07.579 that I do is on acceptance and self -compassion 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:11.200 and self -love and all of that, because so often, 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:13.839 and I would do this where I would have this situation, 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:16.799 I would feel so bad about it after. And sometimes 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:19.059 it would be the next day before I went and said 00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:20.700 anything to them. Once we had an email, like 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:23.109 in my email. and say something later because 00:17:23.109 --> 00:17:25.309 it would just like tear at me. And I'm like, 00:17:25.329 --> 00:17:27.009 I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I 00:17:27.009 --> 00:17:29.569 ever reacted. Half the time the kid did not even 00:17:29.569 --> 00:17:31.789 care. And they're like, what? That happened? 00:17:31.910 --> 00:17:35.569 I'm like, I felt so bad about it all night long. 00:17:36.730 --> 00:17:40.950 But it's just, I think just approaching things 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:44.069 in a more human -like way and finding your people 00:17:44.069 --> 00:17:48.309 within a school is so important. Because we can 00:17:48.309 --> 00:17:50.930 get sucked into the teacher's lounge and sucked 00:17:50.930 --> 00:17:53.549 into the drama and you're venting and you're 00:17:53.549 --> 00:17:56.690 not actually resolving anything. You're just 00:17:56.690 --> 00:17:59.230 perpetuating a cycle. So I think that's another 00:17:59.230 --> 00:18:02.250 important thing with protecting your energy is 00:18:02.250 --> 00:18:06.029 making sure that you are surrounding yourself 00:18:06.029 --> 00:18:09.309 with people who are safe and people who are like 00:18:09.309 --> 00:18:12.269 lifting you up and motivating you and inspiring 00:18:12.269 --> 00:18:15.250 you. And hopefully you have a leader in your 00:18:15.250 --> 00:18:18.609 school that is doing the same too. But if you 00:18:18.609 --> 00:18:21.750 don't, just realizing like where the boundaries 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:24.549 are between you and that leader, because you 00:18:24.549 --> 00:18:28.589 still have to protect yourself. And if sharing 00:18:28.589 --> 00:18:32.369 vulnerably with someone in a leadership role 00:18:32.369 --> 00:18:38.029 is going to constantly result in you feeling 00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:42.319 devalued and disrespected. it's not worth it. 00:18:42.420 --> 00:18:44.960 And either you stay and you figure out how to 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:49.180 work around that or you go, which is very, very 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:52.279 hard. But then we just stay in these cycles and 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:55.339 we don't figure out how to take care of ourself. 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:57.500 And it ends up not being great for the student. 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:00.339 Definitely. I think a burned out teacher does 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:02.720 a disservice to the students, just like a burned 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:05.200 out principal does a disservice to their teachers. 00:19:05.710 --> 00:19:07.910 And I love how you had that idea of having human 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:09.869 connections first, because I will admit that 00:19:09.869 --> 00:19:11.730 it also was not perfect with discipline where 00:19:11.730 --> 00:19:15.190 my very, very first term teaching, it was so 00:19:15.190 --> 00:19:17.170 much easier that, yes, I did not yell at the 00:19:17.170 --> 00:19:19.549 students, but it was easier to just walk to them 00:19:19.549 --> 00:19:21.210 and say, hey, I'm kicking you out. You're going 00:19:21.210 --> 00:19:24.170 next door or leave a detention or a referral 00:19:24.170 --> 00:19:25.869 on their desk or even just say to the whole class, 00:19:25.970 --> 00:19:28.529 OK, so -and -so is still not acting right through 00:19:28.529 --> 00:19:30.490 punishment time and give everybody a pop quiz. 00:19:30.630 --> 00:19:33.589 What we need to do is put punishment to the side. 00:19:34.029 --> 00:19:36.609 And just think about support. And when you approach 00:19:36.609 --> 00:19:40.690 a situation in gaining support from those students, 00:19:40.730 --> 00:19:43.410 whatever capacity they're in, and asking them 00:19:43.410 --> 00:19:45.470 those questions, how can I help? How can I help? 00:19:45.589 --> 00:19:47.569 Not what's wrong with you because that's punitive, 00:19:47.690 --> 00:19:50.309 but how can I help? Those types of dialogues 00:19:50.309 --> 00:19:53.089 can really salvage a relationship. And even with 00:19:53.089 --> 00:19:55.190 principals too. If the principal sees something 00:19:55.190 --> 00:19:57.329 that's going on with the teacher, you don't want 00:19:57.329 --> 00:19:58.910 to go and punish that teacher. You want to go 00:19:58.910 --> 00:20:01.430 and ask them, hey, as your leader, how can I 00:20:01.430 --> 00:20:03.740 help? And as the classroom teacher, you are essentially 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:05.960 the leader of that room. So approaching it from 00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:08.460 a way of support and understanding will help 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:10.460 establish the whole relationship of that classroom 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:15.900 climate. Absolutely. And so, Kim, I wanted to 00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:18.640 also ask, what is one myth about teacher burnouts 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:20.660 that we've spoken about that you wish we could 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:23.019 just break once and for all and help adjust the 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:26.960 mindset of educators everywhere? So I think that 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:30.900 a common myth is that. We all end up in burnout. 00:20:30.940 --> 00:20:34.180 And then once we're there, the only option is 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:40.460 to leave or have some like drastic response. 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:45.240 But I think burnout is very preventable. And 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:49.440 if you reach a point of burnout, it's okay to 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:52.460 also take a break and come back. I think I've 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:55.599 seen more and more people taking leave of absence 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:58.509 and things like that and coming back. And I know 00:20:58.509 --> 00:21:02.329 there's like this guilt attached to it, but I 00:21:02.329 --> 00:21:06.150 just think there is this, I don't know about 00:21:06.150 --> 00:21:09.809 myth, but just this idea that if you walk away 00:21:09.809 --> 00:21:12.430 or if you take a break or if you say, I can't 00:21:12.430 --> 00:21:14.890 handle this, then like something is inherently 00:21:14.890 --> 00:21:18.170 wrong with you because other people seem to be 00:21:18.170 --> 00:21:21.549 these like superheroes that can do it all. And 00:21:21.549 --> 00:21:24.930 you see the teacher of the year who it's like, 00:21:25.029 --> 00:21:28.059 they just. effortlessly seem to get this which 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:31.519 it's not effortlessly but I think there is a 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:35.619 real blindfold on maybe is the word where we 00:21:35.619 --> 00:21:41.240 are not showing our true deep selves to ourself 00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:44.359 and to others and so I think we need to have 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:48.680 more real conversations about the workload and 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:51.400 about how to manage our own emotions and how 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:54.990 to really take care of ourselves. And honestly, 00:21:55.150 --> 00:21:58.630 I had some great leaders, but they were not taking 00:21:58.630 --> 00:22:01.089 care of themselves either because they didn't 00:22:01.089 --> 00:22:03.509 know. It's not talked about. We aren't taught 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:05.750 this in college. It's not something when you're 00:22:05.750 --> 00:22:07.670 a first year teacher, you know, you have a mentor. 00:22:07.930 --> 00:22:11.089 I had an amazing mentor. Not everyone has that. 00:22:11.170 --> 00:22:14.369 And I've heard such stories about their beginning 00:22:14.369 --> 00:22:17.250 years. And it's just, I don't think it has to 00:22:17.250 --> 00:22:20.589 be as hard as it is. Agreed. I love how you frame 00:22:20.589 --> 00:22:23.069 that perception of superheroes because I don't 00:22:23.069 --> 00:22:24.670 think it's the fault of looking teacher programs. 00:22:24.890 --> 00:22:28.029 I think it's society's fault for making educators 00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:30.230 everywhere think that they need to fulfill that 00:22:30.230 --> 00:22:33.450 role of the superhero. I would echo that. The 00:22:33.450 --> 00:22:36.930 truth is that education really is this oscillating 00:22:36.930 --> 00:22:39.509 cycle. And I pulled up in front of me a diagram 00:22:39.509 --> 00:22:43.349 from Ellen Moore. And Ellen Moore says that teaching 00:22:43.349 --> 00:22:46.950 is kind of like a bell curve of emotions that 00:22:46.950 --> 00:22:50.210 starts in August with anticipation. It then switches 00:22:50.210 --> 00:22:52.890 into survival. So you go from like having this 00:22:52.890 --> 00:22:55.450 fantasy of your class to then trying to survive, 00:22:55.690 --> 00:22:59.230 having to teach them by September, October. And 00:22:59.230 --> 00:23:01.849 by the end of the fall, that just turns to disillusionment 00:23:01.849 --> 00:23:05.690 where all of those happy feelings of anticipation 00:23:05.690 --> 00:23:08.170 you felt just turned into something that was 00:23:08.170 --> 00:23:10.609 totally shattered. And then you have to spend 00:23:10.609 --> 00:23:12.849 the spring semester readjusting that paradigm 00:23:12.849 --> 00:23:15.769 and going through rejuvenation and reflection. 00:23:16.170 --> 00:23:18.859 And finally, the summer comes like. Wasn't so 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:22.319 bad. Do that again. And we come back. And I echo 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:26.200 that where I've noticed that teaching seems to 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:29.579 be this oscillating cycle of burnout to rejuvenation 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:32.220 and it's constantly going back and forth. Kim, 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:33.779 tell us a little bit more about the energetic 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:37.180 framework and can you walk us through your company 00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:40.660 and some of its services? So the work that I 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:44.240 do really evolved out of what I wished that I 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:47.470 had for me as a teacher. And I was a literacy 00:23:47.470 --> 00:23:49.569 coach and a reading specialist. So I was in and 00:23:49.569 --> 00:23:55.049 out of a number of teachers' classrooms and coaching 00:23:55.049 --> 00:23:58.150 them on literacy. However, we couldn't get to 00:23:58.150 --> 00:24:00.730 that unless there were other things that we needed 00:24:00.730 --> 00:24:04.109 to deal with. There were like real struggles 00:24:04.109 --> 00:24:06.170 and emotions and things that were coming up. 00:24:06.210 --> 00:24:10.089 And a lot had to do with boundaries and with 00:24:10.089 --> 00:24:13.200 really taking care of themselves. taking a day 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:16.000 off kind of thing where we feel that attachment 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.980 to guilt. So the programs that I do are focused 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:22.700 on slowing down, regulating the nervous system, 00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:26.920 learning practices where you can build your own 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:30.720 personal practice that's sustainable for you. 00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:34.180 So maybe it's not going to yoga two times a week 00:24:34.180 --> 00:24:37.079 for 60 minutes, but. What can you do that works 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:39.819 with your life and your schedule? So we're working 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:43.299 through those kinds of things together and really 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:49.019 creating something to help teachers stay in education 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:52.220 if they choose to stay in or if they do decide 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:55.319 to leave feeling OK with it. And because we get 00:24:55.319 --> 00:24:58.079 our identity really wrapped up in teacher, like 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:01.329 even for me, like. Even now I'm meeting all these 00:25:01.329 --> 00:25:03.390 people and they're asking me what I do. And it's 00:25:03.390 --> 00:25:06.829 so hard for me to detach from that. I am a teacher 00:25:06.829 --> 00:25:09.329 and I am going to bring that up because it was 00:25:09.329 --> 00:25:12.210 a big part, almost 20 years of my life. However, 00:25:12.470 --> 00:25:15.069 it is not my identity right now. It was something 00:25:15.069 --> 00:25:17.589 that I loved and it's something that I still 00:25:17.589 --> 00:25:20.970 love and I'm passionate about. But there is this 00:25:20.970 --> 00:25:23.369 like grieving process that happens when you leave 00:25:23.369 --> 00:25:26.930 teaching too. So it's really bringing educators 00:25:26.930 --> 00:25:32.019 back to that place of, safety and comfort within 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:35.220 themselves. So no matter what they face at school, 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:38.140 no matter what they face as they leave education, 00:25:38.380 --> 00:25:40.740 whatever it is that they're choosing, that they're 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:44.299 feeling really supported and grounded and like 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:48.059 they can create this long lasting change in their 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:51.740 life. So the energetic freedom framework, I'm 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:54.339 a Reiki practitioner. So there's some energy 00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:58.660 work in there, breath work, meditation, but it's 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:04.460 really detaching from some of these beliefs and 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:07.279 stories that are so ingrained. Like when you 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:09.519 were talking about your first years of teaching 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:11.759 and your mentor and what she said, those things 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:16.099 have been passed on generation of teacher over 00:26:16.099 --> 00:26:19.160 time. We tend to start teaching the way that 00:26:19.160 --> 00:26:22.440 we were taught. So we have to. shift ourselves 00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:25.039 out and we have evolved so much since when we 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:27.180 went to school. Every year things are shifting 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:30.599 so fast and so teachers are expected to keep 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:33.519 up with it all and you have a program this year 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:35.799 and then two years later it's something completely 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:41.299 different. So being able to recognize that we 00:26:41.299 --> 00:26:44.059 can't handle all of these things that are coming 00:26:44.059 --> 00:26:47.299 our way but we can continue to show up for ourselves 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:49.849 so that we can show up for our students. I have 00:26:49.849 --> 00:26:52.309 a lot of different offerings, but I work with 00:26:52.309 --> 00:26:54.769 people one -on -one. And that's kind of the essence 00:26:54.769 --> 00:26:59.230 of all of the offerings that I do. And then ultimately, 00:26:59.349 --> 00:27:02.809 I would like to be leading my own wellness retreats. 00:27:03.170 --> 00:27:06.549 That's something that speaks to you. That is 00:27:06.549 --> 00:27:09.730 on the horizon. Fantastic. Thank you for that, 00:27:09.730 --> 00:27:12.130 Kim. And finally, if you could think of one secret 00:27:12.130 --> 00:27:14.890 ingredient that could help our educators succeed, 00:27:15.230 --> 00:27:19.160 what would that be? I really think the secret 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:24.660 ingredient is just acceptance. Like we are human 00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:28.019 and just accepting yourself and where you are 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:31.339 right now. If you're a first year teacher and 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:35.200 you're feeling like this is so challenging, it 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:39.359 is challenging and it's okay. And ask for help. 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:42.180 Just find the right people to ask for help. And 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:44.980 if it's someone outside of your school, get that 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:48.420 help from them. But it's just really. being okay 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:52.779 with things not running perfectly. Again, that 00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:55.619 superhero thing, we just, I think letting that 00:27:55.619 --> 00:27:59.680 go is important. We're not perfect. And showing 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.619 up truthfully with your kids, like, hey, I messed 00:28:02.619 --> 00:28:05.240 up. We don't have to give them all of our personal 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:07.940 things going on in our life, but we can say, 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:11.220 hey, I'm having a really hard morning and I'm 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:14.980 really sorry if I am not my usual self today. 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:17.559 I'm trying my best. You don't have to give details. 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:21.559 And where can our listeners go to learn more 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:24.359 about you? Yeah, so I'm on LinkedIn. You can 00:28:24.359 --> 00:28:29.079 find me, Kim Brooks. I'm on Instagram, kimbrooksyoga 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:32.380 .wellness. And both of those will take you to 00:28:32.380 --> 00:28:37.299 my website. I have different offerings on there. 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:39.920 And then I also have a mindfulness resource on 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:42.660 there. Click and I have a blog with some information. 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:47.240 So yeah, lots of options. Kim, thank you for 00:28:47.240 --> 00:28:49.740 sharing your story and strategies with us. To 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:52.180 everyone listening, remember that prioritizing 00:28:52.180 --> 00:28:54.599 your well -being isn't selfish. It's essential, 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:56.740 and you don't need permission to slow down and 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:59.099 rest. You can find links to Kim's work in the 00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:01.180 show notes, including how to connect with her 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:04.119 and explore her programs. And as always, thank 00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:06.319 you for showing up, not just for your students, 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:08.900 but for yourself as well. And until next time, 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:11.319 take care of your energy. Lead with intention 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:13.880 and remember that you have the power to shape 00:29:13.880 --> 00:29:16.720 the climate of your classroom every single day. 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:20.240 Thank you for joining us on the Classroom Narratives 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:23.259 Healing and Education Podcast. If today's episode 00:29:23.259 --> 00:29:25.920 inspired you or made you think differently, I'd 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.289 love to hear from you. Drop a comment or review 00:29:28.289 --> 00:29:31.130 wherever you listen to podcasts and stay connected 00:29:31.130 --> 00:29:33.670 with us on the At Classroom Narratives podcast 00:29:33.670 --> 00:29:36.950 over Instagram and Facebook. Remember, together 00:29:36.950 --> 00:29:40.190 we can transform our scars into stars in education, 00:29:40.589 --> 00:29:42.849 one conversation at a time.