 Well, thank you all so much for coming to this super important brain club And there are a couple people I don't know yet. So I will introduce myself. I'm now hauser I she they pronouns and I am executive director at all brains belong for mom and This is brain club brain club is our weekly community education series where we talk about everyday life brain topics where we can bring together a community to Reimagine our big systems this month. That's what our theme is where we it's very tempting when we think about the major Structures of society that aren't working and I think that in coded era This has forced a lot of people to zoom out and say, you know, hey This not working and whether that be in in health care education Employment though our family systems and culture We don't have to be stuck in that way. And so I am I am thrilled to be joined by a panel of educators today to be continuing this conversation about what is possible within the education system and Brain Tried to make my life easier by printing things for me I have to kind of brain that works best with visual supports, but that's all right I'm gonna what I'm gonna do is actually maybe what I'll do is Spotlight our panelists all of them and Introduce Okay, add a spotlight. Okay. And then one of our panelists is is is participating Asynchronously so so not not not available to be to be spotlight, but we will still bright spot Okay, so Maybe maybe maybe wave as I as I talk about you and then and then and then we can go from there So Mitch Polly is a special educator from a clear area with 20 years in the education system and is now is going to tell us about his journey in train effect change within the education system And then maybe and and so maybe maybe I'll do is I'll introduce maybe maybe yeah, I'll introduce one at a time Oh, yeah, the come as you are rule Sarah. Thank you. Oh my goodness. That was the point of making slides after all My goodness brain poor brain All right, so That's why we have a team we have a culture of interdependence here and I'm supposed to turn on the captions There we go Thank you, Sarah. That was super helpful All right All forms of participation are okay here You can have like you you have figured this out already, but you can have your video on or off We don't expect you to look at the camera. We don't expect you to sit still We really want you to just come as you are Fidget stim take breaks eat, you know kids pets stuff use anything goes you can communicate however Is comfortable you can unmute and speak you can type in the chat box gesture use emoticons, whatever whatever works for you And safety is really important to us here. It all brains belong and we affirm all aspects of identity and In order to respect and protect one another's access needs if there is going to be any any topic that's potentially distressing To others we just ask that you give us a heads up with a content warning And what I will do after the topic is complete is that I will Say something in the chat to let you know that the topic is over And so feel free to turn off your sound or leave the room and come on back Speaking of access needs to if you would like closed captioning and there's not popping up automatically Or if you're having it pop up automatically and you don't want it there Um either click the live transcript cc Or the more dot dot dot and choose either show subtitles or hide some titles um and Looks like the the all brains belong team is is uh is saying hello, so Sarah wilkins is here and seara miller. Thank you both for being here. Okay So now now I will go back to Introducing our I'll introduce our whole panel and then you guys can decide what order in which you want to speak um all right, so um Welcome Mitch and welcome Anna. So Anna is a mom early educator and advocate who has spent the last 20 plus years doing everything from teaching researching homeschooling experimenting and all the things um and um Through this journey has also raised two awesome kids who are now adults practically adults um and um and is going to share with us The the the journey both as an educator in the classroom and in supporting children her own children And and and share share her experiences with us We are also joined by vicki seni Cecilia pulio and katrina elis ferrara who are early educators from the nature-based turtle island children's center in montpelier and we are also asynchronously joined by missy axl rod who is the director of Vermont farm and forest school in roxbury vermont Who has 20 years of experience as an educator and in working in sustainable food systems and farming Which she now leaves together with education In in an independent school setting that is both hybrid indoors and outdoors So, um Who wants to go first? I can amazing. Thank you, mitch. Very cool um, okay. Well, hi everyone. I've just I'm not sure what mode it is on zoom, but I am on a phone which i've never really done before i'm used to computer So I can't really see anybody if anybody is up on the screen. Um, but hello to all of you Um, so my name is mitch poly I live in plain fields And I have been in the field of public education for about 20 years now In various different modes. Um, I've been a behavior interventionist Uh, I've been a para educator And for the last 15 years or so a special educator um And especially in the state of ramon I have worked in several districts. Most recently washington central supervisor union And and since transitioning out to go to maple hill school and farm, which is just right down the road for me um, which i'm really psyched about um and In my course of doing this work, especially within the last few years, um I have seen the need for tremendous change, which I know that we all have um, but you know in the last couple years of cove it, um In the public educator realm It was one of those things that happened that blew the roof off the place and really exposed A lot of the issues that we've also known have been going on forever But it really just shed light on what Um, what we need to look at and what we need to change and reevaluate Especially in the areas of equity um and belonging uh, and all of these things that just Again under service have always been there, but I think just like blew the roof off of it, right and so Um, I was really hopeful Maybe some rose colored glasses. I guess that this Experience that we all went through would finally be the aha and we could say wow Here's our chance. We've been given this opportunity. Let's move we can we see what we need to do We have the money to be able to do if we have the resources relatively speaking, you know, but we We have it within us to do this and Being a special educator and having a really intensive caseload and seeing the needs of my kids pop up more and more and more And how especially sixth seventh and eighth graders I work in middle school um This this cove of generation like seeing what really happened with them um It was real and the needs that they have were real and this is just an unprecedented thing and You know, I finally decided to really speak up and say stuff And bring it to the admin and bring it to these places that are really important to bring and hold the conversations and What I found is that I was running up against a system That's over a hundred plus years old and major conditioning and then more I spoke up The more I advocated the more I got pushed out um And it became increasingly frustrating and that's when I decided to be like Okay, in order for me to bring out of the system and to Think about something differently. I need to get out. I need to have an opportunity um to be able to practice these skills to develop my own social emotional awareness to to further develop my trauma informed approach and to be able to go out and Do the work to recognize Um, what I will call my philosophy is the whole child What I was advocating for in the public education system Is that now we see that children are showing up as them whole selves and that's how we need to see them They're no longer just in a box of one particular thing They are showing up authentically as themselves in this moment in time And we need to be able to to welcome each child into this This world of education this thing to be able to see them as a whole To be able to really fully affect change Not only with and them but within ourselves and within the system um, and so it is my hope to um Now that i'm going to be in more of a nature-based kind of education system Utilizing trade skills and bringing in all of these things that um, every child I wish could be able to utilize Um, whether it be a trade skill, whether it be a farm skill, whatever it is to just fit their mold of learning um So that I can hopefully get the practice and feel to be able to coach districts in the future to be able to do this work um, so my work and my philosophy really is about seeing a whole child's welcome in the whole child and Meeting them the where they're at basically and how can I eventually like I just said Take that work with meeting that kid where they're at but also be able to Teach and coach and help districts as a whole be able to see that we can actually do this And welcome kids as whole and so that we don't have to fit everybody in the same box Thank you so very much I'm just like so moved Yes, I have so many questions and so many things to say and I think maybe what we'll do is I'll I'll I'll let all the other panelists Do their thing and then I think that you know taking taking crowd You know comments and questions For all of you from all of us because like I I I could chase all the rabbit holes of everything you said for like hours But I do want to share with you and by the way on your zoom If you swipe right you can see the gallery of people And you might see the chat so in the chat Um comments are that's beautiful and that was awesome to hear and gives me so much hope as a parent. Thank you Oh amazing Anna you want to go next? Yeah I was thinking that I would love to go after mitch. That was so inspiring. Thank you so much um So as mel said in my intro I am I'm a mom um and and an educator and I have um, I've I've really Chosen to walk the path. That's pretty unconventional in the way that I support my kids by actually a similar kind of whole child approach just seeing my kids as important members of our family and our community who have a lot of value and Really really important skills to share And so the thing that I want to highlight because it's kind of what we're facing right now as a family the most is um Is this aspect that I find in education that This kind of old story that we're told that we have to work on what we're not good at that the focus should be What it's hard for you do more of that and get better at that like this idea that we have to be sort of like um across the board sort of decent at everything um and we've really um We really like pulled that concept apart in our family and and really um taken an approach where We look at what are you good at? What do you love? What's really easy for you? um and taken an approach that that then that's that's your gift and those are your skills and those are the Amazing things that you have to offer the family because you know what you're the only one in the family Who finds that easy? Who's really good at that thing um and so this year I have a 16 year old who's will be starting uh junior year in high school and we have decided to kind of um pull apart her um course load this year to really allow her the energy time um and You know privilege really to focus on what she loves and what she's passionate about So that she can feel really prepared to go into the world with this skill set that um that she's really passionate about and um and what that looks like for uh our family is we have enrolled her in brahmans home study program Um, but she can still enroll in classes at the public school so At the public school this year. She we allowed her to choose the classes that she's really excited about through the school which include a foreign language art classes and some elective English and history classes and then The subjects that she finds more difficult. We're going to take a real approach where we'll design the curriculum and find mentors and people in the community who can help her um learn about things like science and math some of the aspects that are not um Not necessarily her brain strength and not the things that she finds really intriguing and exciting and interesting um, and so we're going to find um mentors that can help kind of bring math into the subjects uh like art and um writing and creativity um so that she can learn She still will learn those subjects but through ways that really engage her and her creativity and her passions um So that's just a little bit about how we're kind of flipping some of these brain rules about what is education um and uh Yeah, I have so much to say about that, but it's been interesting to watch as some of the adults that I connect with um are just Like their minds are blown thinking about this like, oh, I should do it is easy for me. I'm like, yes That's not easy for me. Like that's easy for you. That's why we need you in our community doing that thing. Um and so that's that's a that's something that right now is really exciting me is to support um to support folks support families and and kids really find their way um to You know and and a learning, you know, this innate learning um within us that comes naturally and easily for us and um So I'm I'm doing that and um currently as a family coach supporting families um with being able to kind of Customize and design the ways that they set up their their community in their home Um to meet their child's needs and in that way Thank you so much, Anna and um, I'm gonna I'm it's requiring a lot of impulse control But I'm going to save my questions for you as well Let's hear from the turtle island team You're on All right. Thank you. Does anybody want to go first here vicki prepare to stay no I Didn't prepare um a statement But at you know when this topic came up or Anna just said flip in the brain rules And so I think that's you know what we're talking about here and I was thinking of a time when um That children have helped me to flip the brain rules that I grew up with and um when this was like 15 about 15 years ago probably I was substitute teaching in uh in a school in inner city cleveland, ohio And it was my first time in the school And um, it was seventh grade. They had metal detectors at the door Just before the class I was teaching started. It was a science class um A child was um sort of shoved to the ground by one of the police officers in the school Because they thought that he had a knife on him And it it didn't it didn't end up being true. Um, and so then children Come into the classroom. They sit down and I have from the regular classroom teacher A list of things that I'm supposed to do as the substitute And it mainly consisted of you you must read this chapter from your textbook and then fill out this workbook your science workbook So I insisted that the children in the classroom did that That's how I you know, that's how I learned in the public school that the teacher stands up there and tells you what to do And you you do that thing and it's usually sitting at your desk out of a book and a workbook And nobody was listening to me and nobody was You know paying attention to my words. And so I Did something that is very hard for me to do I raised my voice really loudly and I could feel it like in the depth of my belly I like yelled at these kids, which is something that happened to me as a kid. That's how I learned, you know, um and Again, nobody really was fazed by it. Nobody did anything and it was a really It was a really tough moment and then everybody left and I realized, you know I I actually didn't go back to school for the next couple of weeks because I was just subbing so I could choose. Um And I thought a lot about like what why why did I do that? And Especially why did I do that when I don't know what their lives are like? I don't even know who these kids are and I yelled at them and I asked them to I was asking him to fill out this workbook that is not even relevant To what just happened in the hallway, for example And so I did a lot of reading myself and I listened to some talks and I was trying to understand like You know, how do we actually? Um encourage a love of learning like how do we actually in? Just encourage kids to be kids And so I ended up going back to school It was the last day of school that year and I was in a fourth grade classroom And I changed the approach a little bit I um told the kids what their teacher had left for for me to instruct them to do I said you can do this in any order you want in any way you want you can do by yourself or with other people You can stand you could sit you could dance you could do however you want And all day kids were you know doing puzzles and then working on something they were working together They were working by themselves. They were doing cartwheels in between. There was a lot going on And then some of them wrote stories and they shared their stories and some people listened Some people were not in a place to listen and that was okay And then it was the end of the day and they were lined up at the door and it was the last day of school and one one child says She says miss db. How did we behave today? I said you were excellent. She said we've never been excellent before I said, what do you mean? She said usually the teacher comes in here and tells us to sit down and shut up She said we're kids. We're supposed to talk and then the bell rang and everybody left and I just stood there Like thinking what are what are we doing? um to these kids and I think almost immediately after I started um the process of moving to vermont coming to grad school and studying social justice education and what that means and and something I can't get out of my head as I was listening to mitch and ana too is um the idea that That I've always been told that children are the future because I was also the class of 2000 Which was like the millennium class and so since I started kindergarten back in the day They they kept reminding us. Oh, you are the class of 2000 and all I could think was So not until then am I gonna be relevant in life, you know So so we keep saying children are the future yet. They are here now They they can you know, they they can talk they have things to say or things to do and they are relevant and they're and their lives are very relevant now and so I think that You know kind of like mitch was talking about the whole whole self or the whole child It's like that is the approach we want to take with children that children are here. They're relevant the world Impacts children and they they're impacted by it and we can't pretend that they're not and We shouldn't see ourselves as separate from them because just because we're grown-ups and their children We are all human together and we're all learning together and I think um just narrowing that divide as much as possible Is something that I'm thinking about And I'll let Katrina and Cecilia take it away Um, thank you Vicki for that story I want to just sort of leave that but to say another just bring it back to our space at Turtle Island and Being early childhood educators All of what Vicki's saying is constantly on our brain and Not only is it a massive passing of ours to be with children But I think part of our work as well as we see flipping the brain flipping other people's brain thoughts What are our brain strengths really trying to come together as a community to work that out? Um With with the children And making sure that we're advocating for that work And lifting the voices of the children as well because we might have similar thinking here on this on this zoom But there's a lot of folks who are maybe like Vicki in that first moment who Still expect a certain way of schooling or learning because that's what how they have learned And so I think a lot of the emphasis as well is is how can we spread this like Mitch is saying moving past Where his work has been to do more coaching and Anna's coaching as well And just spreading that that message and doing it together Um, hi everyone. I'm Katrina. Um, I'm a preschool teacher at Turtle Island And yeah everything everyone has said so far is really inspiring Another thing that I'd like to bring up is that I really believe that like relationship with children is the foundation of all like good teaching and giving teachers autonomy and freedom and power and You know to create those relationships of trust and security And love and nurturing. Um, I think goes a long way And I feel like I have that here And I'm very grateful for that. I just finished up my master's at EVM for early childhood special ed and during that program I was Did student teaching at a preschool in Burlington and you know saw the difference between public school and where I've been working now for the past five years and um You know chose at the end of that program to stay at Turtle Island. Um Even with pressure to not do so. Um Just because of you know financial and you know that kind of stuff, but Um, yeah, I'm excited to hear more thoughts about all this and thanks for having me Thanks so much Just in the in the chat Such a powerful story someone else seriously. I'm so inspired right now. Thank you so much for sharing your vulnerability with us Um, and uh, just highlighting closing the gap on the divide between adults and children as much as possible Wow Thank you I'm going to share a video from our last panelist Nixie the missy axelrod from vermont farm and forest school founder and director Which is an independent k through five school in roxbury. Let me see if I can get this to work Here we go Hey everybody, I'm missy axelrod from the vermont farm and forest school and drift farmstead I'm the founder and director Here and we are a small independent school for kindergarten through fifth grade We also for homeschool programs and summer camps and we also work with about a dozen public schools in central vermont doing farm food nutrition education Our society is made up of systems systems are such an important and natural way of life I look at nature as the system and I try to mimic our day-to-day rhythms based on nature That said not all humans fit into the same systems and that includes education My years of working in schools. I fully believe that all educators do the best that they can and Love what they do and that's why they do it but that said every place isn't for everyone and Being able to have options for students that don't fit into a certain box is such an important way of mimicking nature nature gives us choices And I think education should give us choices too And if we can provide different opportunities for our kids, they're going to be able to blossom in ways that we've never seen And that's what we really tried to encompass here at vermont farm and forest school Our school is not for everybody and other schools aren't for everybody and being able to have the choice to fit into your most natural Environment so that you can learn in the most natural way. I think is a gift that everybody should be given And my goal as an educator and director of this program is to be able to just help foster that for families This little statue behind me. I always think of as myself at this time of the year As an educator and as a farmer drowning in the weeds You know, I think we get caught up in wondering whether we're doing the right thing offering the right type of curriculum for our kids and if we can just slow down and Let kids learn At their pace in their space. That's comfortable for them I really just think we'll be able to help them blossom as learners and be able to foster their curiosity and their interest and that'll really help them grow into healthy adults that will bring sustainability to our communities to themselves and I think having choice at school is really truly an important thing So much here. So much. I want to put our panel back. Hold on Spotlight and Spotlight Okay. Um, what I'm gonna do. Um, yeah, great. Yeah. Yeah, slow down so, um If anyone in the audience has any questions or comments For our panelists, feel free to keep using the chat and I will I will broadcast them or feel free to unmute Whatever works for you Otherwise, I have so many questions Go ahead Laura I always have questions. That was awesome. Thank you to all of the speakers. You guys are amazing um, so I have three kids and my oldest just turned five and I'm constantly struggling with where is the line between encouraging skill building and listening and validating where she is and meeting her with her strengths and Kind of supporting her where she is and it seems like you have all kind of found the magic recipe to to balancing that Any guidance for like the kid that, you know They want to do something and then they sign up for it and you're kind of getting there And then they're kind of backing out maybe less interest like how do you get them? To push themselves a little bit in ways that are supportive But aren't forcing them into something that they don't want to do or feels uncomfortable this is such an awesome question and Something that is like You're constantly seeking that balance. I think as an adult who supports kids like it's um, it's so it's something that is Um, never going to be stagnant. Like you're never going to be like, I did it I think it's like it's like it's like this constant work in progress and You're always kind of in the flow of that balance of of offering a little bit more encouragement um, you know or um, taking that time to do that thing slow down and build that trust and sometimes um, it can take a lot longer than what our adult brains want to Offer as a timeline, right? We're like, okay, you could five minutes in five minutes to make your decision Like I actually said something to that extent the other day. I gave a timeline. I'm okay five minutes. Um Probably like five minutes We're gonna leave and a 10 year old is like you should never say that because as soon as you say five minutes It's gonna be 30 minutes and then it's gonna be 40 minutes and you're gonna still be you're talking That's like, oh, yeah, you're right So, you know, we I think that's probably the hardest part is um, like our own expectations of like when it's supposed to happen um, and um, I have found that with um With especially with kids that are a little bit more tentative tend towards observation. Um, that um The adult timeline um is often um, like I think society in general values kind of that more extroverted approach of like just jumping right in um, and so it's harder for us to recognize the value in children who um, who do that like observation piece and who take a little bit longer to warm up to something So just keep seeing the gift in that if you can um, we were just thinking a little bit about this too and um, you know, somebody somebody said slow down I think missy in her talk. She said slow down and that's always I think for for me That's always a good reminder that I'm not sure why we're always hustling and bustling so fast and trying to to do things so quickly but um, I think the question that you asked might depend a little bit on the context too and what particular things your child is wanting to try out And then like we were just talking when you have those relationships and I as the mother you obviously have that relationship with the child One thing we do a lot is we Like narrowing that divide again We often tell stories of ourselves Now or even as kids when we tried something that you know, we were scared to do or Um, you know, I was talking to a kid who's taking swimming lessons the other day And he's scared to go under and do the bubbles and make bubbles And so I was telling him about how I was feeling really scared to go off the diving board because I hadn't done it in a while And so really again relating to children as humans And you too have That's and yeah, and you know, and I think I think all of what vicki said Alludes to the fact that as well that we have all of this All these notions in our brain of sort of what things are important to know and how you know them and how you learn them And maybe when you should learn them and just to go back to the fact that I think as adults We still have a lot of unlearning to do based on what we have built up in urban taught in our society Um and recognizing like if there if there's a resistance to something Maybe why maybe figuring out more the depth of that. Are you nervous? Are you worried conversation and and relationship? Which might sound obvious, but I think it bears bears saying Yeah, I was also thinking about thinking about like modeling. Um I mean, I'm a preschool teacher at a nature based center So that's my lens like and like vicki said it depends on the context But for example, like if children are climbing like a new tree like I'll go and climb the tree myself and like out loud Be like, you know, I'm feeling a little bit nervous. Um You know, and I'm a little bit scared or this might seem uncomfortable and then afterwards like share how I feel after I You know overcame those fears or whatever it is, you know, just empathizing with the child and narrating the emotional journey that goes into Doing hard things that we can all do and if I could add to that that You know, I we've been talking A few of you have mentioned our construct of brain rules like the things that we we think are universal like truths But like we really made them up or someone else made them up and we kind of grew up with them or internalized them But it is actually a great rule That um, we need to feel safe Before we can learn right, we have to feel Regulated before we can engage and purposefully communicate and all the things that is actually a world rule and so when Kids feel unsafe It just is like only they get to decide that they are safe or not And so if there's resistance It may be because they don't feel safe and it might be there might be like I mean so so, you know, um There have been so many strategies shared for how you support perceived safety like yeah, we should do that. That's That's always the answer. Um, but we don't get to just like I I remember as a kid growing up just being told like, you know, suck it up. Don't be scared Like actually I am in fact scared like that's that's how that is um It is also um, just to throw this out to all of the panelists like one of the themes that I've heard from all of you is Supporting student autonomy is really important and and I would say like directly impacts perceived safety Um, and so, you know being able to offer things in flexible multimodal ways of engagement and giving people freedom and choice to pick What works for them? It sounds like Like you you you all do that like that is a strategy. So like what what advice would you have? for for for educators and families who like like things are offered in like a default way and They like wish that it could be in multiple different ways But they feel kind of stuck like they don't they don't have autonomy over teaching in the way that they think needs to Be done I can offer something um This is exactly where I sit right now and I realize that this is like This is something I'm still As an educator who's transitioning out of public education really trying to sit with So I don't know if this is as advice as much as it just is like experience, but I think for those Who will be in this or like that are still in the public ed realm One of the challenges that we come up with is even though that we want to see this child As the whole person and know that there's a modality that may work better for them and know absolutely We know all the brain science now that they need to be regulated before they can even learn. We know that The challenge is that we run up against a system that won't allow that still and so we can have conversations with parents We can have conversations with our teaching teams and our administrators um And I really think the work lies in taking that step if there is a if there is a block to that Um, and I'm I know that there are blocks. There are many blocks There may be schools out there that that really get this like in the public ed realm but I really do feel like the crux of the country is dealing with Such a tough system in this way and so I really think that It takes that leap from an educator to constantly keep going back and keep going back and keep going back to the team To the administrators to whatever to really be able to say This isn't working for this kid and at which point There may be some flak for that right there may be some of the stuff coming down the pipe from top down because you just need to do what you're told to do and it's too much work and I I really It's just I've set in a position of like it's it's easy for me to say this now because I'm on the other side of it But I was just two three months ago. I was on the other side And advice I guess I would have is just to keep pushing if you're getting a resistance to keep pushing And it may be scary because you may get handed down something But I really feel like that's where the change Is going to happen where we can start making those shifts for the kids and start having the modalities change Because if we keep pushing and we keep pushing and we keep pushing We just we got to keep that energy moving forward. It's like everything else in every other justice movement We just got to keep moving forward. And so that would be I guess my advice is from someone who just Went through the shit And had it all come down to me because I was really searching for those different modalities to be able to be offered and given and and It wasn't happening. So I hope that makes sense To people out there, but that's what I would offer is that is is uncomfortable Is it may be to be a teacher in the system and being like I don't want to fight because I don't want to rock the boat Or I don't know how to ask like We have to this is the only way it's going to keep going So that's what I just want to put out there Thank you. And and and the other thing is that um when We ask kids I think that's the key to the universe, right? Like these sweet little loves like they know exactly what they want their education to look like Like in our local district. Um, uh, there's a a group at the um Means Street middle school in Montpelier A group of students who assessed the student body's goals for education last year and they said they wanted more support for identity They wanted more autonomy over their curriculum and they wanted more project-based learning. It was very clear. That's what they wanted um, and so um and and you know in even even when we launched all brains belong, um, you know, I I uh my My then four year old is now five my then four year old was like mama You should have she doesn't have a southern attitude. I don't know why I just did that anyway, but Yeah, she's mama you should have a room Where kids just observe playing You should have a room where kids play side by side You should have a room where kids take turns and you should have a room where they play together It's like whatever room you're in you kind of know what's expected That's a four-year-old telling you something really concrete about her access needs like Amazing you just want brown rules. You just want to know what's expected like that's a profound wisdom or or I asked uh, I asked a then eight-year-old on our uh junior advisory council We have an a junior advisory council here at operating belong kids who tell us exactly what they want their community to look like And this this then eight-year-old said Because I asked hey, um, how do you make kids feel safe? And what he said was I mean like literally and it was like five seconds of thinking You're just like you let them do what they love What Yeah, you know if you let me do what I love and you let that other kid do what they love and we just are both doing what we love We're gonna feel safe mind alone like really Um and and actually that's in fact, um our kid connections program. That's that's what it comes from it comes from that caddy-year-old who said you just bring people together based on their shared interests and they form connection and that's in fact, you know, what What goes on? um, but but but but that doesn't happen in The greater system right like just so so I guess what I want to throw out there is how do we on us on a systematic level How do we get collect? And lift up the kids voices No, no It's a really good question. And I think it's a very hard question And I somebody wrote that it's a recipe for burnout, you know to keep to to keep pushing and to to keep Sort of pushing against the system that exists because we know what's right is to lift up the kids voices And we know that what's happening in a lot of spaces is not working for children So the only the only thing I can say is um That it's it's hard I think about this a lot because most of the children in our country are in public schools And so it's not like we can throw, you know, just throw that idea out the window and um, we need public schools And so we can't do it alone is the only thing I want to say is like We need to find our people. That's what Cecilia actually said a couple minutes ago We need to find our people. We need to do it together And I've seen spaces Here in vermont public school classrooms where teachers have built an interdependent community In the classroom by what you're saying mal like the kids are part of that community of decision makers in that classroom space So you're still part of the system, of course And you're up against a lot as a teacher and a lot of bureaucracy But in that special sacred space like the kids also have A voice and I've seen teachers. I've seen a lot of teachers do this In their classroom space, but it's hard and I have seen people get burned out And that's why we have to do it together and we have to come together as we are doing right now Because there's also joy in this struggle because it's been such a struggle But if we can do it together if we're if we're involving the kids if we're raising our voices and we're not Stopping like that is the work. It is so important. Um, there will also be joy and there will also be moments of You know where we where we Where we get through it together and Yeah, I mean we have to hope Thank you Vicki that was so great and one of the things I want to add to this is um Like just we just have to try You know, like we just have to I mean if you're an educator who's thinking gosh I really want to give the kids in my classroom more autonomy, but how do I do it? It's like just just try, you know, just one step just one You know, or you want a multi multimodal opportunity? It's like just just give give a choice give the kids a choice, right? And that involving the kids is so critical um, and so the approach that I like to take and and the mentors that I've found um throughout my Journey as an educator Really are scientists So and this is what I encourage educators as well as parents to do like parent You know build those relationships like as a scientist, you know, you have a hypothesis you think like oh, this is going to be great for this kid Try it try it. It might not actually work Like that's the thing we can't get stuck in thinking like we know the answer But we can have a hypothesis we can try it out We can make observations we can see how it goes and we can go back to the drawing board and be like Okay, so this little aspect of that worked, but this other part didn't go so well I'm gonna let's try it again with some adjustments like make some adjustments try it again Make a new hypothesis like don't give up keep trying But when you do have that moment of success and you see that incredible look of satisfaction on the child's face and you've had this incredible moment and Celebrate it celebrate it really take it in celebrate it share the news talk to people about it tell the story Um, and I think that that's another important piece Like vicki was saying like we have to do it together and in that way we need to lift up those stories of success Um, you know, I imagine mitch, you know, even in your struggles There was probably one or two moments where you're like this really worked I like I got to this kid and they really like had this incredible experience and got past this really difficult moment And like those are the stories we have to keep telling Um, so that people continue to be encouraged to um to to make those changes to to take those steps um I think that that's the only way that we'll we'll really start getting that The the attention necessary for people to be willing to step beyond their fears of um doing something different right it is because it is an 100 year old plus year old system um people are afraid um to do it differently but as soon as we start sharing the success of um of these moments of like that especially those moments where we've captured this child's creativity and the brilliance and And then we're like wow and it really worked Actually, they really didn't know um I think that that um That's the kind of thing that's gonna Give people the courage to really make those changes Yeah, thank you. Anna for that. You know, that was especially your last point there. I think that really was a great reminder um about constantly going back to the kids and The relationship building with the turtle island crew talked about so huge and and Doing the things every day that you know intuitively in yourself As an educator, but also as a human being um meeting that kid or those kids and doing those very things such That that you know are going to be doing good for them no matter what the system dictates and I think That is something that I'm reminded of that that Really helped me in my practice even though in the hardest of times is that every single day I just went with those kids at mine and I mean, I think that's why we're all here for two. So Thank you for that reminder that I I need that too. Um You know kids first kids centered like that's why we're here. So thank you That is it that that is a beautiful beautiful sentiment and I think that it's also, you know, when you're when When your own autonomy as a professional, you know in whatever field you're in when you when when you don't Feel you have autonomy for many for many nervous systems It is very hard to like be the best at your craft, right? Like so so of course you're not going to be able to access like that world rule because you're dysregulated um, and that's going to be the case in For any professional and it's that co regulation or co dysregulation experience Um, you know, whether that be between, you know professional and student But also thinking about like like just conflicting access needs when you are in an environment where, you know We all have different access means things we need to meaning we participate in our in our experience and so, you know in a in a in a big group in a big classroom where every student has different needs, um and different things, especially If that student, um, you know, like has the kind of brain that needs to be interested in order to attend and you know Motor plan and all the things that dopamine does for you Um, then then that's going to be even even more complicated But I would say that that one of the themes that's jumped out from from all of you and missy Is that that nature and you know being being outdoors is Can can really support the regulation and co regulation experiences Um, can can can uh, you know, we have about five minutes five minutes left. I'd just love to hear um, uh for Any any wisdom that any of you have About that and how to get more more outdoor Um, uh education infused even if you're working within a setting that is not nature based Vicki are you talking or thinking? I'm I was seeing a question. Um, Katrina and then I was just talking Loud it's a it's a tough question But um, my last school was um very urban and we we had a parking lot as a as our playground and Um, so a lot of what we did uh was bring materials into the classroom You know, I mean to be honest what is nature because everything is built from nature And so I think that question is one I I ask a lot when we talk about nature based because um Because we shouldn't be disconnected from the fact that we all come from nature That that the building that we're in was built by materials from nature and so What what are we actually trying to get at but I think um Bringing in materials from the outdoors, you know loose materials branches sticks pine cones those kinds of things and then also, you know Just lots of books and songs So that we're still learning about the earth and our connection to it and again, I just think that content piece of Where humans come from where we're living things come from and then where how where everything comes from essentially So a lot of what yeah a lot of what we've done in settings that aren't necessarily outdoors Like we're very lucky to have a turtle island is to teach like if we if we're eating a snack If we're eating it um food we can discover where it came from we can um discover How it looked like as a seed and how it looked like as a plant if it was a plant Who harvested it and what who those people are what what country they live in and then how it traveled from that country to Vermont and how it got to the grocery store and how we got it So just always connecting to the source of things and you can do that in any setting Really and you can show images of people who are laboring on farms and other places in vermont or in other countries You can show manufacturing images of how things are made But just can always connecting to the source of of things I love that so much vicki and mel. I love this question. Thank you for asking it. Um, and I I have um Kind of gone down this rabbit hole quite a bit late and recent recently Specifically in research that shows um how a connection with nature Does support uh regulating the nervous system can support You know mitigating aces and um and giving people and um children especially kind of that fresh start Where the brain can begin to rebuild those um critical connections for Um rest and digest and um, you know and and really be be in that um learning space um And so for me There's two things come to mind one of my first most favorite things Like doorways to nature is listening So no matter what space you're in taking that time again like um just that slowing down And taking that time to say like what do we hear? What are you here right now? you know and just giving that giving enough space and For those little brains to start observing and just slowing down and taking in their surroundings And then just that doorway of of all of our senses and how our senses really bring us back into our bodies one of the other Sizes I've become really um fond of and been teaching a lot. I call become a tree So using movement and using uh in our own body awareness to I can grow our roots down into the ground and and drink up Any moisture or nutrients found deep within the earth into our bodies and feel ourselves sucking in the sun and um You know that kind of there's there is co-regulation between us and nature because we as we breathe the trees breathe and that Supports us with breathing and the and and so like vicki was saying the connection The way that everything is connected is I think just that it intimate Doorway right into nature no matter where you are So beautiful Well, I so appreciate all of you for being here And I I I think you've given all of us so much to to continue to reflect on About what's possible in small ways and big ways um because it all it all really comes down to Thinking about that the child at the center the whole child at the center not only because they are the future but because They are the key to the universe right here and right now and um, I hope that um everyone will join us back next week. Um, we'll see what the weather holds up about about whether Whether it's a hybrid format or if you're on zoom, but next week we'll be reimagining employment And uh reimagining systems of employment so that all brains can thrive