Connection 🧩 then Correction ✅

Connect 🧩 THEN Correct ✅ 

In Trauma Informed Practice there is huge emphasis on building relationships with our pupils to ensure a connection as it is only once we are connected as social beings that we can work out the communication and positively correct negative behaviours. It is important to be clear that the focus is on positive correction and not punitive measures. Connection creates a sense of safety and openness. Punishment, shouting, moaning, scolding, blaming or shaming create fight, flight, or freeze.

It is important to be reassured that this is based on brain science: children learn, grow, feel safe and thrive best when they feel connection—or as Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs call it, ‘a sense of belonging and significance.’

Research shows us that we cannot influence children in a positive way until we create a connection with them. It is a brain and heart kind of thing. You can learn more about this through looking at ‘Attachment Theory.’ Sometimes we have to stop dealing with the perceived ‘misbehaviour’ and first heal the relationship. We also need to be mindful that, rescuing, fixing, and over-protecting are not good ways to create a connection. Effective connections are made when both child and adult feel belonging and significance.

Now I want you to just take a moment to think about this in relation to us as class teachers or as school manager and the over burdening focus on raising attainment…

If there is one thing regardless of your status in the school I am sure you would agree that, improving future outcomes for our learners in all aspects of their lives is most important. That is why we need to focus on connection before correction in every sense. We WILL NOT optimise raising attainment if we do not connect and improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of our pupils and indeed staff first. We know that this is based on science, to the point that if we were only to improve our Universal Provision for Mental Health and Wellbeing that there would be a knock on impact of attainment being raised! Trust me, I’ve been there and done it!

It’s also NOT about creating extra work for teachers. You DO NOT need to buy expensive HWB programmes or APPs! It’s about investing in creating a whole school ethos and embedding it in the curriculum you already have. It’s about supporting everyone’s ‘inner teddy bear hearts!’ 💕

This is my plea to those who have the power and authority to change this in your school.

Take a step back. No matter how many times you look at attainment data and carve out numerous assessments to track and monitor this… No matter how many programmes you heavily invest money in or extra staff you put in to pulling children out for 1:1 targeted learning sessions, it will have minimal to no impact if you don’t focus on connection before correction in every sense.

Let’s connect with our children and each other first and have faith that correction of attainment will also follow.

Let’s get Bearing Up🧸💕