3-month payment plan is available on the registration page. Our nervous systems and physiological states create and produce the behaviors we observe, question, discuss, punish, suspend, seclude, and attend to in all moments throughout the day! As educators who sit with 30 to 180 plus nervous systems every day, we have traditionally paid attention to observable behaviors, assessing them as appropriate, disrespectful, inappropriate, oppositional, aggressive, manipulative, and a variety of other labels and classifications. Polyvagal Theory and social and affective neuroscience research now share that education requires “state regulation” in order to access and integrate the cognitive and mental tasks we need to succeed in school and positively navigate life experiences. We hope that these modules will be a part of your procedures, routines, and transitions as you prepare your students' nervous system for the challenges and lived experiences of the day. When we are intentional about acknowledging our autonomic nervous systems, we are building capacity in our bodies for safety and connection. Most of us in the western part of the world have been conditioned, parented, and schooled through the lens of Behaviorism. Conventionally, our school systems and structures have embedded behaviorism along with contingency programs that address and focus on compliance and control. Many of these contingency behavioral regulations and handbooks mirror zero tolerance policies from the 1990's and early 2000’s, often designed by racially privileged school leaders and groups that have unintentionally increased discipline racial inequities and disparities for our children and youth of color, culture, and special education populations. Many educators have grown up with the “law and order” mentality that focuses on accountability solely through the lens of observable behaviors. In the United States today, we implement corporal punishment in 19 states. But we have a significant disconnect. Our most troubled youth and children are carrying nervous systems that have been programmed to defend and protect; they live in a survival state. The pandemic has added layers of adversity and trauma inside the lives of our children, families, and communities. Children remain the poorest age group in America, with children of color and young children suffering the highest poverty levels. In this course, we will address the nervous system states, implicit memories, and the survival drive that addresses these behavioral challenges from our students as well as the chronic fatigue and overwhelm our educators are experiencing at this time. In this 10-hour course, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how our nervous systems drive our neuroception, perception, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in all moments. We will explore educator nervous system states and the contagiousness of our emotions through the lens of Polyvagal Theory. We will uncover the sensations that drive us to protect ourselves and the conditions that cultivate felt safety. We will explore how co-regulation is attuned to “getting out ahead of negative behaviors” and is the cornerstone for this new perspective. Upon completion of this course, participants will: BENEFITS: --Gain a deeper understanding of how our nervous systems drive our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors according to Polyvagal Theory --Develop practices to uncover the sensations that drive us to protect ourselves --Learn how to cultivate felt safety and co-regulate your students to get ahead of negative behaviors LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Understand how the developing nervous system is impacted by personal and community adversity and trauma through discussions, personal reflections, and shared case studies. 2. Explore four pillars of applied educational neuroscience through the lens of Polyvagal Theory and how the practices and science inform the educator’s nervous system, supporting all students and educators through procedures, transitions, and routines creating environments and relationships that cultivate safety while strengthening relationships. 3. Discuss and explore the implications for rewiring our perceptions of discipline through co-regulation and teaching our staff and students about the language of the sciences and the principles of Polyvagal Theory. 4. Complete reflective exercises to explore and share with our colleagues and students as we identify our activators and begin installing resources and practices that meet our children and youth in their nervous system states. 5. Practice Focused Attention Practices that activate the parasympathetic pathways in the nervous system integrating breath, movement, sounds, visualizations, and sensory experiences that assist in helping educators and students establish and maintain a ventral vagal state of social engagement, felt- safety, and co-regulation with students, especially during escalating power struggles and conflicts. 6. Cultivate and integrate time and nervous system-aligned practices inside of procedures addressing state-dependent functioning while fostering a restorative healing environment as a Tier One practice for all staff and students. Students will have access to the course for 180 days from the date of registration. This course includes an invitation to a live discussion with Stephen Porges, PhD or Deb Dana, LCSW exclusively for members of our PVI learning community; our next live session date is TBD.