Whole Child
We walk our path grounded in neuroscience and connected to our schools’ local First Nation communities.
What is Whole Child
FNSB’s Whole Child Coaches walk with Learners and educators (teachers, educational assistants, Learning Assistance Teachers and School Wellness Specialists) to nurture and grow a Learner’s social and emotional development from kindergarten through grade 12.
The Whole Child team provides educators with strategies to support learning and well-being for the whole class, as well as individual Learners.
Scroll down to find resources for families.
Whole Child Coaches support schools in:
Regulation
Regulation is the foundation of the Whole Child team. We provide Educators with knowledge and strategies to effectively co-regulate Learners.
What do these terms mean?
Regulation is connecting to your bodily sensations and emotions, being able to name it and then take care of yourself.
Co-regulation is when we do this for another.
Self-regulation develops from co-regulation when provided repeatedly and consistently from others.
Relationships
Relationships are the foundation of learning; from caring relationships, we can all grow.
How can we achieve this?
It is essential to support school teams in building relationships with Learners, caregivers, and communities through a strength-based lens.
Understanding behavior as communication of an unmet need is key.
Empowering School Teams
When provided wrap around support and resources, school teams can flourish. We build up each school team’s capacity to navigate Learners’ behaviours and learning needs to get curious about how best to serve them.
We are growing a Whole Child approach to learning that will share knowledge in neuroscience, child development, relationship building, and inclusive education with school communities.
What Whole Child Coaches do:
Coach educators in using research-based, culturally grounded strategies to support regulation and presence of Learners in the classroom.
Support school-based teams to use language that highlights a Learner’s strengths, and develop inclusive, action-based support plans that include family voice.
Collaborate with families, school, and community supports at school-based team meetings,
Uphold family knowledge, voice and perspective at school meetings.
Visit classrooms to observe and learn the needs of classrooms, Learners and school teams.
Provide training to school teams about social and emotional learning.
Develop resources for school teams to promote social and emotional learning.
What Whole Child Coaches do not do:
Assess or test Learners
Work with Learners on a 1-1 basis
Work with Families on a 1-1 basis
How does Whole Child incorporate Yukon First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing?
The idea of the Whole Child comes from the Indigenous world view that has existed since time immemorial. The Whole Child team recognizes that all parts of a Learner must be served in order to support their wholistic development.
Our team works alongside and in collaboration with the FNSB’s Land and Language team.
“We need to think of the wellbeing of the individual and community as a central foundation and awareness of education.”
School Wellness Specialists
School Wellness Specialists provide a wide range of direct supports to Learners, families, educators and the school community. They work alongside the Whole Child team to integrate the Whole Child approach to wellness and learning within a school. Connect with your school team to be connected to your School Wellness Specialist.
FNSB currently has School Wellness Specialist at:
Grey Mountain Primary
St. Elias Community School
Johnson Elementary
Watson Lake Secondary
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What is the neuroscience?
Whole Child is developing a foundation for a relationship-based approach that is in alignment with FNSB values, organizational chart, traditional knowledge, and up to date neuroscience.
A research-based approach to Whole Child practice includes work from the following: Neurosequential Model in Education, Stuart Shanker, Dr. Lori Desautels, and Kim Barthel.
Research shows that learning when done in safety, connection, and curiosity for each other, educational settings can build resiliency, skills required for learning and self-regulation in learners.
We are keeping our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the constantly growing body of research on how best to serve learners.
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What is regulation?
"Calm is not regulation, it's connection to self in your experience" - Kim Barthel
Regulation is regularly misunderstood as being calm and in control of your emotions when in fact it is about feeling your feelings (body sensations and emotions), naming your feelings, and taking care of your feelings. We can be regulated in any emotional state, even in uncomfortable feelings like sadness or anger.
The ability to self-regulate develops over time, into adulthood. When we are shown by another how to take care of our feelings this is called co-regulation. Learners kindergarten to grade 12 need co-regulation to be able to learn.
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How are relationships the foundation for learning?
“We are one spirit, one song, and our world will be harmonious only when we make time to care. For ourselves. For each other. For our home. You don’t need to be a Native person to understand that - just human.” - Richard Wagamese
Relationships are the foundation to learning. Brains are continuously growing, changing, and impacted from experiences and relationships. When Learners feel understood and safe with another their brains are better able to focus, process new learning, problem solve, and think creatively rather than be in a state of stress or survival mode.
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How does Whole Child work alongside Student Support Services?
The Whole Child team will support school teams in referring to Student Support Services for their specialty services. The Whole Child coach will support the school-based team to incorporate recommendations and strategies from Student Support Services consultants. Whole Child Coaches connect with Student Support Services consultants to collaborate and support school teams together.
Resources for Families
Image courtesy of Diversity Kids
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Arousal Checklist: This handout is to support educators in providing strategies to support learners in coming to the just right state for the task or activity
The learner in front of you: This handout is to support school-teams in learning more about their learners and ways they may need support in school and learning.
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“Our classrooms are environments that are changing as quickly as our human world. It is important that our education teams are equipped to effectively support our learners with new and emerging best practices as they continue to be refined. The Whole Child Team has been instrumental in supporting this work.”
