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Joy as an Antidote to Burnout in Education- Empowering Neurodivergent Learners

This is a follow up case-study from my previous post, so do go back and take a look if this topic resonates with you. 

Many of the young people and families who come to me are already exhausted. It’s only October as I’m writing this. I, as a business owner, am already quite tired and have to think consciously about finding those moments of joy and leaning into them, not getting swept up in the manic mode of business development and administration. We’ve had a few weeks into the ‘school year’ which brings the hard, often debilitating, feeling that things aren’t necessarily going to get easier. This point in the year, when we’re supposed to have all the energy, is reminiscent of when I worked in schools- a month in, I would already feel so exhausted. If I’m feeling that, I know children absolutely are. I’m seeing a lot of people out there wondering why their child has suddenly just shut down.

To give a tangible example, I’m currently working with a student with Pathological Demand Avoidance. Initially, we started reading the book ‘I Spy’, about Bletchley Park and the innovation during the Second World War. I designed a project based on this, assuming he would love to learn about the war. As soon as we got to session two, I could feel him starting to shut down. As is necessary with this particular learning profile, it would have been wrong of me to push this learning, as he would have either completely resisted my effort or masked, leading to challenges later as he tried to regulate.

I moved aside and took stock. I realised it was a bit too ‘heavy’, too much too soon. After a weekend of reflection, I went to the library and gathered interesting materials. I wondered, “What if we created a museum? What if we could together create a museum of interesting artefacts and memorabilia? What if it was the invention and discovery side that he was more interested in?” Once I presented this notion to him, the response was very different. Not every moment is completely smooth sailing now, but I certainly feel more buy-in and excitement.

We aren’t shying away from the realities of war; we might gently broach those topics in our exploration and research, but the literacy outcomes are being met in another way. We can create fact files and advertising copywriting based on the things we choose to display. I’m building in opportunities to teach about business development and acumen and making strategic decisions about what to showcase in our museum. This is a far more exciting prospect for me as a professional, and it is more inclusive to make space for possibilities. This is one example where I’m challenging myself to know that I can be honest and have integrity in the lessons I teach, and value social-emotional learning, without necessarily having to be the doomsday prophetic. I can create enjoyable learning experiences grounded in the real world that really speak to young people and what they would like to have autonomy over.

To again reference the work of Ben Kingston-Hughes (Kingston-Hughes, 2021), who reminds us that play is essential for nervous system regulation and a fundamental right for young people. While many of his ideas are from the early years perspective, he references foundational principles of cognitive science and a trauma-informed approach, it’s interesting that when we humble ourselves as secondary teachers to take note from primary strategies- it opens up possibilities, making sure there are more opportunities for games and light conversation in my lessons if appropriate for the student.

My message of guidance for like-minded families is: breathe and give yourself permission to restore and renew, and allow your child a little bit of space and autonomy to come back to themselves. Sleep, nourishing food and the basics might just be an important part of that. Then, gently, we can start to come back to learning, but it can’t look the way it once did.

If you are looking for some creative ways to support your child back into learning, with tailored literacy advice for neurodivergent learners, then my upcoming webinar will be the ideal place for you to start. See the homepage for more information: http://www.msreedteach.com

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