Gentle Teaching has played a major role in my life through the relationships I have formed with individuals at COR, supports, co-workers and the students I teach. As an educator who teaches students with disabilities, I have learned to understand the “why”. When I began supporting at COR and teaching I assumed (which we should never do) people acted out for attention and that they should know better. Man, was I wrong!
Gentle Teaching has taught me to build meaningful relationships through being caring, loving, providing comfort and safety, and communicating and understanding people’s needs and wants. If someone is going through a crisis, it’s not because they are choosing too, its because a need is not being met.
What is causing the crisis, and how can I help? It’s building trusting relationships with the individuals I support or students I teach and that they can rely on me to help them get through this. Since supporting at COR and learning about Gentle Teaching, I have seen growth in my personal and work life. I do not jump to conclusions rather than work through them.
Gentle Teaching has also helped me understand and demonstrate that when a crisis or escalation occurs to still provide the love, care and nurture the individual needs at that time. To be honest, at first when I heard this I thought, there is no way I am going to be supportive or show love and affection to someone who is being violent with me or towards someone else. Understanding Gentle Teaching more thoroughly has taught me the importance of being there and supporting the person through not only the good, but the bad, too. Gentle Teaching has allowed me to view situations in a different perspective and understanding that there is more than one way to do things.
I will continue to learn, grow and be the best version of myself while incorporating what I have learned through Gentle Teaching and hope I can teach others these values and understandings as well.
Brooklyn
COR family member
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