Teaching Channel Talks Episode 103: Empowerment in Education from the Inside Out (w/Trish Keiller)

Dr. Wendy Amato: Welcome to Teaching Channel Talks. I’m your host, Wendy Amato. As often as I can, I jump into conversations about topics that matter in education. In this episode, let’s get into what it takes to have a school environment that thrives. It’s my pleasure to welcome Trish Keiller. Trish, hi.

Trish Keiller: Hi, Wendy. Thank you so much for having me.

I’m delighted to be here with you.

Dr. Wendy Amato: I’m excited to have you here because you have this motto of empowering teachers and students to thrive from the inside out. Tell me about that. What’s driving your work?

Trish Keiller: Great. Yeah. So I think the biggest thing in my message is how do we take time in our schools to include the body?

And we are very cognitive and focused on learning and often we think about the head up and including the body from the inside out. There’s many tools that we can use that we can resource a lot of ease, a lot of joy. And those tools really come from the inside, whether that’s creating calm, whether it’s creating focus in our classroom paying attention relaxing, a lot of these things that we can create from the inside.

So our body is important in the classroom for our teachers, for our leaders, for our students our mind and our hearts. Having emotional connection, bonding, relationship, all of those things that we know really support us. And I’m supporting schools in bringing the tools from the inside that we cultivate from the inside out.

Dr. Wendy Amato: When you talk about having tools, for working from the inside out. You’re not saying, I have a program that you should push into your school or district or state level. Tell me about the difference between offering a program and offering meaningful work that’s sustaining and impactful.

Trish Keiller: Well, I think there’s a lot of programs that work, right?

I guess the best program that works is the one that’s used, as we say. As we say, that’s not sitting on the shelf. And so these tools and these practices, whether it’s about starting a math class or beginning a courageous conversation, a conversation about equity, there’s still a body that is having the experience.

And What I’m looking to do is really support schools in what’s our ways of being around these things, so that regardless of the curriculum or the program that we’re using, that we’re really intended to have tools that support all of the things in social emotional learning, our self awareness, and our relationships, and our growth mindset, and our goal setting, and all of those competencies that support our emotional well being.

And there’s tools and practices that really transcend any program or any curriculum. I think the biggest thing that I’m noticing and I’m supporting is to create the daily practices and rituals. So our social emotional learning doesn’t live in a 30 minute Block at on Thursdays at morning meeting time, but rather it’s really shifting ways of being and how the tools and practices then expand the the outcomes and the impact of those programs.

Dr. Wendy Amato: Talk to me a little bit about your background and how you have made this connection between the academic world and the inside.

Trish Keiller: I love this question and always write to be short and sweet. So I will give the 30 second version as a middle school teacher for 10 years in Hartford, Connecticut, and realizing at the base that students weren’t always ready to learn.

And at the same time, I wasn’t always ready to teach. And so as. As a collegiate athlete, I’ve always been very interested in performance, whether that was through nutrition and sleep and food mindset. And so I started a yoga practice for myself to manage my own stress and organically began bringing that into the classroom.

And really noticed the impact that just taking a couple of minutes to allow my students time to get settled in the classroom, to take a breath, to cultivate some calm and some focus from the inside out. And after a few years of doing that really saw such an impact that I realized you didn’t need to be a yoga teacher to bring these tools into your classroom.

And so that was my transition to Los Angeles. To train and over the last since 2006 18 years, that’s really been the combination of how do we blend the academic and wellness arms of our school. So it’s really integrated. And I think with COVID, that’s become more obvious than probably ever with our needs for mental, emotional Wellbeing to support learning.

Dr. Wendy Amato: You mentioned that you were aware that your students were not ready to learn. What does that look like? Because I’m kind of afraid that there are a lot of us out there in classrooms and we just are not realizing that our students are not ready to learn. What does it look like? Sound like? Feel like?

Trish Keiller: Well, at different times of the day, I realize, and I’m sure our listeners out there feel the same. In first period, often our kids are asleep. and quiet and it’s easy to get going but we might not have much impact. And then after lunch, sometimes there’s some drama unfolding and things that need to get settled with some supportive of teacher input at the end of the day, we’re sort of a little bit more bouncy energy.

So, you know, one of the things is that our nervous system is really managing the classroom. Our energy is managing the classroom. And again, the energy, we’re all energetic beings. So it’s really from the inside. So the tools are, well, period one, I got to wake my kids up. What are the things that can get them awake?

What are the things that can transition them from maybe a very stressful morning? Maybe at the end of the day, there’s a concern of like, is someone going to remember to pick me up? Do I have time to do all the things that I need to do? Are high school kids with some of their schedules that don’t necessarily align great with their biological clock and sort of where they are?

And so it’s really how do we support people from the inside? What are the things that we can do to get ready? And for teachers too, right? We show up and we have lives and our. Educators, just, there’s a lot going on, and there’s a way that we can get ourselves ready and not be just waiting for a good night’s sleep and the next day to arrive.

Dr. Wendy Amato: I like thinking about ourselves as educators being ingredients in the classrooms where we’re creating a learning environment. It’s not just how the students come in and how they’re feeling, but it’s also what we’re adding to the space. And so it’s good to think about paying attention to different groups.

Talk to me about the different groups. What’s different in your work when you’re working with students or with teachers or with school leaders? How do you adjust?

Trish Keiller: I’m most inspired by our kiddos, our middle school and our high school kids. I was a middle school teacher for a long time and They are so open and willing when we get them in the right state.

And I found that the resources that we have within, you know, we really just discredit what the body is capable of in terms of our resilience our ability to focus, to stay on track, to create innovative ideas and so exposing students to just what some of those tools or practices are. And it’s very practical.

Sometimes it’s working with our adolescents around how do you fall asleep more easily at night because that is a real thing for a lot of us and there’s tools we can use. And then working with teachers. Really, you know, with so much compassion for how much they’re holding and the expectations and the accountability and sometimes against the grain of what in their hearts they’re feeling is they want to do and what gets to happen in the classroom at that time.

And so really giving them tools also for themselves to support their own well being and also help them be able to get to sleep at night because I know what they’re carrying. And then for our leaders, you know, I think You know, the speed of the group is determined by the speed of the leader. And so as our leaders really supporting them with, you know, next level mindset, I think in schools, we’re really scratching the surface on growth mindset.

There’s so much more there that is really available and accessible. And as we kind of catch up to the research that our leaders can really set the stage for what’s possible.

Dr. Wendy Amato: What are you noticing these days in schools about growth mindset? Anything surfacing?

Trish Keiller: I notice a lot of of space for it, like hanging on the walls, like when I walk corridors, I see I am strong and I am powerful.

What I don’t see as much is practice, ritual of affirming that. So starting the day going, Hey, what does this day entail for me? I like to work with my teachers instead of on to do lists, on to be lists, you know? What does this day entail for me? How do I want to show up? Okay today I have these big conversations, so maybe there’s courage.

So I am courageous. I am brave. I am one of the brave ones. I am bold. I’m ready. I’m confident. Versus our to do lists, which, which never really end. And so the growth mindset. Also a piece of shifting some of our words and our language. So every word that we use has, every thought that we have has a chemical impact, and so when I say things like I have to do this, I have to do that, it can feel and kids get this very quickly, I do this all the time, and they go, how does that feel?

It feels heavy, it feels like a burden, it feels like responsible. Right? Versus, like, I get to do something. And so these small shifts, like, oh, get to feels like privilege. It feels like opportunity. And so some of just the knowledge places of connecting leaders, our words are really powerful, the language that we use, and it has an impact in the body.

And when I feel different, I make different choices, I do different. And so those very small shifts are things that can really change the whole landscape of a classroom and the daily experience so that people can enjoy the journey.

Dr. Wendy Amato: I like hearing your connection to action and mindset. You’re not against posters.

But it can’t be performative. It has to be paired with the environment and the experience. Trish, one of the things that you are known for in your work in Roots Education is tips for a thriving culture. And I don’t want to ask you to reveal everything about your work, but I would love for you to share your favorite tip.

And Maybe the one that you think is an important one for people who are just starting into this work and recognizing the commitment they need to make to working from the inside.

Trish Keiller: From the inside. I, the biggest one is no surprise to anyone. The biggest one is our breath. The biggest one is our life force.

The disconnect is again in, in our knowledge versus our ways of being. And a lot of people can, we can talk about the breath, but it’s not the same as activating and cultivating the breath and just taking a moment to create really some space. That when we’re slowing down our breathing and taking just a moment to pause the world is moving So fast it can feel and I remember working with a group of High school students and we were just doing breathing for you know, 30 seconds a minute not long And I just asked them to tune in and this one girl.

She said It feels like the world just slowed down. Feels like the world just slowed down. And it almost can make me teary, right? Because we are, I was meeting with the superintendent the other day. She’s like, it’s just the pace of the district, right? In this, like, so many things to do and so much urgency.

And so, I was like, The, you know, one of my real mottos is like slowing down to speed up like it’s not slowing down. I always say, I’m not proposing that we’re, you know, in slippers and robes and breathing in our schools, but that we’re breathing and we’re moving right we’re breathing and we’re intentionally moving but creating space so we have access to the innovative ideas that we really need to move the landscape of the field forward.

Dr. Wendy Amato: How do you respond to people who suggest that the kind of work you do is not a best use of time? That’s a thing out there. How do you respond to it?

Trish Keiller: Well, one, number one is I always trust everyone’s journey is perfect exactly where they are. And when we’re ready to hear, we’re ready to hear it.

I know people bang me over the head for decades saying things that, you know, I didn’t really catch until I was ready. So, with complete compassion and understanding I get that, and there’s a trusting there. What I do know at the same time, is that when people just have the experience, They can feel that in their body, like there’s so much in the body that we can feel, oh, the circumstances aren’t gonna change, but when you shift, now you have access to a different response, or more clarity, or a better idea, or a calmer way to approach the situation that you know, because we are, can be very triggered.

Life can be triggered. Can be really challenging but our breathing can really give us access to a different part of the autonomic nervous system that gives us access to calm and clarity which is what this these big moments call for. And the other thing I would say really quick with complete compassion I mean we’re only your message, right?

That’s what I’ve always been trained. So I’m doing this work because of so much pain earlier in my life and not being able to slow down. And when I first began a yoga practice, I mean, I was a collegiate soccer player running. I was like a runner, runner. My mom was a school principal. She ran all over the place, you know, and When I began a yoga practice, I couldn’t be in Shavasana at the end, you know, when I realized what that was that you were supposed to be still.

So for two years I began my yoga practitioner practice as a liar because I said I had to leave early every class because I couldn’t be in that space. So I say that with complete compassion that our nervous systems are really doing the best that they can. And when we learn new things, we get to shift and sometimes we shift quickly and sometimes it takes a hot second like it did for me.

Dr. Wendy Amato: I don’t think this world knows very many people who have brought math and yoga together. And I think that is a significant statement and something to pause and appreciate because you really did pull some things together that might not naturally have melded.

Trish Keiller: Yeah, and I, at the end of the day, like, we’re all people, whether we’re in math class, or science, or writing, and some of our subject areas, I remember when I had, I’d always taught sixth grade, but one, it was in an elementary contained setting, so I had the kids all day, and then it was in the middle school setting, sixth grade, and what I realized in conversations with my colleagues when I moved to that middle school model, was that I didn’t know my kids, The same way and that different content areas, especially we’re thinking about social emotional learning, some areas lend themselves very well our histories and our English and our math teachers and our science teachers, you know, like all the credit, like there, there’s some shifts.

And we can still then take a moment to just realize we’re in these bodies and sometimes even just getting to class on time to start. is worth taking a moment just to pause and take a breath and acknowledge that we’re here.

Dr. Wendy Amato: What does it mean to provide brain aligned techniques?

Trish Keiller: Well, our nervous system, like I said, when we think about a lot of people have been digging into like trauma informed practices and nervous system regulation, emotional regulation, and so just understanding some of the places and the need for belonging.

And how that happens, and belonging happens, you know, every quarter of a second. We’re sort of scanning for safety, and we pick up on that through eye contact, body posture. So, simple things, even just having, you know, teachers greet students, which I know has been, like, a practice, or having teachers stand at the door and make sure that I see you, you’re welcome.

What we’re missing in many ways, though, Is the student to student time. So having students sit down, it’s one thing for me to greet the students. It’s another thing for me to say, Hey, the person who’s sitting one foot from you. Right? You get to say good morning and connect and whatever that is, but having kids really be part of that process.

The other thing, just a really quick example, and this happens all the time, kids come in late, right, for whatever. And so, with all well intentions, we want kids to connect and be kind. And we want it to be when it’s convenient for us, okay? So people come in late and kids want to greet the teacher right here.

And so, getting ahead of that and thinking like, How do we want to acknowledge each other when someone comes in late and be really inclusive because we want kids to connect and We also kind of want it at a certain time. And so just thinking about how do we get ahead of that? What’s the sign, you know, I had kids it’d be like, okay like yes, you’re here We’re so glad and now we’re back at it without pay attention Because we’re doing really cool math right now

Dr. Wendy Amato: Yeah, it’s not scolding them.

It’s giving them a tool to do both things, to stay with the lesson, but still recognize that there’s been a change in the room.

Trish Keiller: One more thing, Wendy, I would say, just to give people another example around sort of brain aligned techniques, is that when we, focus is such an important thing. Focus is like right now a superpower.

And we often say to kids, you know, pay attention. Right, pay attention, focus, over here, and, but there’s tools that we can use that create the focus again from the, from the inside out. So, giving them a direction where they can orient, for example, you know, taking a breath in, feel your feet on the ground.

Feel the space above your head gets them actually in the space. And what it does is it draws their attention away from whatever the other thing is that’s on their to do list, which might be what’s happening at lunch or the most recent text message. Again, bringing this back to our words are really important.

Talk about what we want them to focus on, not what we don’t want them to focus on.

Dr. Wendy Amato: Exactly. It’s easy to tell people to stop doing something, but it sure makes a difference when we offer a replacement action or behavior. People are not out to make trouble most of the time. It just happens and they would welcome an alternative.

If I were to send a friend to RootsEducation.com, what might I suggest to them in order to make the most of exploring your site?

Trish Keiller: Great. So there’s a couple of free downloads there, some language shifts. I have one that is like, and we can include the link here, the like six power words that don’t take any more time, it’s just a little bit of rewiring for the example, like using have to, to get to.

Or have to, to choose to, and just noticing the impact in the body. One of the other words just real quick, you know, we talk a lot about improvement and I love moving that to evolution and that really inspires people to like get into action versus improvement, like what’s wrong and needs fixing that we’re really oriented to ongoing evolution, iterations, and.

And betterment in our schools. So those are two things. There’s also two videos there from Beth Hoth, who was a principal of the year who I interviewed, and then Dr. Michelle Borba author of Unselfie. If you’re interested in bringing kindness into our schools, both are really great resources to check out.

Dr. Wendy Amato: That’s exciting. Thank you. Thank you, especially for supporting educators so that students can learn. You and I have a shared mission there and it makes it really an honor to have you as my guest today. Thank you, Trish.

Trish Keiller: Thank you. I appreciate the time.

Dr. Wendy Amato: To our fellow educators. Thank each of you for joining us.

If you’d like to explore topics that Trish and I discussed today, please check out the show notes at TeachingChannel.com/podcast. Be sure to subscribe on whatever listening app you use that will help others to find us. I’ll see you again soon for another episode. Thanks for listening.