There are two really important points in what Michelle just said. The first one is that we do know, from studies we've done, that anyone who's working with children, teens and young adults today is extremely stressed. What we have found at all of the institutes we run is that we have to start off the first day dealing with their mental health needs, particularly as we work on something called self-regulation.
Michelle's second question is, why is that so important? The reason is this: One recent discovery in neuroscience is that we have a brain-to-brain connection with kids. It's a wireless connection. It goes from our limbic system to their limbic system. What the child hears is what our limbic system is feeling. If I am irritated, anxious, angry or hyper-aroused, that message is communicated to the kid. If I am calm, if I am myself regulated, that message is communicated to the kid. It's called the interbrain and it is truly a game-changer in our understanding of why it doesn't matter so much what we say, what words we use; it's the messages our brain is sending. It sends these through eye gaze, through tone of voice and so on.
Is that a good enough answer, Michelle?