[Applause] 95% of the people in this room believe they are self-aware 10% of you actually are in the next 10 minutes I want you to courageously step back and challenge yourself in order to step forward my story is stepping back began at a pivotal moment in my life after a car accident after my accident my world changed I couldn't use my left arm for almost a year the career that I built and loved was taken away and if you would have asked me before my accident I would have been in the 95% that believed I
was self-aware I had to step back acknowledge my vulnerability connect on a deeper emotional level and Trust the people around me in order to step forward I discovered the found impact of emotional connection on physical and cognitive outcomes and this sparked my research exploration into the power of reflection and connection self-awareness and human connection and education are at an all-time low this is evident by the fact that 50% of Educators consider quitting on a daily basis 80% of students do not feel connected to their Educators so how do we increase increase emotional intelligence and empathy
in order to create more understanding and supportive environments first I invite you to think of an educator that not only filled your mind with knowledge but touched your heart leaving an imprint that transcended the walls of the classroom why do you remember them Close Your Eyes For a Moment bring yourself back to that time with that educator what a Mot itions are storing within you they likely had the ability to connect emotionally to touch your soul open your eyes again it's a good chance your favorite educator was a disruptor that they challenge the norm Educators
today must be better equipped to perceive and manage emotions in the classroom tuning into our emotions and the emotions of our learners but does the definition of the word educator even include the word emotion are Educators trained to lean into emotion or just teach the facts as an educator for over 20 years I have seen true human connection and education fade let's disrupt this educators are experts in their field they have Knowledge and Skills that can be harnessed and used to train the Next Generation but I ask you is that all an educator is I
say it's a person that shares their expertise by igniting passion through human Connection in education just imagine a classroom where memorization is not the end goal but a means to forge a profound connection and knowledge an emotional connection a connection that creates emotionally Brave spaces a connection that's deeper than doing Educators can revolutionize their emotional connection with Learners now revolutionary teaching isn't about changing course content don't worry it's changing how you connect with the content and with the learner without emotional connection we miss the opportunity for engagement and without engagement well we're merely a sage
on the stage we have unintentionally created voluntary passive Learners we have shifted the focus to an A on an assignment and less on the A's in the AHA moments we have solely placed the burden on Educators to fill Powerpoints and create study guides to disconnect from the passion and reality of the content and teach to the exam we the collective we we must disrupt this I am an occupational therapist and educator and I have become a disruptor in the best sense of the word the insights gained from these professions have challenged me to challenge the
norms and rethink the way I approach well-being and education as an occupational therapist disrupting the status quo means not settling for traditional Solutions but seeking innovative ways to meet the holistic needs of clients in the education realm disruption for me takes the form of embracing the power of diverse learning and advocating for more adaptable and inclusive education understanding that no two Learners learn the same way and we must not only accommodate but celebrate these differences these dual perspectives have made me a disruptor I love to challenge preconceived notions and push the boundaries of what's possible
because it's not just about seeing the world different it's acting on that Vision Learners need to find a personal connection with the content and a revolutionary leader can create Brave spaces spaces that build human connection Inspire Innovation and ignite passion we must deliberately connect our passion with our instructional decisions tuneing into our emotions and the emotions of our Learners together we can create a new generation of Educators and Learners we will be Catalyst for Change and transform education in this current ERA of do more with less educators are faced with constant challenges such as increasing
class size and rigid class structure they're faced with a question that I posed at the beginning how do we create more understanding and supportive environments well first I'm going to ask you to courageously step back and acknowledge the fact that people in position of influence are often poor at determining others emotions then we can bravely step forward to the answer making micro changes that have macro impacts I discovered the power of the micro change of embracing the discomfort of bringing feelings into the classroom now anyone that knows me knows that sharing has been a journey
for me was not always easy to open up and share feelings especially in the classroom which of course as a good educator is why I needed to research it I had to learn to embrace the uncomfortable because without discomfort there is no change let me share a story with you early in my teaching career I had a student in my class and they were pretty quiet not engaging much and I couldn't tell if they were overwhelmed with the content or struggling with participating or honestly I simply just bored them it wasn't until I allowed time
for human connection and emotion that I truly understood this student was caring for their four younger siblings after their mom been recently diagnosed with a progressive illness she was waking up early to take them to school going at lunch to run errands and staying up till 2 a.m. studying she wasn't quiet she wasn't bored she wasn't being seen I didn't recognize the extra responsibility that she had the emotional burden that she carried or the physical exhaustion that weighed on her her classmates weren't aware either as they were all doing their best to keep up by
creating time in small groups for just two minutes at the beginning of class the human connection was able to grow I knew from that moment forward that I had to create space for feelings and emotions I began creating reflective learning journals and offering time and space for students to share their thoughts and articulate their personal Journeys it's not just about seeing the world differently it's creating these spaces each micro change contributes to a larger shift in education understanding that Educators can create spaces where every person feels seen heard and valued each micr change contributes to
a larger shift in education where every person can flourish we are not bound by the old definitive educator I want us to leave education better than we found it that we are not just passive but transformative close your eyes again picture yourself as the educator the one that builds human connection visualize yourself in that space What Do You See how does it feel everyone in this room is an educator in some capacity whether it's educating your friends your family your colleagues or your community visualize the change that you want to create open your eyes again
it is your obligation and duty to now disrupt the norm to leave here today and change the status quo to ignite passion in ourselves and others dare to be a memorable educator dare to be different dare to be brave and dare to disrupt [Applause]
