(2024-01-21) Hendrickson Unraveling Fears

Brandon Hendrickson: Unraveling Fears. Basic plan: Starting in middle school (grade 5), students identify one fear each year.1 At the start of the second semester, classes brainstorm together what their fears might be, and brainstorm how they might be lessened. Students — in pairs, or on their own — embark on small experiments to see if they can reduce their fear.

You might see teachers presenting on the psychology of fear — its evolutionary wisdom, its neurology, its cultural aspects — and students rapt, hoping to hear something they can use to combat their own terrors.

We’re living through a period in which anxiety is rising, especially among the young. (teen mental health)

our emotions shouldn’t be glued to what’s happening in the world. To a wonderful degree, we can shape how we feel — and perhaps never more than with fear. There are oodles of techniques that really work to lessen our fears.

this involves some pretty strong 🤸‍♀️EMOTIONS — not just fear, but also bravery, and the hope of not fearing that thing anymore. It’s a straight-up literal way of 🦹‍♂️ASSOCIATING WITH THE HEROIC.

Taking this on as a series of trials is a great way to help kids see the power of 👩‍🔬HYPOTHESIS AND EXPERIMENT

7. How could this go wrong?

We make a fear worse

Students mock each other’s fears

We shouldn’t let that torpedo this pattern. In fact, sharing fears (and working through them) is a massive opportunity for group cohesion.

…and probably “being mocked” is one of the fears that we should encourage students to work on.

12. Related patterns
Probably this “we conquer fears, here” attitude should be reflected in our Named Virtues°. This contributes Every School a Tribe° — the sense of group identity and real community that every school can have.