Real Talk for Real Teachers with Dr. Becky Bailey and special guest Sandy Mummey

Episode Summary

Every Conscious Discipline implementation story is different. Conscious Discipline can be customized to fit your school, your goals, and your needs. For Sandy Mummey, the best approach was to go slowly. Sandy gave her staff time to examine their values, discuss what they wanted for children, and develop agreements and commitments that reflected their beliefs. Now in the third year of implementation, Sandy can clearly see that her approach is working.

In this episode, principal Sandy Mummey shares her experience implementing Conscious Discipline at Oceanlake Elementary School in Lincoln City, Oregon. Sandy’s implementation process was guided by her motto: “Go slow to go fast.” After allowing acceptance and understanding of Conscious Discipline to unfold naturally, she has seen noticeable transformation within her staff. That transformation is now spreading to the students. Listen to Sandy’s story and tips, plus learn about a powerful exercise that you can lead with your own staff.

Essential Takeaways

• One effective approach to Conscious Discipline implementation is “going slow to go fast.” Give your staff time to examine their values, discuss what they want for children at your school, and gradually embrace a new mindset and learn new skills.
• Drafting collective agreements and commitments with your staff creates a guiding document that provides clarity and unity on your Conscious Discipline journey.
• Connection is key: administrator to staff member, staff member to staff member, staff member to children, and children to children.

Steps For Tomorrow

• If your Conscious Discipline implementation feels rushed, slow it down. Provide time to reflect, discuss, and conduct book studies with your staff.
• Come up with collective agreements and commitments that your staff believes in. This document will serve as a guide that can be referenced throughout your journey.
• To emphasize the importance of connection, try Sandy Mummey’s powerful exercise: Ask your staff to write down their students’ names. Next to each student’s name, have staff write down something about the child that is unrelated to education. Meanwhile, administrators do the same with staff members.

Important Links

• ConsciousDiscipline.com
• Seven Powers
• Seven Skills

Product Mentions

• The NEW Conscious Discipline Book – Expanded & Updated
• Creating the School Family
• Managing Emotional Mayhem ©
• Feeling Buddies Self-Regulation Toolkit

Show Outline

• :24 What is Conscious Discipline?
• :31 What is self-regulation?
• :56 Introduction of guest Sandy Mummey
• 2:24 Conscious Discipline implementation at Oceanlake Elementary
• 6:00 “Going slow to go fast”
• 7:30 Sandy’s story of changing her opinion about Wishing Well
• 9:30 Transformation within the Oceanlake staff
• 10:05 A powerful staff exercise that emphasizes the importance of connection
• 13:12 What’s Becky up to?
• 14:06 What’s Becky celebrating?

Thank You for Listening

There are many ways you could have spent this time today, but you chose to spend it with me and I am grateful. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it with others via your favorite social media platforms.

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On behalf of our Conscious Discipline family, we wish you well.