Navigating Lockdowns From An Administrator’s Perspective

Real Talk for Real Teachers with Dr. Becky Bailey and special guest Diane Phelan

You may also be interested in our podcast episodes on navigating lockdowns from an educator’s perspective, from a student and parent perspective, and from Dr. Bailey’s perspective.

Episode Summary

School violence leaves administrators and schools with unique challenges in providing for students’ physical and emotional safety. Active shooter drills and school lockdowns are common, mandated events. The goal of these drills is to keep schools safe, but their emotional side effects include increased anxiety, uncertainty and stress (on top of the “normal” levels of stress teachers and students already experience every day).

The effects of school shootings can be seen and felt in all schools, at all age levels. It is important to consider social-emotional health when creating, practicing and enacting lockdown procedures, and preparing your staff to manage both their own and their students’ needs before, during and after these drills.

Listen in as Diane Phelan, Principal of Keller Middle School, shares how she and her staff prepare for active shooter situations and lockdown drills.

Essential Takeaways

• Communication with students before, during and after lockdown drills is crucial.
• Teachers managing their inner states during drills enables them to help students manage their inner states.
• Know what triggers fear, anxiety and other difficult emotions for teachers and students so you can coach healthy responses for all.
• Students will respond to how teachers manage themselves during drills.

Steps For Tomorrow

• Embed social emotional learning deeply into the practices of your emergency drills.
• Learn to regulate emotional states during times of distress.
• Have a plan for helping teachers and students transition back to teaching and learning after emergency drills.

Important Links

• ConsciousDiscipline.com
• Keller Middle School
• Navigating Lockdowns from an Educator’s Perspective
• Navigating Lockdowns from a Student and Parent Perspective
• Navigating Lockdowns from Dr. Bailey’s Perspective 

Product Mentions

• The NEW Conscious Discipline Book – Expanded & Updated

Show Outline

• :19 What is Conscious Discipline?
• 1:15 Today’s topic: School Shootings
• 3:55 Active shooter drills compared to emergency drills of the past
• 6:29 Introduction of guest Diane Phelan
• 8:40 How Keller Middle School prepares teachers and students for lockdown drills
• 10:20 Keller Middle School lockdown procedures
• 12:45 Diane’s story about triggered teachers and students during tornado event
• 15:02 Discussing lockdowns with faculty
• 17:56 Diane’s essential take-aways
• 19:58 Transitioning teachers and students back to teaching and learning after drills
• 21:30 Summary of helpful strategies during lockdown and emergency drills
• 23:50 What’s Becky up to?

Thank You for Listening

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