Reclaiming Our Students - by Hannah Beach & Tamara Neufeld Strijack (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Children are more anxious, aggressive, and shut down than ever.

Faced with this epidemic of emotional health crises and behavioural problems, teachers are asking themselves what went wrong. Why have we lost our students? More importantly: How can we get them back? Hannah Beach, a celebrated educator and specialist in the field of emotional health, and Tamara Neufeld Strijack, clinical counsellor and academic dean of the acclaimed Neufeld Institute, provide a thoughtful guide to restoring the student-teacher relationship and creating the conditions for change. Reclaiming Our Students empowers teachers with relationship-based strategies to restore their leadership role and build emotional safety and inclusion in the classroom..

You'll learn:
- How to build, feed, and protect the student-teacher relationship
- Why children are anxious or bossy, aggressive or checked out, and what you can do to address these behavioural issues at their root
- How you can help students and classes shift their identity as the "problem student" or "bad class"
- Experiential activities for students of all ages that restore emotional health and build inclusive classrooms

Plus, you'll find special considerations and information for parents, principals, counsellors, and home educators for building safety and support in the learning environment.

Combining Hannah's groundbreaking experiential approach to creating emotional health and community in the classroom with the Neufeld Institute's insightful approach to building relationships and making sense of children, Reclaiming Our Students is required reading for teachers who not only want to understand and overcome daily challenges, but also re-connect to their calling as educators.

Review Quotes

"The work that Hannah Beach and Tamara Neufeld Strijack have done to better understand the emotional needs of children is valuable for educators, parents, friends--indeed all of us with children in our lives. Their comprehensive research and insight will not only further children's education but will truly reshape how we see emotion in the classroom--as a strength, not a weakness."
--The Right Honourable Paul Martin

"This book will be your companion. It will give you insight to the roots of 'misbehaviour' and anchor you in the power of relationship and play as nature's life preserver."
--Deborah MacNamara, author of Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one)

"With insight and warmth, this book addresses the roots of the growing crisis in children's emotional functioning, maturation, and capacity to learn: their inability to be in touch with their true feelings. The solutions offered, based on a deep understanding of human development, are intuitive and have the elegance of simplicity. An essential read for educators and for all concerned with the mentoring of our young."
--Gabor Maté, MD, CM, co-author, Hold On To Your Kids: Why Parents Need To Matter More Than Peers

"This remarkable book will provide invaluable support to teachers as they confront the challenges of educating students in this troubled world. The authors provide practical solutions to virtually every situation, and they do so fully respecting the professionalism and leadership of teachers and the essential humanity of the children in their charge. A must-read book not only for teachers but also for parents, principals, and politicians. I couldn't recommend it more highly."
--The Honorable Landon Pearson, OC

"Educators will find much inspiration and support in this book, one that offers insightful ways to connect with students. This compassionate work is all about respectful relationships, with students and ourselves, to shift negatives into positives. The authors' developmental and relational knowledge is a boon for relieving anxiety, aggression, and other stressors in our digital era. A comprehensive resource for educators and the students they love."
--Raffi Cavoukian, C.M., O.B.C., singer, author, Raffi Foundation For Child Honouring

"Finally, a good news story for 2020! Amidst the backdrop of a global pandemic, authors Hannah Beach and Tamara Strijack have released one of the most important books of our time. The emotional health and well-being of our children was already in decline and this has been even more pronounced during this global crisis. Beach and Strijack have presented every parent and educator with a strategic playbook to help us get back to basics to truly know what our children and students need from us. As we try to rethink and rebuild our communities and schools, Reclaiming our Students will be our guiding light. Restoring the emotional health and well-being of our children will be one of the greatest challenges of the decade. This book is a must read for all parents and educators!"
--David McFall, school principal

About the Author

Hannah Beach is an award-winning educator, author, and keynote speaker. She was recognized by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 2017 as one of five featured change-makers in Canada. Her bestselling I Can Dance book series--supporting the emotional health of children through movement, play, and expression--won a 2017 gold International Moonbeam Children's Book Award and has been adopted by multiple English- and French-language school boards across Canada. Hannah received the City of Ottawa's annual Celebration of People Education Award, which recognized her expertise in developing innovative inclusive programs and resources. As the founder of celebrated experiential discovery programs at Dandelion Dance(TM) and Tournesol, Hannah has spent over twenty-five years developing and delivering programs for children and youth. She is a Neufeld course facilitator, delivers professional development services across the country, provides emotional health consulting to schools, and speaks at national and international conferences about the power of bringing more feeling and human connection into the classroom.

Hannah is married and has three children. She lives on the West Coast of Canada. Find her online at hannahbeach.ca.

Tamara Neufeld Strijack is the academic dean of the Neufeld Institute, where she develops and delivers courses and workshops supporting parents, teachers, and helping professionals around the world make sense of children through developmental science. Tamara works as a registered clinical counsellor, parent consultant, and sessional instructor for several universities, where she lectures for the faculties of education and counselling. She provides emotional health consulting for schools and advises on the development of new programs that foster the social and emotional growth of all students. As Dr. Gordon Neufeld's daughter, Tamara offers a unique inside view, combining her own twenty-five years of experience and insight with her father's theoretical material. Connection, relationship, and play continue to be central themes in all her roles, both personally and professionally. Tamara has two daughters and lives on the West Coast of Canada.

You can find her online at tamarastrijack.ca