Did you know that on the last Thursday of each month, bower(schools) gives an online presentation on a topic relevant to educators and those working with children? Topics to date include School Refusal, Attachment, ADHD, Schools and Boundaries, Eating Disorders, PDA and Zero Violence Schools.
The latest presentation addressed child development. This was explored through a range of contextual lenses and looked at how these can be applied in schools. It discussed how unprecedented societal change has fundamentally transformed parenting, how identity and development are powerfully linked, and the natural existence of inequality and its management.
The emergence of the nuclear family in the 20th century served as a template for young parents in today’s modern world. However, the nuclear structure no longer represents most families, particularly those with members experiencing significant developmental challenges including intellectual disability and autism. Primarily and historically, schools were responsible for the productive development of children. However, schools now serve as the crucible for development across productive, peer, sexual and attachment identities. Essentially, schools have taken responsibility for acting as the wider village for the development of children.
Typical child development theory positions development as a linear process. bower(schools) contextualises the linear relationship within the development of the village surrounding the child. Changes in family structures and familial/parent relationships, rapid societal change, and issues such as technology, have shifted the boundaries and rules of parenting.
Schools have absorbed greater responsibility for the overall development of children. However, schools do not possess the appropriate authority in relationship to this responsibility. This is the basis for the emergence of symptoms such as dysregulation in children, teacher burnout, complaints, school refusal and many other issues.
The answer to this developmental conundrum is the activation of empathy and the appropriate balancing of inequality in relationship to differentiation. The human brain is designed to experience and learn empathy, however, its activation relies on the existence of neural pathways within the brain. These pathways act as bridges for the transfer of warmth, love, and compassion and cannot exist without the practice and implementation of reciprocal give and take. Reciprocal give and take carries emotions as well as the integral notion of fairness resulting in a visceral experience of justice. bower(schools) is aware of how the lack of reciprocal give and take between schools, parents and children often results in complaints, school absenteeism, dysregulation, suspension, exclusion and ultimately, expulsion.
Balancing responsibility and authority and establishing reciprocal give and take are crucial matters if we are to support children to develop across all the domains of their lives, avoid symptoms, minimize problems, and build collaboration across families, schools, health, and disability services.
Upcoming topics in this series are:
29/5/2025: Teacher Burnout
26/6/2025: Working with Dysregulated Parents and Carers
31/7/2025: Anxiety and Dysregulation
28/8/2025: Cyberbullying
25/9/2025: Addictions
30/10/2025: Suicide and Self Harm
27/11/2025: Mental Health and Schools
For further details check Bower Place website and book through Eventbrite
©Copyright Bower Place Pty. Ltd. 2025
