Chitty Chats with Stacy

Bri Miller
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[00:00:00] Good morning friends. Welcome back to Chitty Chats with Stacy. I am here with a new person in my life. I'm very excited about this connection. Uh, Ms. Brie Miller was introduced to me by the one and only Jethro Jones. And so he brought us together and I'm excited to just chat with you today. So tell us a little about who you are, what you do, where you live,

all the good stuff.

Yeah, so thank you for having me. Um, like you said, I'm Brie Miller. I live in Wichita, Kansas. So I am a behavior interventionist currently. And so I just work with behaviors and, um, regulate students all day. So, and work with disciplinary action. So that's just a little bit what I kind of [00:01:00] do.

Yeah. So that is always

a buzzword in my life, the word behavior, right? We have the F word, which is feelings, and we have the P word, which is behavior. And so I just want to hear a little bit more about what that is. What that means. Deal with behaviors, regulate students all day.

Yes, absolutely. So, when I go into a situation, I honestly just feeling the situation out, but however, I am able to provide the students space and just get to know them and then just try to get them off topic.

So, whatever they're wearing, and then if they're interested in Ninja Turtles, if they're interested in princesses, or if their favorite color is pink, I actually have a student that her favorite color is pink. So then on a special Wednesday that we actually wear, try to wear pink and then we actually have like,

More staff that we tell that we just wear pink. and then [00:02:00] if a woman said that I don't wear pink, she's like, why are you not wearing pink? And I'm like, I'm so sorry. I forgot.

you're getting called in when kids have like dysregulated behavior. Maybe they're disruptive in the classroom.

Maybe they need a break. Maybe they got something going on and you're showing up and supporting students and helping them regulate. Is that what I'm hearing you

say? Yes, so I answer radio calls. And so if the student is trying to elope from the classroom or if they're, um, walking around the classroom playing with toys or, um, unfortunately, if they're throwing furniture, things like that, um, just dysregulated in general, or if they're just not working.

Um, I go into that situation and try to handle that. Um, a lot of times I sit on the floor with them. Um, and then also I have a therapy dog [00:03:00] now, so it's my own dog and he goes into the situations with me. And so a lot of times we're able to regulate them. pretty quickly now. And so that has been great to see.

Yesterday we had a student who was a loafing and I was just like, hey, do you want to give Oakley some treats? And she was like, yeah. So that was great to see. Um, and so we were able to get her out of the brainstem and get her, um, back into her whole learning brain. Yeah, absolutely. And then we were able to color and then generate, um, back into the classroom.

Love

What is your background? So, education, you have a teaching degree. Were you in the classroom for a period of time?

Yes, so I taught fourth grade for three years, second grade for one. When I was teaching, second grade I had a student teacher and she's actually teaching second grade in my old classroom, still.

So that has been great to [00:04:00] see, throughout her process as well. And so, that's a little bit about me, but, I also was able to. Old, um, whole brain teaching, district wide and Kagan strategies and, classroom management for district and building, training. So that has been developing as well.

Love that.

So that was my next thing I was going to ask you is because a lot of times educators go into this business and you have a teaching degree but you don't have a lot of information about regulation and whole brain teaching and engaging students and dysregulation and so what's the additional training that you've received or taken that's been so valuable in your journey?

Absolutely. So when I actually trained myself on whole brain teaching into that situation. And so I, I was a college athlete and I grew up, um, playing sports my entire life. And so I was just [00:05:00] drilling and killing into something. And so. I'm very motivated. And so I was like, I'm going to master this teaching.

And so then now I'm like, I'm going to master this behavior. And so, um, that's when I found the neuro sequential model and Dr. Perry and then found you. And so I just really dive into, um, different teachings and best practices when I want to master that. Um, and so that's what I have been doing. Um, and then now I'm able to teach others and provide them the best, best practices and the knowledge.

Yeah. How

much of a shift for you was it when you learned about whole brain

teaching? It was honestly a huge shift because In college, you know, they don't really teach you that type of stuff. And so we just kind of like [00:06:00] hit on it for like five minutes in, college. And then I was like very intrigued. So I watched YouTube videos, got onto their website, got certified, and then I just took my own twist on it.

And then I was able to really implement into the classroom that way. And then I found major success. Yeah,

I think that's such a critical part. And one of the reasons I really wanted to chat with you is because I think that there is, there's a shift and we know this, there's a shift in kids behaviors.

We're seeing more behavior, dysregulation, uh, nervous systems are out of sorts than we have in years, right? Like the last five years have been really, really difficult, of which you've been in the teaching room. Yeah. world and like new to the teaching world. So I'm not talking to someone who has been doing this for 20 years or 25 years.

And I think that's a really key point. You still found whole brain teaching and you're like, Oh, if we light up these parts of the brain, if we do [00:07:00] this part, then learning happens. We have to look at this whole child. So just say some more about that.

love this. Absolutely. So what I found is like when you do activate the whole brain is that you are getting them engaged.

You're seeing that the accountability, you're seeing the family oriented and you are really able to see the recall and the repetition and then on tests. Or, um, they're teaching their peers and you're seeing them, um, doing mirror with words and seeing them touch like everything and repeating things and able to teach other people and then that's when you know that you're getting the high engagement and they're actively involved and they're taking ownership in that.

Um, for example, I could not remember a certain mirror with words and I asked a student. that I had three years ago. Um, if he [00:08:00] was able to recall that information, and he was able to, and then therefore I was able to go back and teach my own class. And so just seeing that process, um, like full and light was amazing.

Um, And then sometimes I was able to call a parent because we were very close with this student and same thing. She was like, oh yeah, I can do this and be able to do that for him a couple years prior as well. So just being able to know that that information is able to transfer in multiple different years as well.

Love that.

And then once you activate that whole brain, what happens to behaviors?

Oh, it's like, honestly, I They decrease, right? Yeah, I honestly didn't have behaviors in my classroom _because they wanted to, um, they were_ just very driven. Yeah. And [00:09:00] that was I honestly based that off of the whole brain teaching because they took ownership, they were able to activate the whole brain and they just took accountability and their own learning.

And so when I became this behavior interventionist, I was like, Oh, wow, there really are behaviors or there's not 100 percent engagement. And so that was very eye opening to me because I never experienced that myself. And so, or like rewards or breaks. And so that was kind of like a huge shift for me to understand different perspectives.

And so, um, going. Further into my education career that has been very eye opening and I have enjoyed that experience because now I'm able to relate on different levels with educators [00:10:00] that I haven't experienced.

guess is now you're in this role of behavior interventionist, which is not a classroom teacher.

You're getting called to support classroom teachers. So I'm wondering a couple things. One, when you're called in to regulate students, when they're dysregulated, I'm guessing the teachers are probably also dysregulated. And so whole brain action on everybody.

This is a part of your life span here.

Yes, and I've tried to put the little pieces and nuggets into their teachings, throughout the year. And, some of them have caught on to that. And when they're able to do that, It's like life changing. And so, for example, I had this 5th grade classroom this year who was not implementing it and who had a lot of behaviors and she implemented it and I modeled a few lessons and now [00:11:00] I never go into her room.

I Ended her room in like October, because she just fully engaged in the process. And so that was great. and so, but then now I just see her kids in the hallways and they're so successful. and then I just try to pop into her room sometimes because you want to still see that engagement.

but. it's just been a huge learning curve for me.

I love it. And what I enjoy about your journey, Brie, and what you're sharing is that this applies to all students. It applies to all teachers and we're always learning, right? Like one of the things I love about whole brain teaching, whole brain learning is that once you kind of understand the science, there's just thousands, literally thousands of tools in our toolbox.

What do you think

about that? Oh, absolutely. And that's what I love about whole brain teaching that you can restructure it, [00:12:00] rematch it, make it your own, and just, you know, And then have the students take ownership in it and they create it as long as you go as well, and you can change things up.

Um, and so that's what I love about whole brain teaching that it's not a one size fits all, right? And so you can change it and make it align for yourself and make it. for a line for your teaching style. And so you can do things like for champs, stoic and behaviors, um, and expectations and all of the content.

And so that really aligns with everything that you're doing in school. And then you don't have. Issues with behaviors. You're having all the accountability pieces. They're able to recall all of the information that you're doing and when they're in the hallway, they're at a level [00:13:00] zero, you don't have to go over all the expectations every day.

They know that and they really grow throughout the process and throughout the year. And so. That's what I love about whole brain teaching and that's why I am like obsessed with it because you don't have to do all the little things, you don't have to have students on breaks, you don't have to have the, if kids are crying and they know how to handle that, um, and you just see their growth throughout the year.

Love that. So

I have two questions. One, if you were talking to an educator who's been in the business for over a decade, maybe even two decades, where would you send them to just start learning about this information? That's one question. And then the other question is, if you're talking to a brand new educator, where would you send them?

Maybe it's the same place, maybe it's different places. That's okay. I'm just curious because it's two different audiences. Where would [00:14:00] you send educators to get more information?

Absolutely, that's a great question. Honestly, I would send them to like the exact same spot, only because, um, whole brain teaching is, you know, Just unique, right?

And so I would send them to YouTube and just type in whole brain teaching strategies. Um, and there's a lot of YouTube info or whole brain teaching strategies on there, and you can watch people teach, um, and then also go to their whole brain teaching website. And then there's a lot of information there.

However, the website can be overwhelming because there's four or five different levels. Um, But you don't have to do all of that. Um, the keys are just to do repetition, mirrored words, and basically it, um, and create your own strategies based on mirrored words. Then they're able to [00:15:00] teach students, or students able to teach students, um, Because when you have that partnership with one another, and they're able to collaborate, um, that's when you get the highest level of rigor.

And so, and then they're able to recall, understand the information, um, and you're hitting all the levels. Love that.

How much fun has it been to add a therapy dog to a school setting? I had a therapy dog for years. I've had two, and for me, it was a game changer. One was in my school based mental health practice, and the other has been in my private practice.

And so I'm curious for you what it's been like, especially in an elementary school.

Absolutely. So I was a little nervous. We had to go through a lot of training. just because he's like, so like food hungry. And they do breakfast in the classroom. And so there's like crumbs and everything. And so sometimes he's pulling a [00:16:00] lot trying to get food.

But other than that, he has been wonders for the entire school, and even the staff, sometimes I feel like the staff is more obsessed with him, which is great, right? They need

just as much regulation, right? Educators need just as much regulation, sometimes more than the students.

Absolutely. I've definitely seen that.

Um, but he's actually laying here right now. And so, um, he has been great. I've seen huge progress with the students. And so sometimes when I go into a situation and they're just not being safe, I'll be like, okay, well, Oakley and I will have to leave. And they're like, oh, okay. Okay, well, no, um, I'll stop that behavior and they'll just stop it right away, um, and or they're like hugging on Oakley so much, um, and then at recess I'll like let him off the leash and [00:17:00] they're like all chasing him and like pulling on him and Oakley just loves it and he's just running, um, But it has been great and then in the hallways all the students are like, can we pet Oakley?

Can we pet Oakley? I mean, obviously we have a process for that and they're like not verbally saying it we have like the dog symbol that they hold up to ask and then they're not verbally saying it Has been great. And if Oakley doesn't come to school that day, they're like, where's Oakley? Is he okay?

Okay. And then on Fridays, we have Fridays. And so whoever has grown. the most or who has shown like great success throughout the grade levels. They have Fudge Fridays with Oakley in the gym, so that has been great too. And then with our Sabres, um, for the social and emotional learning, um, scores and stuff, or who's [00:18:00] just a little bit down, um, We go off of those scores.

They go on a 15 minute walk on Thursdays with Oakley in the morning. Um, and that, yeah, that has been great. It's a game

changer, and I've often said, especially at that elementary level, although I've seen it in the middle school, high school level too, sometimes, kids feel safer with animals than people.

And that can be the opposite, right? Like some kids have been attacked by a dog or those kind of things, but generally speaking, the other thing we've seen is actually kids have higher reading scores if they read to dogs and not people, and that's because dogs don't interrupt!

Dogs don't correct! Dogs just like unconditionally show you their love and we see the same in behavior. Some of the things we try to teach, like personal space and asking to enter personal space, kids aren't often always able to do with adults, but they definitely are more able to do that [00:19:00] with animals.

And so I love that you're having this experience, Bree. This is very exciting.

Yes, absolutely. Um, actually, when I was a classroom teacher, I had two classroom bunnies, and so they would just roam around the classroom all day, and the students would take care of them, and so they would, clean the cage, they would feed them, and they would pet them, things like that, And, the whole school would use them for like a reward and stuff like that.

And so it was great to see because it took ownership and the students were fully engaged and they were like, well, can we have like funny time and, um, it just, They just grew up a little bit faster, and I saw the maturity versus a different classroom, um, when I was teaching 2nd or 4th grade, they just really bought into that, full engagement.

Well, and the other thing we don't talk about is that

animals are at the mercy of humans. [00:20:00]

And so

when animals are more vulnerable than people, sometimes the more vulnerable people can really care for those animals in a way that they wish they could have been cared for or that they need to be cared for.

And so there's a beauty in that. symbiotic relationship. I love that you shared that. Thank you.

That's honestly so true because sometimes when the kids would get so excited or so loud, they'd be like, shh, the bunnies, they're so sensitive with sound, remember? And they're like, shh, we can't get that loud.

Yeah. So they were very sensitive to that. Yeah, it

gives them a whole different way to view the world and it gives them power over, you know, a creature where they can really modulate their behavior for that creature, which is fantastic. So Bri, where do people get a hold of you? Uh, if they have questions, if they want to reach out, if you're available for answering, you know, some [00:21:00] educators who are like, tell me more about this whole brain learning stuff.

How do people reach you?

Yeah, absolutely. So, um, I am on Facebook. It's just Bree Miller. And then, um, on Instagram, it's Bree Miller 33. Um, and then my email is britMiller03@hotmail.com and that's just how you can get ahold of me. I love that. Well, I sure

appreciate you taking time to chat with me today. And I'm sure that there will be listeners who reach out and say, Hey, I've got some questions.

And what a powerful story to chat about whole brain learning and behaviors and animals and all the great things you're doing. So keep up the good work, sister. I'm glad we're on this journey together.

Yes. Well, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. And it was fun. Yeah. Have a great day.

Yes, you too. Thank you.

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