Peaceful Places

HI, Kevin here, 

I have been at Dutch Creek for 3 weeks now and I am already feeling like I belong here.  All of those worries about what people might think are gone. I was welcomed by students, staff and parents on my second day.  

At one point I was a little nervous when lots, and lots and LOTS of small humans came up to say Hi to me all at the same time.  I wanted all of the pets, but WHEW, that was a lot of hands all at once.  I guess you could say I was overwhelmed.  I know that is a word I have heard before.  It means I was not quite sure how to react in a specific situation, especially one that is new to me... 

You might call that a serendipitous moment (serendipitous means "a fortunate mistake").  What I mean by that is, feeling overwhelmed gave me the opportunity to learn about this really cool thing they have at Dutch Creek, it's called a Peace Place☮.  It is a place where any human (or therapy dog) can go to take a few minutes and do something that helps to refocus and get back to work.  Every classroom is working on putting in a Peace Place- WOW, these adult humans really care about kids!  In the Peace Place kids can.....use a strategy to calm down, or wake up....Some kids use cards to help them breath (I guess it helps with slowing the brain down if it is overwhelmed)...

It is so cool the bigger humans help the smaller humans regulate their emotions by providing this space and tools... 

Here are some Peace Places in our classrooms and building!  

I’m Kevin Harkness, brave and loyal companion, canine friend, therapy dog, blogger, lover of peaceful places, and the proud member of the Dutch Creek CREW …MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, ONE WAG AT A TIME!