By Suzan Mullane, CEI Faculty and Trustee
"You have to fix the hole in the soul before you can teach grit" (Oprah Winfrey 2018, CBS This Morning Interview)
Healthy bodies, compassionate hearts, a regulated brain, positive human attachments, and grit are the ideal in early childhood development. For those who have less than the ideal, schools are the “change agents.” How? Promoting neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to branch, reorganize and create new cells. The prefrontal cortex isn’t stagnant. Whether the brain is impacted by head trauma, a medical aliment, or emotional trauma, it can improve, especially in early childhood when the rate of growth and malleability are great. Ultimately, the brain and body should “fire” together. When both are in sync, they create myelin, the connective protective sheath that builds new neurons.