Alex & Rhiannon's Book Club: Fawning
Please note: this book club has TWO meetings, November 1 and November 15, both from 4:30-6:00 Eastern time.
Join us for book club and read Fawning
You've probably heard of fight, flight, and freeze. Expand your trauma-informed mindset by learning about the fourth F, fawning: what it means for us as educators and what it means for our students. We'll explore this concept through an accessible and powerful read: Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves–and How to Find Our Way Back By Dr. Ingrid Clayton.
In this two-part series, we will reflect on our own patterns of fawning and the impact fawning has on youth in schools. We will engage in self-reflection, small group, and whole group discussions in each session.
A note about our community ethos: While this space may feel therapeutic, this is not group therapy. To not re-activate ourselves or others, our reasons for fawning will not be shared in this space (We won’t share our trauma origin stories or those of our students in this space). We will have room to share how we fawn rather than why we fawn. We will honor deep confidentiality. We will share what we feel comfortable with; no more and no less. We are not required to share anything personal at any time.
Book club structure
We'll meet twice:
November 1, 4:30-6:00pm Eastern time: this discussion will focus on what fawning as it connects to our role as educators and how we might take care of ourselves and one another with fawning in mind
November 15, 4:30-6:00pm Eastern time: this discussion will focus on fawning as it connects to our students (at any age) and how we might teach with fawning in mind
As soon as you register, you'll have access to a custom book study guide created by Alex and Rhiannon. The guide includes tips and tools for reading a book that might bring up a variety of feelings, along with reflection questions to consider as you read. Participants will also receive a certificate of completion.
A copy of the book is not included. Purchase or borrow your own copy from your local bookstore or library. You're welcome to read a physical, ebook, or audiobook version.
About the facilitators
About Rhiannon: Rhiannon is an educator, facilitator, and author of Transformative Mindfulness in Education: Caring for Ourselves While Kindling Change. She works as an educational and organizational consultant through Love at the Roots to support people identify and disrupt patterns and practices that get in the way of being healing-focused and socially just. Visit her website at loveattheroots.com.
About Alex: Alex is an educator, facilitator, and writer. She is the author of Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education and Becoming an Everyday Changemaker. Unconditional Learning is her education consultancy and educator learning community, bringing powerful and accessible professional development on trauma-informed practices to educators everywhere. Learn more at unconditionallearning.org.
About the two of us together: Alex and Rhiannon have been cofacilitators since 2021 and work to co-create spaces where everyone's strengths are honored. We take our role seriously but we don't take ourselves too seriously--we show up as ourselves and hope that you do, too.
A few more details
- These sessions are live and will not be recorded.
- The time zone is EASTERN time. Please double-check how 4:30-6:00pm Eastern converts to your time zone!
- Zoom's auto-caption feature is available during our session. Please be in touch with additional access needs: alex@unconditionallearning.org
- The book club is appropriate for educators of any grade level/age group or setting.
- Registration has three tiered options. The middle option is the "true cost" of the event; please choose the option that allows you to participate. We encourage those whose registration is funded by your institution to choose the highest tier.