Regain Control

There’s a neat brain diagram attached to this post. It shows the location of the amygdala and hippocampus. Both brain parts play a role in encoding memories. Notice how small they are. The amygdala is about the size of an almond; the hippocampus isn’t much bigger.

The amygdala is immensely powerful. It can shut off access to higher-order thinking so it can focus on keeping you angry. Or making you angry. Or keeping you safe.

It’s efficient at what it does. We’ve all seen the brain snap—the calm person who morphs into a raging monster in the blink of an eye.

Look no further than a footy field to see it in action. Remember, I’m in Australia. Our Australian Rules football isn’t played anywhere else. Ireland has a form of it, but we claim Australian Rules as our own.

Similarly, Rugby League is played in a handful of countries worldwide. Rugby League is brain snap central. Players focused on competing and winning are one awkward tackle, push, shove, or hit away from losing it.

Luckily, the league outlawed punching; otherwise, many more players would sit on the sidelines instead of playing.

Brain snap fights in Rugby League have a comic-book appearance. They’re more like stand-up wrestling bouts than punch-up. Once the central brain regains control, playing returns to normal.

Giving our students time to regain control is essential for them to grow as learners.