Pilot Program Aims to Improve Teacher Well-Being

Light Blue Learning's approach is grounded in Polyvagal Theory, a concept developed by Dr. Stephen Porges that explains how the autonomic nervous system influences social behavior and emotional regulation. The program's founder, Therese Jilek, an educator with over 30 years of experience as a teacher, principal, and coach, has completed The Polyvagal Certificate Course to inform her work. The initiative aims to provide teachers with a "nervous-system lens" to understand that challenging student behaviors are often physiological responses to stress, not intentional defiance. This perspective is a strategic shift from asking "How can I get you to comply?" to "How can I help you feel safe and connected?". The goal is to create the neurological conditions for learning by fostering a sense of safety, which can then allow a student's "thinking brain," the prefrontal cortex, to engage. This focus on co-regulation—a teacher's ability to use their own calm nervous system to support a student's return to a state of engagement—is a key differentiator from other classroom management systems. While programs like PBIS and SEL curricula provide valuable structure and skills, Light Blue Learning is designed to offer in-the-moment support when a student is already dysregulated. The need for such programs is underscored by high rates of educator stress and burnout. A 2024 RAND survey found that 60% of K-12 teachers feel burned out. Another 2025 survey indicated that student behavior challenges are a primary driver of this stress for 58% of teachers, with nearly half of all educators viewing the 2024-25 school year as the most stressful of their careers.