Student behavioural regulation has always been a barrier to student success at all school levels. At middle school, students are subject to strong emotions via hormonal changes, intense social pressure and increased expectations academically.
This year, MacKenzie Middle School has included the “Sage Room” to help support self-regulation with our students - a safe, quiet space where students can regain control of their behaviour, process strong emotions and think rationally about issues they might be having. These situations can be due to issues with peers, socio-emotional issues outside of school, health issues or just “bad days”. The first step is to redirect students from the behaviour and then reset their emotions by having conversations, finding activities that help them regulate, or simply just having a quiet space to themselves. The goal is then to re-engage successfully within the class after a period of 15-30 minutes. The space is quiet and dimly lit to avoid overstimulation and to promote a more calming environment, and students can use hands-on activities like puzzles, arts and crafts, musical instruments and games to help them self-regulate. The Sage Room is also stocked with healthy snacks to assist students who aren’t able to perform in class due to hunger. The Sage Room is not disciplinary in nature and students are not “sent” there after breaking school or classroom rules; students are there to take a break, get themselves regulated and to re-set. Students will either request a visit from their teachers or a teacher will offer it to them if they are too dysregulated to succeed in class.
Some students have scheduled daily visits to the Sage Room either as part of a Behaviour Intervention Plan or from a recognized need for additional regulation and intervention. Others may only need to visit it once. Regardless of the reason for the visit, the contact time with the Sage Room allows teachers to form meaningful relationships and have important conversations with students who need a trusted adult. Additionally, staff teams within the school network use some of the strategies learned in the Sage Room to better support the needs of students within the classroom. The overall result is a positive, proactive, whole school approach that can head off issues before they begin.
Below are some testimonials from students and staff:
“Sometimes I get frustrated in class over school work or friends, and going to the Sage Room allows me to regroup and focus.” – MMS Student
“Being around certain people sometimes gives me anxiety and coming to the Sage Room is a quiet place, I feel safe and can reset.” – MMS Student
“I have ADHD and can’t sit and focus for hours in a class. Instead of getting in trouble, I can take a walking break and go to the Sage Room. I can walk around, or sometimes they give me things to build, like shelves for the school. And then I go back.” – MMS Student
“As an adult, I go for walks after a hard day at work. That’s what helps me ‘regulate’ or let off steam from the day. It makes sense that we as adults teach students healthy ways to ‘cope’ and ‘de-stress’ at an early age.” – MMS Teacher
There is a wealth of research to suggest that calming rooms support student mental health, well-being and behavioural regulation. The pandemic has increased the need for focus in these areas and the Sage Room’s impact on MacKenzie Middle School has been immediately apparent to students and staff.