From theory to practice
The Whitman Staff Wellness Flowchart connects awareness, capacity, and a next step: a wellness practice or a tab-out.
Explore the LinkedIn post ↗Neuroscience. Relationships. Everyday practice.
Before learning,
there is connection.
Building school communities where students and adults feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.
I’m Dr. Jim Walters, a practicing K–2 Extended Resource teacher in Seattle, Washington. I connect what we know about the brain with the everyday work of supporting children and educators.
Explore the work ↗Start with the approachA foundation for learningRegulationRelationshipReasonor ready to learn
INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF DR. BRUCE PERRY
30+ years in educationClassroom practice → schoolwide systemsPracticing K–2 Extended Resource teacher · Seattle
01 / The approach
Make the science
part of the school day.
Behavior communicates a need. Relationships help us understand it. Supportive systems help us respond.
Applied Educational Neuroscience brings an understanding of stress, regulation, and connection into everyday educational decisions. My work begins with the people experiencing those systems—students, educators, and families.
01
Support regulation
Notice activation. Offer predictable routines, movement, and spaces to reset. Make room for readiness before increasing demands.
02
Build relationships
Listen with curiosity. Create belonging through trusted adults, student voice, and opportunities to repair and reconnect.
03
Design for everyday use
Translate ideas into clear routines, visual supports, and shared adult practices that fit the reality of a busy school day.
02 / From theory to practice
Wellness is something
we practice.
From adult wellness at Whitman Middle School to early elementary regulation supports in Seattle, Washington, the throughline is the same: build care into the daily experience of school.
National recognition
2025
America’s
Healthiest Schools
Whitman Middle School
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Featured work / Whitman Middle School
Care for the adults.
Strengthen the community.
Whitman’s Staff Tab-Out Room gives educators a dedicated place to pause and reset. Designed by Jim Walters and maintained by the school’s wraparound team, the space makes adult wellness a visible part of school life.
In 2025, Whitman was recognized as one of America’s Healthiest Schools. The school’s announcement highlighted the Tab-Out Room as part of its innovative focus on adult wellness.
Read the school’s announcement ↗Source: Whitman Middle School · September 1, 2025Current practice / Seattle, Washington
The Beehive:
a place to reset
and reconnect.
“We take care of ourselves, each other, and our community.”
In my K–2 Extended Resource work, the Beehive connects regulation support with access to learning. Predictable check-ins, visual routines, planned breaks, and supported re-entry help children navigate their school day.
What does this look like in practice?
A child checks in, identifies a feeling or body signal, and receives support to choose a next step. Adults offer time and connection, then help the child return to learning with a clear, manageable plan.
Why include adult wellness?
Students rely on adults for co-regulation. A shared way to notice our own activation, seek support, and return with capacity makes care part of the system.
03 / Ideas & resources
Thinking out loud.
Putting ideas to work.
Explore practical guides connecting the research, everyday school practice, and tools to share with your team.
Explore the resource hub ↗Beyond phone pouches
A reflection on Whitman’s approach to digital wellbeing, centering student voice, connection, and agency.
Read the reflection ↗Bring back recess
An early reflection on helping children build the skills of play—and shifting the adult role toward recess coaching.
Read the archived idea
In this 2018 piece, I asked educators to consider how changes in children’s play experiences affect what we expect at recess. The practical invitation: model play, practice together, and gradually release responsibility—“I do, we do, you do.” Recess offers a place to teach connection and participation.
Adapted from Jim Walters’s LinkedIn article export, created October 22, 2018.
Watch & explore
Ideas in motion.
Practice in view.
Explore my video collection on YouTube: conversations, reflections, and ideas from my work in trauma-informed education.
Watch Jim’s videos ↗Videos reflect the context and research available when they were created. Current resources will provide updated references alongside relevant topics.
From the original site
Continuing the conversation.
The original Vlogs, Resources, and Talks with Toby collections are part of this site’s ongoing archive work. Explore the YouTube channel above while individual videos are being organized for this website.
Active elementary educator · K–2 Extended Resource teacher
04 / Meet Jim
Grounded in schools.
Driven by possibility.
I’m Dr. Jim Walters. Across more than 30 years in education, my work has focused on creating learning environments shaped by empathy, equity, and an understanding of the nervous system.
I founded TraumaInformedLearning.com in 2017. My work through the U.S. Department of Education’s School Climate Transformation Grant (2020–2025) focused on trauma-informed school systems and community wellness. Today, I work as a K–2 Extended Resource teacher in Seattle, Washington, supporting regulation, specialized instruction, and access to classroom learning.
I believe the people closest to a challenge should help design the response. That means listening to children, supporting educators, and working alongside families.
More about my work on LinkedIn ↗Continue the conversation
What could a community
of care look like at your school?
Connect with me to exchange ideas about trauma-informed practice, adult wellness, and school systems that support belonging.
Connect with Jim on LinkedIn ↗