ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to the neuroscience and psychology around fear and trust in schools. It digs into our evolutionary drive to be part of the tribe, looking at our primary emotions and reptilian, mammalian and cognitive brain. It establishes how emotions are central to teachers’ actions in schools and how previous experiences shape teachers’ thinking and behaviours. The chapter then goes on to look at the block that fear creates to critical thinking and how fear drives faulty decision making in schools. This is in part due to the fear-based environments hijacking teachers’ amygdalas and the three ‘F’ responses of fight, flight or freeze.
The chapter concludes that tackling the detrimental effects of fear in a school can be done in two ways
Create a climate in which fear and trust are understood, where trust is maximised and fear minimised.
Equip all staff members with the ability to override their fear responses.
