Why Kids Can’t Learn When They’re Stressed: Polyvagal Theory for Teachers

Brittany Rickett
Oct 8
4 min read

The Embodied Educators Series

When a student is tired, hungry, anxious, or overwhelmed, their nervous system sends one clear message: “I don’t feel safe.”

As teachers, we often interpret behaviour as willful or defiant — but stress changes how the brain learns. Until the nervous system feels safe, the brain cannot focus, connect, or retain new information.

In this post, we’ll explore how Polyvagal Theory helps us understand learning through the lens of the nervous system, and share evidence-based regulation tools you can use in your classroom to restore calm and connection.

What Is Polyvagal Theory?

Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory explains how our autonomic nervous system constantly scans the environment for cues of safety, danger, or life threat — a process called neuroception.

This scanning happens below conscious awareness and determines whether we can engage, connect, or learn.

When students experience stress (from lack of sleep, conflict, transitions, or overwhelm), their sympathetic nervous system activates. The body shifts into protection mode — fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

What Stress Looks Like in the Classroom

Nervous System State	Common Behaviours
Fight/Flight	Fidgeting, restlessness, talking back, difficulty sitting still
Freeze	Shutdown, zoning out, blank stare, disconnection
Fawn	Over-compliance, people-pleasing, anxiety around authority

When this happens, the thinking brain (prefrontal cortex) goes offline and the survival brain (brainstem + limbic system) takes over.

Dr. Porges notes:

“The nervous system’s primary goal is to detect safety. Only when we feel safe can we access the neural pathways that support curiosity, play, and learning.”

Safety Before Strategy

When we correct behaviour before the nervous system is regulated, we’re asking a brain in survival mode to think — and it can’t.

Polyvagal-informed therapist Deb Dana writes:

“We can’t move into connection or learning until our nervous system experiences safety.”

Safety isn’t only about clear rules; it’s built through relationships and presence — your tone, facial expression, body language, and energy.

Your regulated nervous system acts as a co-regulation anchor, helping students’ systems settle through biology, not just words.

How Dysregulation Impacts Learning

When the body is in protection mode, cognitive and emotional skills are impaired:

🧠 Decreased focus and working memory
🗣️ Difficulty following instructions
💭 Reduced creativity and problem-solving
💔 Lower empathy and connection

These physiological shifts show up as “behavioural problems,” but they’re often signals of nervous system overload — not defiance.

Classroom Regulation Tools Based on Polyvagal Theory

Below are three simple, research-based tools teachers can use to support classroom nervous system regulation for both students and themselves.

1. The Humming Rhythm Reset (30 Seconds)

For elementary classrooms

A short sound-based reset that activates the ventral vagal system — the branch of the vagus nerve that supports safety, communication, and connection.

How to do it:

Invite gentle humming — a low “mmm” sound on the exhale.
Add rhythm — soft desk taps, clapping, or a slow class sway.
Finish with one shared deep breath.

Why it works:Humming stimulates the vagus nerve through vibration in the chest and throat, signaling calm to the body. Rhythm adds predictability, which mirrors the cadence of safety and co-regulation.

Research: Porges, 2011; Dana, 2018.

2. Rhythmic Music Regulation (for older classrooms)

For middle or high school classrooms, try playing steady-tempo music (60–80 beats per minute) — roughly the rhythm of a calm heartbeat.

Studies in Frontiers in Psychology (Thaut et al., 2015) show that rhythmic auditory input helps the body and brain synchronize to safe, steady patterns — reducing anxiety and improving attention.

Try:

Lo-fi instrumental beats
Gentle percussion or cello pieces
Acoustic guitar playlists at low volume

Why it works:This tempo range supports entrainment, a process where internal rhythms align with external sound — helping students return to balance and focus.

3. Predictable Transitions

Transitions often trigger dysregulation because they introduce uncertainty. Create small rituals that cue safety through predictability and sensory cues:

Dim lights or play a short tone before group work
Begin each class with a shared mindful breath
Use visual schedules to reduce uncertainty

Predictability helps students’ nervous systems recognize: “I know what’s coming next — I’m safe here.”

From Regulation to Learning

Regulation doesn’t mean “calm.” It means capable — able to feel, adapt, connect, and recover after stress.

When teachers model nervous system awareness and regulation, they create classrooms where learning is possible.

Because learning doesn’t begin in the mind — it begins in the body.

Takeaway Tools for Educators

Prioritize safety before strategy.
Use rhythm, sound, and predictable routines to support regulation.
Remember: Your regulated nervous system is your greatest teaching tool.

References

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
Thaut, M. H., et al. (2015). Rhythmic auditory stimulation for brain function and rehabilitation. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1183.

Brittany Rickett, Bachelor of Education, MA in Counselling Psychology, CCS LCT

Brittany Rickett, MA, LCT, CCS, is a licensed therapist and the Clinic Director of 3 Rivers Counselling in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. With more than a decade of experience in education before transitioning into clinical practice, Brittany brings a unique perspective to her work with both clients and educators.

She blends neuroscience and evidence-based modalities—including EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic work, and Polyvagal-informed therapy—to support trauma recovery and nervous system regulation.

Brittany is the creator of Embodied Educators, a professional development initiative helping teachers understand nervous system regulation and co-regulation in the classroom. Her work draws from current research in Polyvagal Theory, trauma-informed education, and embodied learning.