San Francisco, California, USA

©2019 by Project BrainHeart

Relationship education

Schools give children new relationships with teachers and friends, new activities and new rules. These are fundamental in shaping children's self-esteem and emotional literacy. 

Many countries' legislators and school Principals are making Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) an integral part of the school curriculum in the US. In the UK, Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education became statutory in September 2019. 


Darcie O'Shea -
Veteran Teacher at the French Lycee of Shanghai and San Francisco

As an English teacher who wanted to strengthen emotional well-being in the classroom, I was excited to have Victoria teach a class on the brain. Budding teenage brains go through extremes, and being able to better understand what exactly is going on up there helps students navigate their own emotional ups and downs and develop empathy towards others. Victoria’s lesson gives students an accessible roadmap to refer back to for understanding themselves and humanity. It is truly indispensable.

Victoria’s lesson was well-received by my students because she made a difficult subject lively, fun, and easy to understand and remember. Her cartooned illustrations for each part of the brain -- the "Squirrel-Hippocampus who stores our memories just like it finds and stores nuts and his good friend the very sensitive Goat-Amygdala" made for a lighthearted discussion about when our own “animals” become overwhelmed or overstimulated. We referred back to her lesson during subsequent classes when we delved into literature character development, conflict management, and during meditative practices in the classroom to strengthen and activate our “Heroes-Prefrontal Cortex to make the right decisions.

Victoria’s class can be spread over several sessions. It would work great either in an English, Biology or Social Science class, as well as with the new crops of emotional awareness/ wellness courses popping up in schools.


  • Attachment

  • Relationships

  • Personalities

  • Communication

  • Social media


  • Stress

  • Distress

  • Adversity​


  • Food and exercise

  • Risky substances


  • Gender, sexual orientation

  • Sex

  • Reproduction

The main anatomical brain parts connected to behavior