糖心动漫vlog

鈥淭rauma-informed鈥� teaching is a popular phrase in education circles, but what does it actually look like on the ground?

Today, some 糖心动漫vlog share a practical perspective.

An 鈥業nclusive Space鈥�

Marie Moreno, Ed.D., is an educator and administrator with over 30 years of education experience specializing in newcomers and second-language acquisition:

As a former principal of a newcomer school for refugee and immigrant students, ensuring all my classrooms were trauma-informed was imperative. I knew almost every child had experienced some trauma, so having them retraumatized by something occurring in the classroom was not something I wanted my students to experience. With more and more children entering our schools who have experienced some trauma, we can鈥檛 just assume we are only talking about newcomers. To ensure we all know what a trauma-informed classroom is, let鈥檚 define it here.

A trauma-informed classroom is an educational environment that recognizes and responds to the impact of 鈥渢raumatic stress鈥� on students. It prioritizes creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive space where all students feel valued and understood.

Teachers who understand this 鈥渢raumatic stress鈥� employ strategies that foster emotional and physical safety, promote trustworthiness, and encourage empowerment and resilience, thereby enhancing learning and a sense of belonging. After all, students don鈥檛 care how much a teacher knows until they know how much the teacher cares about them. This may not be easy because trust must happen before students perform at the teacher鈥檚 expectation.

These four tips can help any teacher transform their classroom to create a trauma-informed classroom. The first tip starts with 鈥渢he self鈥� because it鈥檚 essential to begin with teachers looking at themselves in a mirror. We must show empathy to reach our most hard-to-reach students.

1. Build Strong, Trusting Relationships

Building strong relationships is crucial when working with students in a K-12 classroom. The power of relationships has proved that students will work for teachers who show them they care. A few actions teachers can take are:

• Learn students鈥� names: Learning names tells students that you value and recognize them. Teachers make that very clear when they introduce themselves, i.e., 鈥淢y name is Ms./Mr. ____.鈥� This acknowledgment should be reciprocated.
  
• Check in regularly: Use daily or weekly check-ins to understand students鈥� feelings and identify potential issues early on.
  
• Show empathy and understanding: Respond to students鈥� emotions with empathy and validate their feelings. Avoid dismissing or minimizing their experiences. Below, I have provided some traditional reactions teachers usually say to students. Practice how to transform those phrases to be more trauma-informed.

2. Create a Safe Physical Environment

Sometimes, it鈥檚 not what teachers say but what teachers provide that can make a difference in the classroom.

• Classroom layout: Arrange the classroom in an open way. Avoid clutter and create spaces where students can have privacy if needed.
  
• Calm-down corners: Establish a designated area where students can calm down, equipped with stress-relief tools like stress balls, coloring books, or soft seating.
  
• Consistent routines: Maintain consistent daily schedules and routines for stability and predictability.

3. Promote Emotional Safety

Students who have experienced trauma don鈥檛 have a sense of emotional safety. They are usually wired around fear and react before thinking about their actions.

• Clear expectations and rules: Establish clear, fair, and consistent rules and expectations. Discuss them with students and involve them in the creation process.
  
• Positive reinforcement: Use positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors. Recognize and praise students鈥� efforts and improvements. Students still love prizes (including stickers!)
  
• Conflict resolution: Teach and model conflict-resolution skills. Use restorative practices to address conflicts and encourage students to express their feelings constructively.

4. Foster a Supportive Classroom Community

When students feel successful, they will thrive and work harder. Students need that sense of belonging in a way that is not threatening, which will help all students.

• Collaborative activities: Use group work and cooperative activities to build community and belonging among students.
  
• Classroom meetings: Meet regularly to discuss issues, share successes, and build a supportive classroom culture.
  
• Peer support: Encourage peer support and mentoring. Pair students in ways that allow them to support and learn from each other.

By implementing these practical actions, you can create a trauma-informed classroom that supports all students鈥� emotional, social, and academic needs. This approach helps students who have experienced trauma and creates a positive, nurturing environment for everyone.

鈥楲ike Driving on Ice鈥�

Trynia Kaufman is an author, speaker, and educational consultant who specializes in brain-based learning strategies, trauma-informed teaching, and disability inclusion:

Recently, my mother-in-law unexpectedly passed away. Suddenly, things that once seemed very important no longer felt even slightly significant. Even as a full-grown adult, I鈥檝e struggled to manage my emotions or find motivation to do things I care about, let alone things I don鈥檛 care about. I鈥檓 irritable and alternate between snapping at strangers or sobbing. Add to that, my memory has flown the coop鈥擨鈥檝e even had trouble remembering basic information like the password to my laptop.

Reflecting on how grief has impacted me has made me even more empathetic and understanding of how hard it must be for students when they鈥檙e expected to move on as if nothing has happened after experiencing trauma.

An analogy I use in Overcoming the School Trauma Cycle is that teaching students who are in a traumatized state is like driving on ice. We can use the same steps in both situations to help us navigate slippery situations:

Plan ahead and be on the lookout for slippery conditions: Just as we plan for how to support students academically throughout a lesson, we can also plan for how we want to support students emotionally and behaviorally. Each student will respond differently to a traumatic event. Some students may carry on as usual. Others may enter a fight, flight, or freeze state. Students may also alternate among those states as they move through the stages of recovery.

Here are some behaviors that might indicate a student is in a traumatized state:

鈼� Fight: Refusal to follow directions; making snide comments; defiance or aggression.

鈼� Flight: Putting head down; off-task behavior like talking to friends; asking to use the restroom.

鈼� Freeze: Staring at the assignment or into space without coming up with any responses; forgetting simple things; difficulty communicating.

Take your foot off the gas and find traction: The most important thing we can do in a trauma-informed classroom is keep our foot off the gas pedal. Slow everything down and remind yourself that even if a student is acting out or disengaged, it鈥檚 not personal. Try to keep your voice, tone, and body language in a neutral state. The goal is to share your calm energy with the student which can help them return to a calm state.

Finding traction in these slippery conditions is often about tapping into the meaning and purpose behind a lesson objective. Why should the student care? How is it connected to the student鈥檚 interests or goals? What strengths can you build on?

Don鈥檛 oversteer: A student who is feeling like life is out of their control needs to be given opportunities to regain control鈥攏ot to be controlled. It can feel counter-intuitive and it鈥檚 certainly a delicate balance. Students need to know there are clear rules and boundaries, but they also are often fighting to feel a sense of autonomy and control. Giving choices that gently steer them in a positive direction can help.

Avoid slamming on the brakes: Don鈥檛 expect students to quickly jump from a fight, flight, or freeze state back into a calm, regulated state at the snap of a finger. Give them time, space, and strategies to recover before expecting them to make good decisions or get back to work. This could be as simple as giving the student a few minutes to draw, walk to the restroom, or take five deep breaths. (Note: Proactively teaching calming strategies is much more effective than trying to do it in the moment.)

Pull over, recover, and reflect: If you鈥檝e made it through slipping on the ice, you also need to give yourself a chance to recover. Your blood pressure might be up and you might feel out of sorts. Just like you gave the student time to recover, give yourself time as well before reflecting on the situation and making any judgments about what to do next.

When students feel supported, they are able to more readily move through the recovery process鈥攐ne step at a time. Success also breeds success. Reflecting on my own grief, successfully writing this blog post has allowed me to rebuild my own sense of purpose and resilience.

鈥楪et Out of Your Ego鈥�

Ann Stiltner is a high school special education and reading teacher in Connecticut with more than 20 years of experience in education. She shares her passion and love for working in the classroom at her blog (www.annstiltner.com/blog). Follow her on Twitter @fromrooma212:

Trauma affects many of my students and impacts their learning, engagement, and behavior. Creating a trauma-informed classroom has been positive for both my students and myself. Below are some of the practical steps I take to create a trauma-informed classroom environment.

• Do assume - I start every school year from the premise that trauma鈥攏o matter how that might be defined鈥攊s, or has been, a part of many of my students鈥� lives. I use a trauma-informed mindset from the beginning. It is a proactive approach that, in the long run, helps me build stronger relationships with my students.
  
• Observe, don鈥檛 judge - Remember, students are not鈥攁nd should not be鈥攍ike you. They are, most times, not responsible for what life has been like for them up until this point. As children, they had no control over the choices the adults and caregivers in their lives made. What they do have control over now鈥攅specially adolescents鈥攊s how they react and move forward. As their teacher, our job is to observe their behaviors and reactions and help them learn new ways to cope that do not interfere with their learning and success. Teachers cannot do this effectively if they are in their own heads with judgments and excuses.
  
• Reframe - See the challenging behavior students present as what they might need now or was needed in the past to survive difficult events. The trauma-response behaviors they show in the classroom can be seen as personal strengths in other situations. Sometimes, students need help understanding the appropriate time and place for certain behaviors. Providing a safe, positive and supportive classroom space gives students the opportunity to take risks and try new ways to behave and react.
  
• Be aware - Always remember that someone in your class might have triggers to certain topics. Be prepared and proactive. Think carefully ahead of time about books, materials, and topics to discuss in class and how they will impact a student. This is another reason why it is key to build rapport with your students and get to know their background. If you know this information ahead of time, you can avoid missteps.
  
• Respect privacy - Be mindful of sharing sensitive student information with other teachers and staff. Do not gossip about a student鈥檚 background or share private information a student shared with you in confidence. If the student is old enough, ask for their permission to share sensitive information.
  
• Reflect on your practice - Get out of your brain and your ego. Be objective as you reflect on your interactions with students. Repeat or change when needed. This involves taking a risk. There is no assurance this change will be the magic bullet. Experiment with different approaches to help students be in their best place to learn. Lean on your colleagues for help.
  
• Take care of yourself - Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma are real. Teachers need to take active steps to recharge themselves. The stress of this work can accumulate without you realizing it. Check in regularly with yourself and make sure you have supports for yourself already in place.
  
• Every day is a new day - Come back refreshed and keep trying. None of these ideas is easy and, for me, it is always a work in progress. I remind myself that the goal is not perfection but maintaining my commitment to help my students achieve their potential and be their best selves for what the world needs now.

鈥業dentity Development鈥�

Dr. Linda C. Mayes is a developmental pediatrician at the Yale School of Medicine where she leads the Yale Child Study Center. She is co-author, with Dr. Michele Myers, of The Educator鈥檚 Guide to Building Child and Family Resilience (Scholastic, 2023):

In the wake of the pandemic, international conflict, and exposure to online media, children are coming to school with levels of anxiety and stress that are unprecedented. As 糖心动漫vlog, it is our job to cultivate classroom environments that support children鈥檚 capacities to thrive in the face of adversity鈥攏o matter how small or large.

Teaching students how to exercise resilience-building skills in and outside of the classroom will help them meet life鈥檚 positive and negative experiences with fortitude and empathy. Below, I outline three strategies that teachers can implement to show their students that hardships, losses, and challenges can be overcome with room for joy.

1. Develop supportive relationships in your classroom through literacy

In my many decades as a professor and pediatrician, I have seen firsthand the power of using literature to promote positive, supportive relationships. Socratic seminars, a teaching strategy based on Socrates鈥� belief in students鈥� abilities to critically analyze a topic with others, is a great way to do so. When students gather to exchange differing ideas and opinions, and consequently observe how their peers interact, kids are granted the opportunity to learn how to navigate social relationships.

Using stories as a springboard for these discussions can help model positive social behavior and relationship-building techniques. By referencing literature and books at hand, we not only encourage children to think critically, we also drive them to think about and connect with others on a deeper level.

2. Show the power of positive self-identity

Identity development is no doubt a lifelong journey. Educators can play a loving and helpful role in aiding children throughout this process. As resilience-informed 糖心动漫vlog, we can support a healthy sense of identity through the resources we use to teach children.

Introducing children to powerful texts and positive, identity-affirming stories, encourages children through the testimony of reading about the lives of others. Renowned literacy scholar Rudine Sims Bishop reminds us that children need to see themselves reflected in the stories they read and hear. When they see themselves in books, similar to a mirror, students learn to bring authenticity, confidence, and strength to handle new challenges.

3. Encourage students to practice curiosity and flexible thinking

Albert Einstein once said that curiosity has its own reason for existing. Humans鈥攅specially children鈥攈ave a natural capacity to question and wonder: 鈥淲hy is the sky blue?鈥� 鈥淲hy do people get sick?鈥� 鈥淲hy do I have to share?鈥�

Trauma-informed 糖心动漫vlog have a duty to not shy away from children鈥檚 questions about the world around them. We must teach students to be curious and to not just accept what is before them. Children will no doubt face hardship in life. By encouraging kids to ask questions, to problem-solve, and to think flexibly with different solutions as answers, we can show them that hardship can be met with hope and perseverance.

While problems may be difficult, and often can cause weariness, we can help children learn how to be flexible and think through solutions, which in turn promotes resilience.

Thanks to Marie, Trynia, Ann, and Linda for contributing their thoughts!

Today鈥檚 post answered this question:

What actions do you take to ensure that you have a trauma-informed classroom?

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it鈥檚 selected or if you鈥檇 prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at or on Bluesky at .

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