Ms. Katie's Ramblings: "Trauma-Informed" Schools are more than Teacher Training

Ms. Katie's Ramblings: "Trauma-Informed" Schools are more than Teacher Training:

"Trauma-Informed" Schools are more than Teacher Training

Trauma. As educators and activists fighting for the schools our students deserve, trauma has got to be talked about. Most teachers I know get that. It's obvious in our day to day interactions with children that some of our little ones need far more help than we can provide.

Which is why I am heartened by the rumblings of "trauma-informed" schooling. The idea that we would build schools around the needs of our kids who have experienced all kinds ofadverse childhood experiences (ACEs): poverty, hunger, homelessness, violence, police brutality, the impact of mass incarceration, racism. The list goes on and on, but the basic idea is that schools could be safe spaces for kids who have experienced trauma.

In my vision, a trauma-informed school would be a school that commits to being a low-stress, stable, low-competition, highly joyful place, with ample arts, music, dance, and sports as positive outlets. Testing would be outlawed replaced by low-stress, creative projects. Young children would have ample time to play and socialize. Class sizes would be low to foster positive relationships. Curriculum would be culturally-relevant, and students would tackle subjects like racism and injustice, but there would also be plenty of silliness and laughter. There would be full-time mental health workers who spend time in classrooms weekly teaching coping skills and appropriate ways to handle strong emotions, and would be available for emergency interventions as needed. An on-site clinic with a full-time nurse practitioner would also be a staple for these schools. The staff would be trained in de-esclation techniques, educated about signs to look for and ways to intervene successfully with kids in crisis. And most importantly, staff would be given lessened workloads and time schedules as working with kids with mental illness takes a greater personal toll. Staff would need to treated with extra care in order to give the extra care that our kiddos experiencing a hard life need.

I hope we can move to this approach and center the idea ofMs. Katie's Ramblings: "Trauma-Informed" Schools are more than Teacher Training: