First, let me explain why I have stepped away from blogging. I stepped away from this blog because of two very important reasons. Reason number one: I moved to a new city and started a new job. I love my job, but the demands of teaching and leading a 6A High School Choral program is very different from leading a 6A Middle School Choral program. It has demanded the majority of my attention. I love what I do and I love the culture that I am building, and I feel like things are bit more under control and I know what I am doing! The second reason, my own mental health needed a break. Blogging started to become something that was a chore, the political climate in Oklahoma was and is still toxic, and Edu-Twitter started to become an unsafe and stressful environment for me. I needed to walk away, simply to keep myself sane and to care for me. I don't regret that decision one bit. It was the best thing for myself and I'm so glad I did it.
But I'm back!! I have been wanting to write more, and share my heart with others. From now on you won't see a lot about education advocacy, because that stresses me out, but you will see lots about the happenings of my classroom, education practices, and general happenings in my life. This blog will be a little bit of everything under the sun!! Plus cute puppy pictures.
Disclaimer over!!
Recently I attended a Trauma-Informed Schools Conference, as a part of my district's research team over the topic. I was honored to be considered and I was equally excited to learn. My eyes were opened. It is time for a shift in how we think about kids that have dealt with trauma or even our co-workers that have dealt with trauma. Being trauma-informed is not just about meeting the needs of some kids, but meeting the needs of all kids!
When dealing with students that have dealt with trauma we have to be aware of their need for regulation. One of my biggest takeaways from the conference is very simple, a child's misbehavior is not the root problem, but it is a symptom. The first step in my journey of being a trauma-informed classroom is very simple building a relationship of trust with my students.
Classrooms should be and need to be safe places!! One of my favorite things to do with kids that are having a hard time, and need some space is sending them on an errand. I know that those kids just need a break, taking the time they need to gather themselves together and to regulate their own behavior. I have a purple folder in my room, and when I know that a kid needs a break, I have them take that purple folder to another teacher. The other teacher knows the meaning of the purple folder, and they know that the kid really isn't on a true errand, but is just needing some time out from the situation that is happening in my classroom. That other teacher keeps the student until they feel like they are ready to come back into my room. When the kid comes back, I thank them and tell them what we did, and how excited I am to see them back and ready to work. This has solved so many of the power struggle issues that I found myself in with kids early in my teaching career. Arguing with a student will solve nothing, but only further escalate the situation.
Something that I'm going to start in the classroom is mindfulness and breathing. We all need to have our bodies regulated and ready to learn. When we are dysregulated and on edge, we can't function. I know that when I'm dysregulated and riddled with anxiety, I can't function. So how can we as educators expect our students to learn when they come to us stressed and hurting? The answer is we can't before a child can ever care about the content we are teaching, students must have their basic needs met first. They need to feel loved, respected, and safe. As a Choir teacher, I always do breathing warm-ups to focus on the content. But I'm going to change that up to using breathing and guided meditation as a way to help students regulate their brains, and get prepared for learning. I know that many have negative thoughts on mediation, but using mediation as a way for students to learn more about their bodies and their minds is a great resource....and guess what it is free! There are tons of videos on YouTube about mindfulness meditation, they are awesome. Just five minutes at the beginning of class is worth it.
Being trauma-informed has to be done organically. This means that trauma-informed classrooms start in the classroom and the school. Trauma-informed cannot be a top-down decision. I'm so blessed that I work for a school district that understands this and is working and empowering teachers, counselors, administrators, school nurses, and community partners. I am by no means an expert and I'm just starting on this journey. But I'm so excited to see how this will only better my instruction!!! Below I have included a couple of resources that I have been using and reading. If you are learning about trauma-informed and you have resources or ideas, please leave them in the comments! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Let's be there for our kids and let's change some lives!!!
Beyond Consequences Institute
Trauma Aware Schools
Trauma Sensitive Schools
