Trauma-Informed Education

First, we need to recognize that trauma-informed is something we BECOME, (ATN, 2024). And we also need to learn how to recognize and build relationships with ALL students. So what is trauma-informed education?

According to Edutopia, “Trauma-informed education includes examining the influence and impact of ACES on students in our schools on factors such as racism (explicit, implicit, and systematic; and microaggressions) as well as poverty, peer victimization, community violence, and bullying. Being trauma-informed is a mindset with which educators approach all children.

Research indicates that strong, stable, and nurturing relationships foster a feeling of belonging that is essential for all students but is absolutely imperative for healing with students who have experienced trauma.”

The Attachment and Trauma Network, Inc has some building blocks that we can use to build safe relationships with these students who have experienced trauma:

Building Blocks on Building Safe Relationships with Kids:

• Start with trust
  • Be honest
  • Keep promises
• Transparency
  • Vulnerability-be vulnerable, but we must not overshare
  • Keep professional boundaries
  • Being real about what you are doing and why
• Consistency is key
• Clear communication
  • Concern for their well-being
  • Clear expectations even when we tell them something they don’t want to hear.
• Understanding cultural issues-we are working with kids from all facets of life
  • Could be an obstacle that must be addressed
  • Involve others if needed
• Reciprocity
  • Relationships are reciprocal
  • Make space for children to give back
    • They want you to know when they feel a connection
      • Could be a smile, a hug, could take more time with older children.

As educators, we also have to recognize when our students are regulated vs dysregulated. But what do these two words mean?

• Regulated, also known as emotional regulation, is the ability to exert control over one’s emotional state (ATN, 2024).
• Dysregulation is when a person’s nervous system is overwhelmed and their ability to manage and tolerate overwhelming emotions is compromised because the brain’s cognitive state and body’s emotional state are out of sync due to either real or perceived threat (ATN, 2024).

To wrap things up,  here are some classroom strategies from the Attachment and Trauma Network, Inc to help you when a child is regulated vs. dysregulated:

When a child is REGULATED:

• Mindfulness activities
• Dr. Dan Siegel’s Name It to Tame It: If your upstairs (regulated) brain is able to name it and acknowledge it, the act of doing that “tames” the intensity of the feeling and helps us to make sense of it too. 
• Creative expressions: Journaling, poetry, creating/writing music
• Use problem-solving: how can you teach your students to problem solve?

When a child is DYSREGULATED:

• • Movement and rhythm take a quick walk. Singing, swaying, humming snapping fingers
  • Breathing exercises: belly breathing, count breathing
  • Sensory engagement: find out if there is something they use to calm their senses.
  • Relieving hunger or thirst: sometimes they are just hungry or thirsty. I always keep snacks in my office

• Grounding techniques:

• • 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
    • Name 5 things in the room that you can see
    • Name 4 things you can feel
    • Name 3 things you can hear
    • Name 2 things you can smell
    • Name 1 thing you can taste
• Simple Play: with younger kids and even older kids like to color (talk with them while coloring)
• Other ideas: putting hands or face in cold water/washcloth, putting candy in your mouth like cinnamon or mints, squishing toys/fidgets, weighted blankets, hugs (when appropriate).

Another great resource to support student wellness is this list provided by Counselor Connect.