Blog
Using Plants to Encourage Taking Good Care
Layers of stress, trauma, and grief continue to impact people individually and collectively as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As a leader you may be wondering how to tend to your people as well as students in meaningful ways. In this blog post, Ms. Jen explains one idea for using images of plants to encourage taking…
Read MoreUnderstanding and Addressing Racism
Understanding and addressing racism is a must for educators. Learn how to unpack whiteness as part of this important process.
Read MoreSupporting Students and Staff After COVID-19
Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19: Your Trauma-Sensitive Back-to-School Transition Plan releases this month. I wrote it for every educator who is wondering how to support students in the wake of the pandemic. COVID-19 is a collective trauma that is affecting everyone, although not in the same ways. Importantly, these stressors are impacting you, as an…
Read MoreTrauma-Sensitive Student Support
After watching my webinar with Brookes Publishing that shares this title, read this post to explore eleven activities designed for youth and their caregivers. Use them to provide trauma-sensitive student support during school closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing worry and fear for youth, families, and educators. Each person’s reactions…
Read More“Is It Ever Okay to Flip Your Lid?” Using Brain Books to Teach for Regulation
During a second grade counselor visit as students worked on their non-fiction brain books, one learner raised their hand and asked, “Ms. Jen, is it ever okay to flip your lid?” I stopped the group, posed the question to everyone, and students voted to show how they would answer. The majority of students raised their…
Read MoreSelf-Care Stickies for Educators
Learn how to improve your self-care practices using self-care stickies. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions. Happy New Year (if you celebrate that at this time of year)! It can be a great time to set personal goals. I will lose 50 pounds. I will start exercising every day. I will cut out all processed foods…
Read MoreSelf-Care Bingo for Educators
While self-care is important every day, it’s especially important to focus on it in the fall when the layers of all things are rolling. It’s stressful because if you’re like me, you’re trying to juggle it all. Such as… Loving, Teaming, Teaching, Supporting, Assessing, Report card writing, Parent/teacher conferencing, Coping with seasonal shifts, Meeting your…
Read MoreThe Iceberg of Trauma Includes Oppression
I wrote an earlier version of this post about oppression as trauma in 2019 and revised it in 2020. That’s when I added the resources for learning more at the bottom. It’s important to keep learning as well as acting for growth and change. Often, trauma is described as an iceberg, meaning the signs we…
Read MoreThe River of Feelings Improves Regulation
Thanks so much to everyone who joined my webinar with Brookes Publishing this week. I enjoyed teaching you about the River of Feelings, which is a visual from my new book Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools: Your Guide to Creating Safe, Supportive Learning Environments for All Students. Participants shared excellent questions and gave positive feedback. You truly warmed…
Read More