Posts Tagged ‘Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools’
So Much Anxiety at School–Help!
“There’s so much anxiety at school—help!” Our crew hears this consistently. We’re guessing you’ve also noticed it. If so, check out the Q&A with Ms. Jen below to get answers to some of your pressing questions about what you can do to help learners who may be experiencing anxiousness—and yourself too! Question 1: Is Anxiety…
Read MoreTrauma-Sensitive Educators are a Sign of Hope
Hope is a word I struggled with for a number of years because it was too often used superficially. I’ve since studied the topic and have a deeper understanding of what hope really is. Keep reading to learn why I assert that trauma-sensitive educators are a sign of hope. Plus, gain ideas for your classroom.…
Read MoreQuit Making it Worse: Three Trauma-Sensitive Suggestions for Educators
Especially after a short presentation, educators will sometimes say to me, “We’re going to take this slow and start small.” While I understand the sentiment, these words concern me because systems and schools do things every day that make things worse for youth, educators, school leaders, and families. We have to quit making it worse.…
Read More“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” And… I’m Relentless for School Change
James Taylor sums up a lot of life lessons in his songs—one of which is the importance of being a friend. Life’s painful for all of us sometimes (if not traumatic). While humans hurt one another, we also need each other to heal and grow. In this post, I explain how trauma-sensitive school relationships are…
Read MoreUnpacking Big Stress with Rock, Paper, Scissors
Big stress is impacting educators—it’s influenced by a lack of substitute teachers, student behavior concerns, heated conflicts (e.g., over mask mandates, how history should be taught, or affirming gender identities), and more. Together, it creates distress that can increase school personnel’s vulnerability for burnout. That’s because ruptures in relationships take a toll. Many educators feel…
Read MoreThe Anniversary of the Pandemic’s Beginning
This month marks the one year anniversary of the time when many people started staying home as much as possible due to the pandemic. It’s important for educators to acknowledge the anniversary of the pandemic’s beginning. Not doing so would gloss over the changes, harm, injustice, loss, and resilience that is part of our collective…
Read MoreUsing 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 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…
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