Key points:

• Investing in mental health training, resources, and digital tools supports students’ immediate needs and creates a foundation for the long term
• By leaning into the power of human connection and leveraging digital health tools, schools can proactively enhance student well-being
• See related article: Using tech to combat trauma

Schools play a vital role in nurturing the well-being of their students. And, as the primary setting where children spend a significant portion of their time, schools are well-positioned to be an additional touchpoint in the mental healthcare continuum. This additional touchpoint is particularly critical amid mental healthcare provider shortages, enduring access challenges, and the stigma associated with these illnesses.

As a result, schools can help bridge the gap to treatment through a trauma-responsive environment, which has shown to improve student well-being, reduce chronic absenteeism, and raise student engagement. But in my experience, it will take a multipronged approach that centers relationship building, integrates digital tools, and invests in the long-term to make a difference for a school community.

Addressing student mental health starts with harnessing the power of human connection

For many children who have experienced trauma, they need to build healthy, trusting relationships with adults in order to start the process of healing. It takes meeting students where they are and being attuned to each individual’s lived experience. There’s no substitute for meaningful, consistent human connection.

Ultimately, students want to know that the people at school care about them. Compassion and empathy are vital fibers of social connection and belongingness just as much as having a genuine interest in students’ interests. When a teacher is invested in their students’ social, emotional, and academic development, it results in reciprocity, meaning children who feel supported by others will then become more invested in themselves. Also, when an educator understands the way trauma affects children, the more they will be able to help them cope.

Furthermore, teachers, instructional aides, and other support staff in schools should come from a wide variety of identities. Diverse representation helps engender trust with students of all backgrounds.

Additionally, school staff should work with mental health professionals to learn the ways depression, anxiety, trauma, and mental illness can manifest. Training should also provide best practices on the kinds of support a child may need and guidance on how to approach conversations with parents—always with an eye toward destigmatizing mental health. Lastly, training sessions should be tailored based on the needs of the school community.

Leveraging digital tools as an aid, not a replacement

The adoption of technology over the past few years has soared. But please don’t misinterpret these tools as substitutes for human connection. For example, the rollout of advanced safety features for cars has not replaced drivers–rather, they’ve augmented the driver’s experience and have improved safety. The same can be said for digital tools for mental health.

Digital tools–such as those that make practicing self-regulation skills engaging or calming and meditation apps–will be most effective when a caring adult is guiding students through the process and use of these tools. Educators should recognize the value they possess in helping children recover from traumatic events while integrating digital tools with intention. The ultimate goal is empowering children and teens to become more curious about themselves and learn about their brains and emotions.

Investing in the long term requires constant evolution

Investing in the well-being and mental health of students and staff cannot be “set it and forget it.” It requires constant monitoring and adjustments to ensure offerings hit the mark for a school community.

It’s important to identify key indicators, such as improved attendance or academic achievement, or higher engagement in extracurriculars, and track these measures over time. Additionally, surveying students and staff to create data-driven insights may be helpful to track progress. It might feel like trial and error at times, but it’s important to land on the right fit for an individual school community rather than a cookie-cutter approach.

Investing in mental health training, resources, and digital tools not only supports students’ immediate needs but also creates a foundation for the long term. By leaning into the power of human connection and leveraging digital health tools, schools can proactively enhance student well-being, fostering an environment that promotes healthy emotional development and academic success. When children feel empowered and can reach their fullest potential, society will be in a much better place for generations to come.

Related:
3 key actions for trauma-informed student supports
3 tools to support trauma-informed teaching

In this week’s episode of Innovations in Education, hosted by Kevin Hogan:

• 3 key actions for trauma-informed student support
• 6 ways administrators can address teacher burnout in their schools
• Fostering student well-being with Microsoft Education Solutions

Most every K–12 teacher or administrator can anecdotally describe the mental health and wellness challenges their students now face. Statistically, it’s overwhelming—more than one-third (37 percent) of high school students report that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and 44 percent of them reported they felt persistently sad or hopeless during the past year.

The degree and types of trauma students now face can be measured as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that demand deliberate and focused school-based supports that can mitigate the ACE’s impact on a student. We have talked for years about the challenges students face, but it is now time to actualize support systems that not only re-engage, but keep students engaged in their learning.

ACEs are traumatic experiences that occur in childhood, such as experiencing violence, abuse, neglect, and even economic and health disruptions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61 percent of adults surveyed across 25 different states reported experiencing at least one type of ACE before age 18, and 1 in 6 adults reported experiencing 4 or more types of ACEs. While ACEs don’t have a single cause, they do have lasting, negative effects on health, well-being, education and even job potential. Toxic stress from ACEs affects a child’s brain development, immune systems, and stress-response, leading to a decrease in a child’s attention, decision-making abilities, and learning. Yet, students often lack access to proper support.

This lack of support may be as simple as proper record keeping or as complex as systemic inequities leading to inconsistent supports. According to a February 2019 report from ASCA, students of color and students from low-income families are often shortchanged, receiving unequal access to school counselors or attending a school with too few school counselors. The pandemic upended education and the support systems schools and districts had in place for students. In addition, the CDC warns of an accelerating mental health crisis among adolescents. Just in March, the CDC shared new data on students’ well-being, illuminating the mental health threats students face.

Every day a student suffers unsupported, they become less likely to stay engaged in their learning. School leaders must recognize the trauma students have undergone, as well as the concerns around students’ mental health and well-being. It’s also important to understand that even as educators, we can’t just jump in and fix things as ACEs consist of multiple complex factors.

Regardless, educators can immediately implement three key actions that support students with trauma-informed mindfulness:

1. Monitor student behaviors

The pandemic had an enormous effect on students nationwide. While educators did a tremendous job ensuring learning continued, students (as well as adults) went through months of social isolation, anxiousness, and difficulties. Students stressed about their parents losing their jobs, the health of their friends and families, and even lost loved ones to COVID-19. The trauma that stems from the pandemic and those life-changing events isn’t disappearing now that students are back in classrooms.

The first important step educators can take to mitigate student trauma is to monitor how students are doing and keep records on changes or unusual behaviors. While writing notes and discussing mental health needs in team meetings are a step in the right direction, software can make it simple for staff to securely record and manage non-academic concerns, such as bullying, harassment, mental health, self-harm, hardship or neglect. Whereas handwritten notes, emails and conversations can get lost in the daily shuffle, a digital program keeps notes organized and reminders actionable and visible to support staff.

Supporting students is a team effort. Proper record keeping makes speaking and meeting with colleagues and others more productive when determining if interventions are needed. A robust collection of student non-academic data makes it possible to accurately determine how each student’s academic performance is affected by ACE-type non-academic challenges and other needs. By keeping detailed records of students’ behaviors and documenting conversations with colleagues, we can get ahead of the curve and not just identify non-academic issues, but address student challenges with impactful solutions.

2. Case manage students’ needs

Students come from a multitude of different backgrounds and experiences. The pandemic affected each student differently, and unfortunately, some students experienced significant trauma, social isolation, economic hardship and even ACEs. As a result, there’s been an increase in violence, trauma, and misbehavior that added to an already stressful school year as educators work to close pandemic-related learning gaps across the curriculum.

As we monitor students’ behaviors and recognize trends, it’s important to equitably case manage our responses to each student’s needs. Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with this student?” ask, “What’s happened to this student?” and “What do we need to do to support them?” This is the basis of good case management—deliberately tracking and monitoring all steps of the student support process to assure that the support has the impact intended.

While we won’t always know, a trauma-informed approach creates a safe environment full of support and understanding. Analyzing an array of student data points gathered across the academic and extra-curricular school experience can better illustrate the root causes of student behavior and give clues as to the most effective supports. When working directly with students and parents facing traumatic situations, they can often have difficulty controlling their emotions or describing precisely what’s wrong. Remaining calm, trusting the data, and offering reassurance is the most productive approach to developing supports that can positively impact students.

Supporting student needs can range from referring them to social or therapeutic services, building a collaborative team focused on the student or simply providing a quick snack in the morning when the student arrives. It’s important to keep in mind that most days, what students need are awareness, compassion and a caring adult who can create the right mindset to learn—it’s the deliberate small day-to-day supports that often matter most, and that’s okay.

3. Analyze the Student Support Data

You shouldn’t expect to be perfect at understanding what students are going through or intuitively figuring out how to best provide support. The pandemic affected everyone differently and it’s near-impossible to understand what others have gone through in such a short time period. What’s important is that we recognize students’ challenges and provide support. Every need documented, support rendered, and impact measured is a data point that matters. When non-academic student support data is collected school or district-wide, it becomes an invaluable databank that can show what intervention has the most impact, and what resources are needed to assure every student can stay engaged in their learning.

Just as we will use academic data to address unfinished learning in reading, math and other core subjects, we can use the data about non-academic needs to guide our work in supporting students. Fear, shame, and guilt are often the common reactions to trauma. Taking time to understand students and what they’re going through—no matter the situation—ensures students receive the support they need.

We’re in this together. By monitoring students’ behaviors, responding to students’ needs and analyzing the student support data, we can provide students with what they need to succeed—now and in the future.

While the awareness of trauma-informed teaching has been a concept I have grappled with, teaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has moved this concept to the forefront in terms of how to be effective as a trauma-informed educator in the virtual classroom. 

Trauma is prevalent in the lives of both educators and learners.  Though prevalent, it can also be silent in that it is not always a visible or known quantity.  Living through a pandemic, by its very nature, has been traumatic for everyone and it is important to debrief and reflect on the failures and successes of our educational practices during this time.

It may be surprising to learn that as of 2020, according to the CDC-Kaiser Ace Study, up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma.  Some examples include abuse, neglect, or witnessing violence.  Trauma may be the largest public health issue facing our children today (CDC, 2019).  It is imperative that we are not only aware of these statistics but that we act on known strategies that help our students cope with trauma so that they can meet with success in both in-person and virtual classroom spaces.

Edtech tools help facilitate trauma-informed teaching in a big way

Looking back on last school year, many edtech tools have emerged and been thoroughly explored by educators in a way that was not always possible prior to the pandemic, mainly due to time constraints that come from things like sports games, social gatherings, music lessons, carpooling, and all of the other activities that previously occupied our calendars. 

From great struggle comes great growth and, as a result of the pandemic, there is a whole new toolbox of options to take advantage of and to leverage in helping our students who suffer from trauma.  There are three familiar edtech tools in particular that have become a staple in my own classroom that have significantly elevated the options I have for trauma-informed teaching.

1. Avoid triggers with a Bitmoji Classroom: When it comes to students who need help coping with trauma, many things can trigger their overactive stress response system.   Not knowing what is coming next can put anyone on high alert, especially traumatized students.  In her article “Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies,” Jessica Minihan, a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally, explains that providing predictability through visual schedules of the class agenda or school day can help (Minihan, 2019, p. 33).  Bitmoji classrooms became all the rage after many schools made the pivot to distance learning.  If you have never heard of a Bitmoji Classroom, check out this article to get more information:  Education On Trend: Oak Cliff’s Momentous School Launches Bitmoji Classrooms for Virtual Learning.  Setting up a Bitmoji Classroom that is used daily and consistently can provide a uniform and interactive environment for students coping with trauma.  They can be personalized and adapted to the specific needs of the students you teach as well as providing a fun and positive learning environment.  The fact that students can engage with this classroom both in and out of school can provide tremendous help with relieving anxieties students may have about expectations and planning.  This is a great benefit to all learners!

2. Know your students better through FlipGrid: Many educators agree that relationships must come before content, especially with students who are victims of trauma.  Fortunately, relationship building between educators and their students in the virtual space is made possible through FlipGrid.  Not only can students take the time they need to record a video of themselves that can be viewed only by the teacher, but comments and even video responses from the teacher can be sent directly back to the student.  In addition to being a wonderful formative assessment tool, FlipGrid provides a great platform to build trust and rapport with your students as well as helping them to reduce negative thinking.

3. Promote a safe place with Padlet: Creating a safe platform for student collaboration is paramount to trauma-informed teaching. When it comes to students suffering the aftermath of trauma, Minihan explains, “Students can’t learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators’ power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.” (Minihan, 2019, p. 35). With collaboration, vulnerability must come into play and the activity can be risky.  Padlet is a tool that lets you create walls where students post various content to share.  This platform allows teachers to be in full control of what gets posted to the wall by students as there is a setting available that requires teachers to screen posts before they are posted.  Teachers can also enable a function where students can post their responses anonymously.  The ability for students to comment on their classmates’ posts can easily disabled depending on the group of students you want to give this ability to.  I have found Padlet to be quite valuable for students coping with trauma.  The positive feedback from peers can be uplifting and healing.

Don’t forget about self-care

As educators, we are a major source of support for learners.  Research has found that as adults are faced with increased stress, the pandemic has had the potential to have significant impacts on children (Minkos & Gelbar, 2020, p. 417).  As a result, we must be able to cope with our own stress by taking the time to process our own emotions. 

While it is has been a challenge to be a trauma-informed educator during a pandemic, this period of time has brought to light some wonderful new uses for our familiar ed-tech tools which enhance our arsenal as we fight the good fight for our students’ education, no matter the background, no matter the trauma.  And that is a beautiful thing.

We’ve all been through a traumatic experience in the last year. In a typical year, school is the only safe place for many students, and it is often the place where abuse or other trauma is recognized and help provided. But during remote learning, those children suddenly had no safe place to go and no adults to recognize the danger they were in and offer a lifeline.

As children return to school this fall, here’s how educators can spot those who may need mental health support, and a few suggestions for offering help.

Adverse childhood experiences

According to a study by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente, 10 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include the following:

• Physical, emotional. or sexual abuse;
• Physical or emotional neglect; and
• Household dysfunction (mental illness, incarcerated relatives, substance abuse, divorce, and violent treatment towards a parent).

According to the CDC, many of us will suffer ACEs: 61 percent of adults had at least one ACE, and 16 percent experienced four or more. Recent studies, including the Philadelphia ACE Project, have explored community-level trauma and now include witnessing violence, experiencing discrimination, adverse neighborhood experiences, being bullied, and living in foster care as additional ACEs.

Researchers are exploring the impact of living in communities with broad exposure to adverse experiences, and most certainly, the pandemic of the past year added yet another layer of complexity. Children living in families where abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction were present before the pandemic may have experienced even more trauma throughout the quarantine due to the isolation that left them without opportunities to contact positive adults and form relationships with a support system outside the home. Families with members suffering from mental illness may have found it difficult to continue treatment or find support. Families living in communities that also experience significant levels of adversity may have had even more exposure to ACEs.

The good news is that researchers are learning how individuals, families, and communities can build resiliency and how positive childhood experiences (PCEs) counteract ACEs. While we all many children have suffered greatly, collectively, we can focus on rebuilding our lives with resiliency and a focus on positive experiences. These are particularly essential for our youngest learners as they come back to school this fall.

Recognizing students struggling with ACEs

Teachers can support students and families by connecting them with resources to provide a network of support and build resilience. Creating trauma-informed classroom environments will be essential for all students as schools begin again this fall. These practices build upon strong classroom cultures that prioritize relationships, predictable routines, and safety. Talking with children about how we make choices so that all classmates feel safe is essential. 

Educators need the training to learn how to watch for signs of ACEs so that particularly vulnerable children and families can get the help they need. Beyond traditional signs of physical abuse, teachers can watch for ongoing emotional outbursts, destroying property, distraction that impacts learning, an inability to concentrate, sleepiness, or constantly being in the “fight or flight” mode. 

What can a teacher do?

Each state has laws related to reporting abuse, and schools have specific guidelines for how teachers should react if they suspect a child is experiencing ACEs. Local rules and procedures need to be shared during training so teachers are clear on their obligation and the process to report suspected abuse. Leaders should build relationships with community organizations so they can work together to connect families with resources. One way to counteract ACEs is to create support networks that build resiliency preemptively. Teachers can share resources with all families in their class and help families get to know each other.

Forming these connections is helpful because emotions impact learning. Classroom environments that prioritize the use of mindfulness to calm the mind and body can support all learners. These practices are beneficial for any child experiencing toxic stress, and helping children feel safe primes their brain to create space for learning. Practicing focusing and building brain breaks into a predictable classroom routine are helpful ways to provide support for any child who may be experiencing the stress associated with ACEs.

To have an immediate impact, teachers can focus on creating PCEs for their students. Researchers have found that PCEs can counteract ACEs, and teachers have an excellent opportunity to be the adult who provides a daily safe environment for a child. The PCE list includes the following:

• Enjoyment at school;
• Adults to offer support or advice;
• Good friendships;
• Learning to feel comfortable with yourself; and
• Predictable routines.

Teachers have six hours a day to create these experiences and the lifetime of difference they can inspire. In a future article, my colleague Kim Fischer will talk about creating PCEs in more depth.

Some moments in life are unforgettable. For me, the experience of evacuating from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina with my two young children and pup is one of those moments. Katrina became a marker in the life of our family. We used to talk about the timeline of our experiences in terms of “before Katrina” or “after Katrina.” While our home only sustained significant wind damage but no flooding, we witnessed firsthand the considerable tragedy across the city.

My husband is a Coast Guard pilot and was part of the rescue efforts immediately after the storm. As a young mother and teacher, I was focused on setting up a temporary home in San Antonio, TX. I had very little information on how long we would be living in Texas, whether my house was destroyed, what would happen to my teaching job and salary, and how long I would be apart from my husband. The uncertainty combined with the sudden nature of the disaster was, at times, almost too much to bear. I spent hours watching the news showing pictures of people on roofs trying to survive the flooding and the helicopters bravely swarming the airspace to save as many people as possible.

After two months, in October, we were able to return to the city once electricity was restored to our area on the west side of the river. Imagine a home in the deep heat of a New Orleans summer, closed, with no electricity or air conditioning. Imagine a refrigerator and freezer in that house with food left behind. Imagine thousands of those! Imagine wind and water damage and destroyed backyards, sheds, patios, and plants. We returned to that scene, and we were by far one of the lucky ones! We focused on cleaning out our home for several weeks, installing a blue FEMA tarp over a damaged roof, burning the left-behind branches and fallen trees in our yard, and attempting to find food and water. We were grateful for organizations that sent volunteers to cook, assisted with cutting down trees, and did various other tasks.

Through the experiences of Katrina and the subsequent return to school, I learned how essential community and belonging are in our human experience. Healing from trauma requires relationships and grace. Our society does not always prioritize the humanity in each of us, and we must learn to renew our focus on these key needs as we enter school this fall.

Back to school

Later in October, our local charter school determined they were ready to open back up. I remember arriving as a teacher that day in the gym, gathering for the first time to learn how this new opening would take place. I remember the six children who arrived with eager faces, ready to try to find normalcy—only to find a relatively empty school and so many of their friends missing from their seats. I remember my own children as they felt both happy to be back at home and sad that so many friends did not return. The aftermath of Katrina was devastating, and it impacted everything. The instability that many children and adults felt was significant.

After the initial emergency passed and life seemed to settle into a routine, the stress remained. Residual trauma existed from the variety of experiences related to evacuation, loss of home, loss of family, fear for family members and friends who were left behind, anxiety for those putting their own lives at risk to save others, and the exhaustion from returning to the reality of trying to rebuild. Stress became a constant, and when the pressure continues over long periods, the brain and body are impacted.

Children are particularly affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and natural disasters can cause long-term mental health challenges for children. ACEs include abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional), neglect, losing a parent (death, divorce, incarceration), being exposed to domestic violence or community violence, having a parent with mental illness, and having a member of the household who abuses drugs or alcohol. Death, violence, or mental illness were all consequences of the hurricane’s traumatic events and the subsequent flooding.

Community is healing

The good news is that positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are shown to build a protective barrier around children and can help them build resilience and protect against the long-term impact of ACEs. As the school opened in October after the hurricane and in the middle of the immediate clean-up of the city, teachers had a great mantle of responsibility:

• to be a caring, supportive adult;
• to create safe environments;
• to provide space to rebuild supportive friendships;
• to develop a sense of belonging for everyone in the school community; and
• to talk about the hurricane sharing feelings and experiences.

During the months after our return to school in New Orleans, there were multiple opportunities to build connections with those who returned. I remember the mornings when we invested our time in simply sharing our thoughts and feelings with each other. As the weeks passed, children opened up more about the trauma they experienced during the storm, the evacuation, and the months of uncertainty. Several children lost family members or were still living separated from loved ones. Others knew neighbors or friends who did not survive.

The beauty of sharing these stories and our ongoing, shifting emotions was that we built connections with each other and we all knew that what we were experiencing was acceptable and to be expected. Hearing about what others endured gave us space to provide extra grace and patience when a particular day did not go exactly as planned. We felt a strong sense of community. It’s always lovely to spend time each day in a place where you know you belong.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us, and the instability, uncertainty, mental illness, death, and loss that many have felt could have a particular impact on children. As we continue through new variants, never-ending changes in guidance plans for opening school, and discussions about vaccinations, we must also find ways to build protective factors around ourselves and the children we influence each day.

Educators, leaders, policy designers, and politicians must prioritize not only the physical safety of our students, but also their emotional safety. Schools must embrace their community and commit the time and resources to build connections, create belonging, prioritize mindful practices, create space for sharing experiences, support children as they make new friendships, connect families, and structure the day to help them feel in control and safe to learn. Discipline must be based on trauma-informed practices for all students, and teachers need space to breathe and rest.

This moment is a grand opportunity for our country to step back and to re-prioritize what truly matters. Learning should be joyful, and schools should feel safe. Instead of focusing on the deficit of learning lost last year, let’s build upon the new things we all learned, such as prioritizing our well-being above the achievement of medals or high scores. We have witnessed many folks bravely share their fears and difficult experiences, and the mental health impact of those. Let’s give each other overwhelming acceptance, understanding, grace, support, and a sense of belonging. Let’s learn from researchers, past experiences, and through the example of others and, this school year, let’s prioritize the well-being of our children above all else.

While the awareness of trauma-informed teaching has been a concept I have grappled with, teaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has moved this concept to the forefront in terms of how to be effective as a trauma-informed educator in the virtual classroom. 

Trauma is prevalent in the lives of both educators and learners.  Though prevalent, it can also be silent in that it is not always a visible or known quantity.  Living through a pandemic, by its very nature, has been traumatic for everyone and it is important to debrief and reflect on the failures and successes of our educational practices during this time.

It may be surprising to learn that as of 2020, according to the CDC-Kaiser Ace Study, up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma.  Some examples include abuse, neglect, or witnessing violence.  Trauma may be the largest public health issue facing our children today (CDC, 2019).  It is imperative that we are not only aware of these statistics but that we act on known strategies that help our students cope with trauma so that they can meet with success in both in-person and virtual classroom spaces.

Edtech tools help facilitate trauma-informed teaching in a big way

Looking back on this past school year, many edtech tools have emerged and been thoroughly explored by educators in a way that was not always possible prior to the pandemic, mainly due to time constraints that come from things like sports games, social gatherings, music lessons, carpooling, and all of the other activities that previously occupied our calendars. 

From great struggle comes great growth and, as a result of the pandemic, there is a whole new toolbox of options to take advantage of and to leverage in helping our students who suffer from trauma.  There are three familiar edtech tools in particular that have become a staple in my own classroom that have significantly elevated the options I have for trauma-informed teaching.

1. Avoid triggers with a Bitmoji Classroom: When it comes to students who need help coping with trauma, many things can trigger their overactive stress response system.   Not knowing what is coming next can put anyone on high alert, especially traumatized students.  In her article “Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies,” Jessica Minihan, a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally, explains that providing predictability through visual schedules of the class agenda or school day can help (Minihan, 2019, p. 33).  Bitmoji classrooms became all the rage after many schools made the pivot to distance learning.  If you have never heard of a Bitmoji Classroom, check out this article to get more information:  Education On Trend: Oak Cliff’s Momentous School Launches Bitmoji Classrooms for Virtual Learning.  Setting up a Bitmoji Classroom that is used daily and consistently can provide a uniform and interactive environment for students coping with trauma.  They can be personalized and adapted to the specific needs of the students you teach as well as providing a fun and positive learning environment.  The fact that students can engage with this classroom both in and out of school can provide tremendous help with relieving anxieties students may have about expectations and planning.  This is a great benefit to all learners!

2. Know your students better through FlipGrid: Many educators agree that relationships must come before content, especially with students who are victims of trauma.  Fortunately, relationship building between educators and their students in the virtual space is made possible through FlipGrid.  Not only can students take the time they need to record a video of themselves that can be viewed only by the teacher, but comments and even video responses from the teacher can be sent directly back to the student.  In addition to being a wonderful formative assessment tool, FlipGrid provides a great platform to build trust and rapport with your students as well as helping them to reduce negative thinking.

3. Promote a safe place with Padlet: Creating a safe platform for student collaboration is paramount to trauma-informed teaching. When it comes to students suffering the aftermath of trauma, Minihan explains, “Students can’t learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators’ power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.” (Minihan, 2019, p. 35). With collaboration, vulnerability must come into play and the activity can be risky.  Padlet is a tool that lets you create walls where students post various content to share.  This platform allows teachers to be in full control of what gets posted to the wall by students as there is a setting available that requires teachers to screen posts before they are posted.  Teachers can also enable a function where students can post their responses anonymously.  The ability for students to comment on their classmates’ posts can easily disabled depending on the group of students you want to give this ability to.  I have found Padlet to be quite valuable for students coping with trauma.  The positive feedback from peers can be uplifting and healing.

Don’t forget about self-care

As educators, we are a major source of support for learners.  Research has found that as adults are faced with increased stress, the pandemic has had the potential to have significant impacts on children (Minkos & Gelbar, 2020, p. 417).  As a result, we must be able to cope with our own stress by taking the time to process our own emotions. 

While it is has been a challenge to be a trauma-informed educator during a pandemic, this period of time has brought to light some wonderful new uses for our familiar ed-tech tools which enhance our arsenal as we fight the good fight for our students’ education, no matter the background, no matter the trauma.  And that is a beautiful thing.

There’s no doubt that the pandemic has been traumatic for children and adults alike. District and school staff member must remain especially diligent in being aware of and implementing strategies that help mitigate trauma.

A trauma-informed approach means teachers, administrators, staff, students and families recognize the behavioral, emotional, relational and academic impact of trauma, and address the impact through developing skills and providing specific trauma-informed supports.

Related content: 3 ways to combine trauma-informed teaching with SEL

There are four key pillars that guide educators in following a trauma-informed approach: focusing on wellness, building relationships, providing predictability and addressing students’ regulation deficits.

This post will explore the impact of trauma, provide an overview of each pillar and provide strategies for incorporating trauma-informed practices in remote, hybrid and in-person classrooms.

The impact of trauma: What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

In the mid 90’s, Dr. Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda studied over 17,000 adults in an effort to understand more about stressful or traumatic childhood experiences, like neglect, abuse and family turmoil. They called these types of events “Adverse Childhood Experiences”, or ACEs.

There are three major categories of ACEs:

1. Abuse
a. Physical abuse
b. Emotional abuse
c. Sexual abuse

2. Neglect
a. Physical neglect
b. Emotional neglect

3. Household dysfunction
a. Family mental illness
b. Incarcerated household member
c. Witnessing domestic violence
d. Parental separation or divorce
e. Substance abuse in household

ACEs are extremely common and tend to occur in clusters, meaning most people don’t experience just one type of ACE. The number of different ACEs a person experiences in childhood increases the risk for health, social and behavioral problems throughout their life, such as depression, substance abuse, physical health and diseases and developmental delays.

Before COVID-19, nearly half of kids had three or more ACEs, and that number has only increased since the pandemic started. Given the widespread impact of ACEs, it’s important that school staff are equipped to take care of their students while also being able to take care of themselves.

Pillar #1: Focus on educator wellness: Only a well-regulated adult can help a student regulate. Working with students who have experienced trauma can be stressful, especially for educators who have also experienced ACEs.

Consider some of the potential sources of stress that school faculty and staff face:

• Regularly interacting with students who exhibit challenging behaviors.
• Hearing about abuse and neglect students have experienced.
• Worrying about a student’s safety or future.
• Feeling responsible for (or powerless) to help a student.
• Trying to engage all students in distance learning

And, now that we’re all dealing with challenges and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become all the more critical that educators learn about and engage in self-care.

Self-care practices for educators and staff:

• Be aware of your own trauma and the potential impact that working with students who have experienced trauma can have on you.

• Give yourself permission to care for your mind, body and spirit in ways that work for you.

• Get social support from friends, family or colleagues.

• Connect with yourself through self-reflection and engage in mindfulness practices.

Pillar #2: Build relationships: Strong relationships build trust.

A quote from Education Week’s Arianna Prothero sums it up best: “This can’t be emphasized enough: Strong relationships will be essential to students’ academic success and well-being this coming school year.”

Educators must remain proactive in building relationships with students and families, even when it might feel impossible.

In person…
• Show genuine interest in your students. Chat with them before or after class, ask how they are doing and try to keep track of where their passions lie. These small actions add up in a big way. Remember that is not the quantity of time you spend with each student but the quality of each interaction that counts.

• Establish classroom rituals that help build connections and a sense of belonging, such as providing greetings and goodbyes, complimenting students and initiating traditions and celebrations.

• Model positive relationships with your fellow staff members so your students can see how well-functioning adults communicate, solve problems and support each other.

Distance or hybrid learning…

• Check your students’ social and emotional vital signs, like how they are feeling and if there are any challenges that are distracting them from school.

• Show appreciation for students’ efforts to complete assignments. It’s important to remember that students are likely dealing with many different home life situations while simultaneously trying to maintain their academics.

• Since being online dampens non-verbal signs, it’s important to exaggerate any non-verbal signals you want to send.

• Create space in your routine to check in with students and learn more about their interests and activities.

Pillar #3: Provide Predictability: Students with ACEs, who are stressed out or have a lot going on aren’t going to respond well to unexpected changes. When learners are in this state, they aren’t able to think flexibly. It’s important to let students know what’s going to happen, why, when and how.

In person…
• Post and follow a regular schedule, and inform students of any upcoming changes in advance.

• Designate specific areas in the classroom for specific activities so that students are able to familiarize themselves with the routines and locations where activities occur.

• Ensure that any reactions from adults are predictable and feel safe.

• Continually clarify your expectations so students always know what successful behaviors are.

Distance or hybrid…
• Communicate regularly with students and their families.

• Provide information in digestible amounts and provide plenty of opportunities for questions to ask clarifying questions.

• Share a daily schedule (on-screen), preview upcoming tasks and check-off any completed ones.

• Establish and follow routines that support your schedule.

Pillar #4: Teach Regulation: Regulation is the way people manage their thinking, emotions, attention and physical reactions. Understanding regulation is critical to creating a trauma-informed learning environment.

Effective regulation involves a person’s ability to manage their thinking, emotional responses, attention and physical reactions. Students with a history of ACEs often have a lot of difficulty with regulation, and many of the challenging behaviors these students demonstrate are linked to problems with regulation.

There are several ways to help students develop regulation strategies:

In person…
• Teach and practice new coping skills for managing stress and uncertainty.
• Schedule and provide opportunities for students to regulate before they are frustrated
• Create safe, calming spaces for students to take breaks as needed.
• Don’t use screens or screen-time for regulation.

Distance or hybrid…
• Intersperse regulation breaks within instruction.
• Use specific words or phrases during your routines (e.g. “Take a deep breath”, “What feeling am I having?”).

o Use these phrases and skills at the beginning of an instructional task to increase opportunities for practice.

Trauma-informed practice makes the difference.

When a trauma-informed approach is collaborative, it’s all the more impactful. If your school or district isn’t currently using trauma-informed strategies, I highly recommend bringing it up. These practices don’t only help us better serve students, but they better serve the people who are working with those students.

Remember: only a well-regulated adult can help support and regulate others. Educators can rely on resources to help them develop and strengthen skills to support themselves and their students, and create and maintain a culture of care.

When trauma goes unacknowledged by caring adults, students can feel suffocated by the burden of their experience. Research shows that traumatic experiences can drastically hinder students’ academic development, and that “children who have three or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are three times more likely to experience academic failure, five times more likely to have attendance problems, and six times more likely to have behavioral problems than those with no ACEs.“

These findings, coupled with the fact that almost half of the students in the U.S. have experienced at least one or more traumatic experiences presents a significant barrier to academic success for a large population of students.

Related content: 3 ways our school is fighting back against trauma

As educators, we work with a diverse group of students, not only in the range of their academic abilities, but also in their various experiences and social-emotional needs. The goal of trauma-informed teaching is to help all students feel known and supported. And the good news is that today, we know that using trauma-informed teaching strategies can benefit all students, regardless of their experiences.

Trauma-informed teaching for all students

Oftentimes, students’ traumatic life experiences will emerge as challenging behaviors. Research shows children who experience trauma can develop learning and behavior problems such as poor self-regulation, negative thinking, and challenges with executive functions. Therefore, using traditional punishments (like sitting out at recess, suspension or even expulsion) fail to address the actual cause of such behavior.

Instead, educators ought to consider implementing trauma-informed teaching in the context of their school’s social-emotional learning initiatives. Indeed, incorporating trauma-informed practices with SEL is an important first step to creating a healthy learning environment and improving academic performance and development.

Here are three strategies that combine SEL with trauma-informed teaching:

1. Build a common language. Children exposed to trauma may internalize their feelings because they lack the vocabulary to express their experiences. Before teachers and students can begin to have meaningful conversations among themselves and with each other, they need to develop a shared language to understand and express their feelings. I emphasized this need for a common language at a recent workshop, during which teachers and I worked through 24 character traits, outlined in Love In A Big World’s SEL curriculum, that help to develop a common SEL language for an entire school community, a critical step in helping students recognize and manage their own emotions.

2. Develop a nurturing environment. Additionally, the classroom must evolve into a safe environment where students can work through and express their feelings. Allowing students the time, space, and support to work through their feelings can help students feel safe so they are ready to focus on learning. Educators and school staff can help create a positive school climate where students feel known and supported. For example, teachers can create a dedicated space in the classroom for students who are feeling upset or frustrated, so they have a space to work on coping with these feelings. Teachers can also provide a worksheet or similar activity to help guide students through their feelings, which keeps them in the classroom and helps get them back on track.

Related content: 5 ways we develop SEL in our students

3. Prioritize self-care for all. The saying “practice what you preach” applies to trauma-informed instruction. It is natural for educators to take on the mental and emotional burdens of their students’ traumatic experiences. However, the stress these burdens can create can build over time, leading teachers to need their own coping strategies. Today, schools are encouraged to provide teachers with the tools and resources necessary to prioritize their own self-care. In one school I’ve worked with, for example, teachers use a “tap-in and tap-out” program that encourages teachers to lean on each other and request a short break to refresh and recharge.

Moving students from risk to resilience

As educators, we can’t expect students to check their trauma at the door so they are in the right mind frame to learn. Rather, we must help equip our school staff and students with the language and skill sets to acknowledge their feelings in order to drive more purposeful behavior choices and create conditions where students are ready to succeed, inside the classroom and beyond.