The past year has been an incredible time of adaptation, refinement and change in our schools. This comes on the heels of decades of educational evolution as we respond to the growing need for diverse learning strategies and social and emotional support. Even before the pandemic, schools had a pattern of trying out new innovations every few years, each implemented … Continue
Many of us are well into week eight of virtual learning. Others are sustaining a fully-in-person model with social distancing, or a hybrid somewhere in-between. Still others have begun the semester one way, only to abruptly have to change course. Sure, we’ve had victories along the way. We’ve faced challenges and have learned valuable lessons. But the thing I hear … Continue
In a popular video clip, Brene Brown, author of Dare To Lead, describes the core components of empathy. Two of these components are recognizing emotion in someone else and communicating that recognition. In other words, “Empathy is feeling with someone,” Brown states. Empathy is essential for connection with others and is the foundation of positive relationships. Our educators are stressed. … Continue
Trauma Sensitive School practice has gained momentum in the last several years, inspiring changes in educator perspective, administrative policy, and classroom practice. I am often inspired by efforts to understand student challenges in new ways and use innovative strategies. What can give me pause is when this work is applied to institutions or systems where structural bias and inequity are … Continue
For a long time, school leaders have felt the stress of needing to balance efforts to meet a student’s social and emotional needs while remaining focused on academic excellence. High stakes testing and school and district report cards place pressure on administrators to focus on academic performance. Educators have felt overwhelmed by the increasing demands in the classroom, the rising … Continue
It seems like every news feed or social media post you have seen in in recent months leads with the same sentiment: “In these uncertain and trying times….” We see worries abound about the spread of coronavirus and an overrun healthcare system; stressed out families and a potential increase in abuse or domestic violence; business closings causing financial stressors and the long term negative consequences for people living in poverty; existing structural inequities that will result in a disproportionate impact … Continue
In our 10 years of practicing and teaching trauma informed care (TIC), we have seen a great deal of progress. Social services agencies who didn’t know what TIC stood for, five or six years ago, are diligently training their constituents. Schools that have historically felt plagued by “bad” or “disruptive” behavior are looking at their students through a different lens … Continue
As the academic and developmental needs of school children continue to increase, there’s an ever-increasing expectation that teachers help meet those needs. Not surprisingly, this leaves teachers feeling overwhelmed. They often report that they don’t have the time, nor do they feel qualified, to adequately support students. And, it leaves administrators feeling protective of their teachers who are already stretched … Continue
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are “one of, if not the leading, determinant of the health and social well-being of our nation,” according to Robert Anda, the co-principal investigator for the ACE Study. Sara Daniel ACEs have been shown to have a strong influence on smoking, alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, sexual behavior, mental health, homelessness, workforce performance. They also increase … Continue
For many years now, I have had the good fortune of working with a group of professionals from around the state working on increasing trauma sensitive practice in schools. This group has produced some amazing work, including a toolkit of resources available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website. We originally launched the site in 2011 with a PowerPoint … Continue
We were pleased to note that members of our SaintA team recently were recognized in the Instructor Forum, a quarterly publication put out by the Crisis Prevention Institute, (CPI). Therapist Chris Kangas, Jeff Stephani, who heads our Transitions Therapeutic School, and Tim Grove, Chief Clinical Officer, presented a case study in which the neurosequential model of therapeutics (NMT™) tools were … Continue
Recently a group of our staff in our Trauma Informed Care Learning Collaborative had a very interesting conversation that I continue to think about. We were talking about the impact of neglect on the children in our care. The general consensus was that we really know a lot about abuse and how to help children who have been subjected to … Continue
