Module 3: How Educators Can Support Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
Things Teachers and School Personnel Should Know and Do about Trauma and Students
- A child who has been through trauma may worry about what will happen next. A daily routine in the classroom can be calming, and structure and predictability should be provided whenever possible. Words may sometimes not be enough for a traumatized child, but additional sensory cues can help.
- Even if the situation doesn't seem bad to you, it's how the child feels. Trauma is individual. For some children, it isn't a singular event but sometimes a culmination of chronic stress. Small positive interactions, like greeting a student at the door or hall, can help foster resiliency in your students.
- Trauma isn't always associated with violence. Trauma is often associated with violence, but it can also be experienced in various situations like divorce, a move, the death of a loved one, having too many things scheduled, or being bullied.
- You don't need to know the cause of trauma to help. Instead of focusing on the specifics of a traumatic situation, it is recommended to concentrate on the support you can give students who are suffering. It is recommended to create a classroom community that builds connections with other students and lets them know that you are there to help them to learn and succeed.
- There is a direct connection between stress and learning. When a student is stressed, it is hard for them to learn. Create a safe, accepting environment by letting the student know you support them.
- When a child feels good at something and experiences success, it builds confidence. As a teacher or school personnel, find opportunities that allow students to set and achieve their goals. Build resilience by assigning classroom jobs that students can do well or letting them help their peers.
- Self regulation can be a major challenge for students suffering from trauma. Some students, and those who experience trauma, may not be able to stay focused for long periods. As a teacher or school personnel, help a student learn to identify their emotions such as anger, frustration, etc., teach ways for a student to manage their emotions, and build breaks where there will be free time to play a game and stretch.
- Reassure the student of their presence and support no matter what. Teachers and school personnel can reassure the student with encouraging words or help a student regain calm by having a student put their head on a desk for a few minutes, having the student take a snack, having the student go for a walk, or having the student take deep breaths.
- If the discussion as to the trauma(s) occurs, help the student focus on their thoughts rather than on the event's details. In many instances, remembering the trauma may cause the child to become triggered and not know how to return to a sense of calm and safety again. Asking a child to recount when they knew they would be safe is a good strategy to help them focus on what got them through the trauma and not on the trauma itself.
- Kids who experience trauma aren't trying to get the teacher upset. While in some cases, this may be true, if a student is having trouble with transitions or turning in a folder at the beginning of the day, the student may be distracted because of their situation. Try to support the student with transitions and focus on positive interactions.
- You can support children with trauma even outside your classroom. Teachers or school personnel can share strategies that work with parents and caregivers, bus drivers, special teachers, or others. Tell them how small interactions, such as smiling or complimenting a student, can help a student build resilience.
Create a Safe and Supportive Classroom Environment
Physically Safe Environment
A physically safe classroom environment helps all students, including those that have experienced trauma. It helps minimize triggering situations and begins to foster hope in the brain.
To implement a physically safe classroom environment:
Psychologically Safe Environment
A psychologically safe classroom environment is one where students feel that risks are doable, students can speak up with questions or concerns, students can pose ideas that may or may not be implemented or accepted, and students can make mistakes.
To implement a psychologically safe classroom environment:
Physically Safe Environment
A physically safe classroom environment helps all students, including those that have experienced trauma. It helps minimize triggering situations and begins to foster hope in the brain.
To implement a physically safe classroom environment:
- Respond to a negative disruption with firm non-acceptance. Model and teach appropriate ways of interpersonal communication and interaction. Close with words and actions that focus on relationships, addresses the conflict, and promotes problem-solving among staff and students.
- Maintain an adequate, well-maintained space that contributes to feeling relaxed and calm. Create a peace corner or place for students to reset their emotions.
- Work to minimize trauma triggers.
- Establish and reinforce classroom expectations that honor the contributions of every student, and values mistakes as evidence of learning and as opportunities for innovation.
Psychologically Safe Environment
A psychologically safe classroom environment is one where students feel that risks are doable, students can speak up with questions or concerns, students can pose ideas that may or may not be implemented or accepted, and students can make mistakes.
To implement a psychologically safe classroom environment:
- Establish threshold greetings. Greet students and other school staff when meeting students at entryways to the school or classroom.
- Identify or create peace corners. Peace corners and identified rooms are designated areas to help students re-regulate when they are upset and distressed.
- Select toys and games that have no right or wrong answer. For instance, for pre-school and elementary classrooms toys such as blocks, self-sorting games (shapes into holes, etc.) so that no person tells a child they are "wrong". For older classrooms, squish toys, rake art, therapy putty, tactile balls, and others can be beneficial. Toys and games can be located in peace corners, or be used during other parts of the day as identified in a lesson.
How Teachers Can Help Students Who Experience Trauma
Preschool
Preschool
- Create a sense of safety within the classroom and establish routines that children can follow.
- Offer children a safe and accepting environment to speak about and try to make sense of their traumatic experiences.
- Explain trauma and answer questions in an honest but simple and age-appropriate manner.
- Teach techniques for dealing with overwhelming emotional reactions.
- Involve other teachers, school personnel, families, and caregivers with calming techniques and the healing process so that support can continue outside the classroom.
- Provide structure and consistency.
- Ease transitions so they can be prepared.
- Provide choice.
- Increase the level of support and encouragement to the student.
- Set clear, firm limits for inappropriate behavior and develop logical - rather than punitive - consequences.
- Develop strengths and interests.
- Ensure the student you care for them, even if their behavior is pushing you away.
- Communicate with counselors or social workers.
- Make an "out" plan. Create a way for students to take space if they feel triggered or overwhelmed during class.
- Take care of yourself. If you work with just one student who experienced trauma, you can experience vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue.
Ways to Incorporate Student's Feelings Into Your Classroom
Build students' social-emotional vocabulary and words.
Buddy up with an older or younger person in your class.
End each day intentionally. End each day by coming together for a few minutes to reflect on your time together, check in on how your students are feeling, talk about what went well, read some notes on kindness, and set the goals for the next time you will meet.
- Start each day or class with a "feelings temperature". The feelings temperature can help identify how a student feels and how those feelings are influenced by the moods of others and the events of one's day. This could be a small chart on each desk with a face image that a student points to when asked that describes their feelings. For older students, it could be through a number system, ten fingers means feeling great, and one finger means feeling poor.
Build students' social-emotional vocabulary and words.
Buddy up with an older or younger person in your class.
End each day intentionally. End each day by coming together for a few minutes to reflect on your time together, check in on how your students are feeling, talk about what went well, read some notes on kindness, and set the goals for the next time you will meet.
Strategies to Support Positive Relationship Development
Teacher to Student
Teacher to Student
- Establish classroom norms or community agreements.
- Find out what the student's top three interests are.
- Greet the students at the door and ask a question or comment on one of these interests within the first five minutes of class.
- Sneak in time to build personal connections whenever possible.
- Implement mentor and mentee relationships between peers.
- Create the opportunity for students to have unstructured conversations and casual time with their peers to maintain friendships and relationships; allow them to share with their peers what's going on in their lives.
- Use asynchronous opportunities for students to share with each other, such as sharing videos of themselves to their classmates and teachers.
The Take 5 Technique
Teachers can help create a calm, supportive environment through "take 5" which can reduce the flight/fight response. Take 5 is a breathing technique that helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which activates the body's relaxation response.
"I am going to count loud to five while you gently breathe in through your nose, if possible. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and breathe out through your mouth, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now lets do this again" repeat this routine as necessary.
By practicing breathing for a few minutes each day, students can become comfortable using it when facing a potentially triggering experience.
Teachers can help create a calm, supportive environment through "take 5" which can reduce the flight/fight response. Take 5 is a breathing technique that helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which activates the body's relaxation response.
"I am going to count loud to five while you gently breathe in through your nose, if possible. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and breathe out through your mouth, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now lets do this again" repeat this routine as necessary.
By practicing breathing for a few minutes each day, students can become comfortable using it when facing a potentially triggering experience.
Effective Calming Techniques that Teachers Can Model
Besides "Take 5", other techniques that a teacher can model include:
Create a calming classroom environment. This can be done by reducing the noise level, if possible, with carpet, or tennis balls on desks or chairs. Providing headphones for students to block out sound during quiet time. Consider window coverings or paper over the window to limit light and visual distractions. It is important that the room is not too dark as this could trigger trauma.
Read guided imagery to students. Through guided imagery, your students can use their imaginations to create the "state they want".
Listen to calming music.
Start the class by warming up the brain with games and activities.
Teach mindfulness to access mood and emotions. This could be done through breathing exercises and word phrases such as "I am worthy. I will make mistakes, but that is okay." and more.
Give students a place to de-stress such as a peace corner.
Have students draw or write something of their choosing. This item is not part of a graded or evaluated assignment but an opportunity for a student to recenter. This art or writing activity would not be displayed and would be kept with their artifacts.
Besides "Take 5", other techniques that a teacher can model include:
Create a calming classroom environment. This can be done by reducing the noise level, if possible, with carpet, or tennis balls on desks or chairs. Providing headphones for students to block out sound during quiet time. Consider window coverings or paper over the window to limit light and visual distractions. It is important that the room is not too dark as this could trigger trauma.
Read guided imagery to students. Through guided imagery, your students can use their imaginations to create the "state they want".
Listen to calming music.
Start the class by warming up the brain with games and activities.
Teach mindfulness to access mood and emotions. This could be done through breathing exercises and word phrases such as "I am worthy. I will make mistakes, but that is okay." and more.
Give students a place to de-stress such as a peace corner.
Have students draw or write something of their choosing. This item is not part of a graded or evaluated assignment but an opportunity for a student to recenter. This art or writing activity would not be displayed and would be kept with their artifacts.
Guidelines for a Referral to Mental Health Counselors
When a student's reactions are severe (such as extreme behavior, hopelessness, withdrawal, or fear) and/or go on for more than a month or interfere with a child's functioning, teachers should make referrals to a school counselor, principle/director, school psychologist, or a mental health professional for additional help.
When making a referral, it is important to have documentation that includes the reasons. It describes the details, such as the date and the description of the incident(s) or behaviors, and concern.
When a student's reactions are severe (such as extreme behavior, hopelessness, withdrawal, or fear) and/or go on for more than a month or interfere with a child's functioning, teachers should make referrals to a school counselor, principle/director, school psychologist, or a mental health professional for additional help.
When making a referral, it is important to have documentation that includes the reasons. It describes the details, such as the date and the description of the incident(s) or behaviors, and concern.
