Cultivating Resilience

Given the ongoing pandemic, we hear a lot today about quote/unquote "lost learning." Some educators will try to lessen the impact and anxiety of that phrase by restating it as quote/unquote "delayed learning." Either way, COVID 19 has impacted learning. But that focus masks a larger tragedy. If our series on trauma in the schools is teaching us anything, it's that learning is lost for millions of...

Given their limited numbers, addressing student trauma can't just fall to school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Teachers can naturally play a crucial role given the amount of time they have with students. For some teachers, implementing trauma-informed practices may require a paradigm shift in how they view their role. For others, addressing student trauma at the classroom level ma...

Along with their home and natural environments, a child's community is now recognized as a potential contributor to adverse childhood experiences. The results can be devastating for development. Substandard schools, intolerance, discrimination, and racism can lead to chronic health issues, minimum employment, and long-term poverty. Authors and educators Victoria Romero and Justin Hendrickson take...

In this episode, Jennifer Spiegler with Kognito, a developer of virtual role-play simulations for education and clinical training, will share details on how and why virtual simulations work to provide educators with critical trauma training. She is joined in this discussion by Janet Pozmantier , a behavior health consultant. Janet and Jennifer worked together with Kognito simulations in 2017 to ad...

Most educators don't need fancy letters after their name to work effectively with traumatized youth. They just need to look at them and approach them differently. And knowing now that a child's trauma stands in the way of their learning, how educators approach such students couldn't be more critical. Dan Press , the Pro Bono General Counsel and Jesse Kohler , the Executive Director for the "Campai...

In this episode, we consider how visioning can enlighten education, and in particular how mindfulness and student engagement can enhance our educational experiences today and also our planning for the future. Guests Kahlil Kuykendall , a mindfulness instructor, and Dr. Christine Mason , Executive Director for the Center for Educational Improvement, explain.

Given the experience of the last two years, educators are increasingly aware that they have to address students' emotional needs as a prerequisite to focusing on academics. Some do that through social and emotional learning, restorative justice and mindfulness programs, and others are integrating a dedicated program called the Positivity Project. Educators Nichole Flynn , Heather Meredith, and San...

Teachers have the opportunity to impact students in ways that can change the trajectory of their life. To do this, teachers have to be prepared to embrace students emotionally by knowing how to regulate their own emotional stability. Diane Wagenhals , a Program Director for Lakeside Education Network that manages therapeutic schools and services for students who have experienced trauma and been un...

A student's community influences their overall well-being, academic success, and social development; meaning the people in a community must interact with students in various situations. As part of that community, teachers need training to be the strong and trustworthy core adults to support students holistically. Jeff Donald , the Mindfulness Coordinator for Montgomery County Public Schools, offer...

We prepare students to leave high school into a broken system. This situation can only change by answering the questions: > When students graduate, what do we want them to be able to do with their knowledge and skills as they confront uncertainty in our complex and rapidly evolving world. > How do we help students develop a sense of purpose and meaning, so that they feel they can have a positive i...

A number of the people we have interviewed in this series have used the word "stigma" to refer to much of our society's reluctance to openly discuss the origins and consequences of trauma, and mental health issues in general. Unfortunately, what remains hidden remains untreated, and the impact on youth can be severe. One person who is motivated to change that reluctance because of her own experien...

All educators — all school staff — need to see themselves as part of a formal or informal mental health network whose members routinely collaborate to support sound student mental health. But they need to be supported by mental health practitioners and parents tp provide the widest possible safety net for students. Martha Staeheli, Ph. D. , explains.

Open any educational news source, and you're likely to find a story on social and emotional learning. What is S.E.L. and why do some leaders champion it and its integration with academics while others see it and any focus on mental health as a way to indoctrinate students in "socialist" ideology? David Adams , the CEO of The Urban Assembly and a board member the Collaborative for Academic and Soci...

One of the goals of our series is to raise awareness and the level of discourse around student trauma and mental health in general. And if we're not bringing these subjects out into the open, kids keep all those emotions bottled up inside of them. Dr. Glenn Albright and Kim Weiland from Kognito, a firm that develops avatar-based simulations to help develop trauma-informed educators, explain.

Students need to be in a psychologically safe place or it will be hard for them to engage that part of their brain that supports learning. That fact underscores why many schools are developing SEL programs and trauma-informed instruction. It underscores the role schools must play along with parents and mental health providers to support needy students. And some of that support must help students w...

A forum that facilitates conversations among school communities can help to establish a plan for a better future while working in the present. Constant discussion helps leaders learn new methods, update their vision, and address the current implications of trauma-informed learning. Paul Liabenow and Mike Domagalski of the Michigan Elementary Middle School Principals Association explain the imperat...

When we think of the trauma that students carry with them into school, we often think of the ten adverse childhood experiences identified through research more than 30 years ago. We now know that exposure to bias, racism, discrimination, and unsafe communities are also drivers of student trauma. Building student resilience requires us to have courageous conversations that address those causes as w...

This podcast series focus primarily on the trauma that students carry with them into the classroom. But, many school faculty, staff and administrators are also experiencing trauma. COVID has dislocated relationships and put pressure on educators to quickly address "learning loss." There is a critical need for school leaders at any level to promote self-care through mindfulness training. Mindful le...

Answering the questions "What do we want our graduates to know and be able to do with their knowledge and skills when they receive their high school diplomas?" and "What kind of person do we want them to be?" requires educators to develop a long-term vision — a vision that necessarily addresses student wellness, and any component of trauma as much as it does academic achievement. Drs Christine Mas...

Denting the grasp of trauma isn't just about being nice to kids. It's about connecting with them in meaningful reinforcing ways, which gives them what they wanted all along: to be seen, to be recognized, and to realize that they can be more than how they currently see themselves. The Nurtured Heart Approach is one pathway to follow. Nurtured Heart trainer, Viviana Barajas , explains.

Many educators still think of student mental health, and social and emotional learning as adjuncts to academic achievement. But neurologically, students need to be in a psychologically safe place to learn. If they are in a state of high stress or trauma, the part of the brain that facilitates learning is inaccessible. Thus, student academic growth and achievement rests squarely on the shoulders of...

When we think about the trauma that many of our students carry, it's easy to think that because the causes and effects of adverse childhood experiences are often so extreme, the acts to lessen trauma's impact will somehow have to be extreme. But denting trauma's grasp doesn't require an advanced degree in school social work or psychology. It does ask that we rebalance our our role as educators. Dr...

Given the pandemic, concern over students' social and emotional health is now top-of-mind for educators and their support staff in the larger school ecosystem. The reality for many students, however, is that COVID has only exacerbated any number of adverse childhood experiences they already carried in their trauma-filled backpacks. The causes of student trauma are varied and complex. The cost of l...