In this week’s podcasts, we learned about trauma informed teaching and how to help students without having a savior mindset.
Some key points from part 1, “Unpacking Trauma: Informed teaching”, were: don’t presume who has been through trauma because everyone has in different ways, finding supports for the students- not strategies, everyone is different and handles situations differently,, and the 4 priorities in decision making (predictability, flexibility, empowerment, and connections/relationships).
Key points from part 2, “How to Help Students without Being A Savior”, were: realizing our expectations in a situation vs the reality of it (actual weather versus the forecast), taking on responsibility by ourselves rather than with a community or team of people, recognizing if we have implicit biases that play into a savior mentality (example: the thought of them not getting love at home because of assumptions), and confidentiality while giving clear/transparent expectations to the students (particularly with upper level students) about what you would need to report so students have the decision of sharing or not.
A question that I really liked from the documentary “Paper Tigers” was when Gordon was asking the class how they were going to be different to keep the trauma from passing down through future generations. Although it wasn’t mentioned in either of the podcasts, generational trauma is a big problem as well. This part really hit home and related to me. My father grew up with generations of trauma that were in turn put back on him to fight through. He knew growing up that he didn’t want his family to be put in the same situations that he had to go through. He also knew he wanted to help other families that were in scenarios like what he was in but didn’t have the help with. Due to this, my dad became a police officer. With support from my mom, he was able to have someone to turn to when he needed that person to just be there (as mentioned in the podcasts and the documentary). Although some people fall into the wrong path because it’s easier than trying to go against the preconceived idea of you from your family, if they have a group or community of support to turn to, they have someone to push them into doing great things that supports them and has their back.
Here are some questions for y’all…
What are some things that we can do to support students when there is a lack of resources, without misinforming them or making the situation worse?
How can you learn more about trauma? For example: How to handle specific situations or options to help in general? Different types of trauma and triggers? Signs or indicators of trauma? What resources do we have here on campus or in the community? How can we as teachers handle our own trauma in a way that won’t negatively impact our students?
Should we share our parts of our stories with students to be a “role model” in the aspect that things can get better? Is this sharing too much or is it being open with students to build trust?
Thanks guys,
Jorgan
I found this week's material to be very mind bowing in ways as well as educational. I have been interested in trauma-informed teaching ever since my older sister, a third grade teacher, started using it in her school. One of my biggest take aways from the podcasts was a quote about looking at the forecast as opposed to the actual weather. If we assume a students needs something based off past behavior, we will miss the cues they are giving us in the present moment. Going into a classroom with this mindset sets you up to understand the students rather than just react.
ReplyDeleteI believe the best thing we can do as educators is give our students the knowledge that we have and lead by example. When students with trauma enter a class, it can be hard because not everyone understands their point of view on the world, especially peers. As the teacher, we need to create a safe environment for everyone. This means keeping knowledge of a student's trauma out of the others students' ears unless said otherwise. It is our job to express a concern to the counselor or other resources and overall do what is best for the student enduring stress and trauma. As for resources, I think it is best to be educated on what is provided at your school. If you believe a student would benefit from other resources, you should encourage that but ultimately, counselors will be able to help with that as well.
Tying into that, knowledge is power. As an educator but also someone caring for young minds, I find it best to research topics and how to deal with certain situations in the classroom. This is already a big deal in my life as a preservice teacher. I will listen to podcasts, read articles, and watch documentaries to educate myself on techniques that I would find myself using in my classroom as well as examples of what I will stray away from.
Lastly, everyone has trauma of different degrees and at different healing stages. That includes us teachers. How do we keep this from getting in the way of our teaching and students? An important part is self care and knowing that this is a normal thing. We are human too. As for leading by example, I find it best to not share too many details with students (especially imagining I am in an elementary setting) but showing that skills to get through trauma and heal are used by everyone. This could be showing a student my favorite way to regulate emotions through breathing techniques. In doing so, I can build a connection with a student and show them they aren't any less human than anyone else. We all need techniques to help us through situations and sharing them helps us connect to each other and not feel so alone in our own situation.
Annisten :)
It's a coincidence that I took note of the same thing as Annisten after listening to the podcast. Looking at the forecast vs looking at the weather... Students will have different needs for different times, and we should not judge students based of their perceived behavior or past mistakes, rather we should keep looking forward and help them pave the road ahead - not repair the road they have already walked upon. That is a great mindset and practice for helping students out and taking a trauma sensitive approach.
ReplyDeleteWe can learn about student trauma from the students themselves or from the experts. It wouldn't be a bad idea for teachers to learn from counselors or psychiatrists about trauma and their views on trauma sensitive approaches. We can learn from the students themselves by establishing ourselves as unconditionally loving and caring adults - like in Paper Tigers - and also teaching students how to regulate and also express emotions in a healthy way. There are ways to help kids through trauma without flat out asking them to confess their traumas (Which could seriously stress them out).
I think sharing our own stories to those with trauma is a good idea as long as everyone involved is comfortable with it. Unfortunately in GOOD OL IOWA I'm afraid to bring up anything that involves feelings or "controversy" (All thanks to that one bill, we all know the one - we've been over it, thanks a lot!) but I do genuinely think it's a great idea that would strengthen the bonds between teachers and students.
This is Jane, by the way!
DeleteThis is definitely a tricky thing to navigate. As I’ve mentioned in class, many teachers choose to become teachers due to a negative experience they had during their childhood/through the school or possibly a positive interaction through another teacher and want to follow in their footsteps. For me, I’ve always had such a soft spot for the “troublemakers” or the “weird kids.” Like, lay it on me, tell me everything about your fursona or how things might be hard right now.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best resources for kids would be to direct them towards the guidance counselor. So many times it gives a baseline for these kids to know what they need to get a basis on a situation and for them to be assisted with the tools to best navigate this.
A hard thing with trauma and something I have even struggled navigating is projection. You see signs of something going awry in a student that you can relate to. Due to this your mind reflects on what happened to you and it panics, trying to take over and act as if that student is somehow a time portal to the past. Many people try to fix their own trauma by helping kids with theirs, and that can just make the kids feel like their feelings are being belittled or invalidated.
I think its a good idea to show our stories with our students when it seems needed. Granted, we can filter and use bits and pieces to help assist them to create this bond of sympathy, knowing what it’s like. However, kids don’t need to know every messy detail as this could possibly cause anxiety of possible bad scenarios based on your own experience.
Grace
Overall, I found the podcasts this week extremely interesting and they provided some great opportunities for reflection and thinking ahead as we become educators. Learning not only how to support the students within your school/community but also yourself, is crucial to maintaining a healthy work environment and something I’m grateful we’re addressing now. Unfortunately, though, I think it is far too often that teachers are stuck in a balancing act between supporting students and themselves, while also facing a lack of access to resources. Although there is no perfect solution, I think that there are ways in which we as educators can prepare ourselves, our classrooms, and our students to better react and adapt to situations that might occur. Firstly and arguably most importantly, it is essential that we as educators are continuously and intentionally working to foster safe environments. It’s vital to be ever-adapting to maintain said environment, updating approaches, seeking knowledge, building and expanding community/resources…etc. In addition, I think that when trying to support students, when you might not have the resources needed, it’s important to know your boundaries. To know when to admit that you don’t know what to do, when to step away because your involvement might be causing more harm than good, and when to reach out to others. Although it is not our role as teachers to know how exactly to deal with every situation that might occur, I think it is incredibly important that you seek out knowledge and ways to further your understanding, even if not to “solve” the problem/situation. It is also ok to not be the “solution” for every situation and to not be the “super-teacher”. One of my biggest takeaways from the podcasts and documentary was the importance of providing non-judgemental, assumption-free, unconditional love and support for your students. Making sure that no matter what happens and no matter how much or how little you know about a situation, you make sure that the student knows they are supported. That they might be acting/reacting in a certain way that may be unacceptable, but knowing that beneath all the emotion and outward reactions, there is a student and individual deserving of love and support.
ReplyDelete-Tati :)
In general, I think the best thing to do is as the podcast says, "instead of relying on the forecast, maybe go outside and check the weather—get the feel for the day." For me, checking in on students and meeting their needs for your specific content that your teaching is something that we should reflect on as teachers. However, when it comes to resources that are outside of the classroom, I think it's important to inform students where they can get professional help. Although we can research as teachers, we don't always have the answers, so it's up to us to guide the students to to people who can answer their questions.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Paper Tigers" film it mentions that students may act out, be more aggressive, be closed off, have a hard time to express their emotions in a healthy way, not being attentive, constantly stressed, etc. However, I think that the symptoms can range. Triggers can occur in different ways, for example the student can be triggered by the smell, haircut, or mannerisms of a person that may have caused them trauma. As teachers, I think we should be able to see this in students to appoint them to get help or work towards a systematic approach, but I also think we should be aware of our own traumas. I also think being honest about that with students would also be nice. For example, I remember my teacher shared her trauma of the Parkersberg tornado, and I know students really did try to keep noice level and sudden loudness down out of respect. Lastly, just being aware of our own traumas and knowing where we can get help, really does help to equip us as teaching professionals. For example, at UNI I know that the one place I could go to is the UNI mental health student center, to help me if I need help.
That was me, Sarai.
DeleteAs someone who is on the spectrum of ADHD/Autism, reading emotions point blank can be really difficult and or knowing how to respond correctly/effectively can be tough too. These points are vital when checking in on yours students. Effective communication can properly inform you how your student is feeling, even if you get no real answer- non-verbal is still telling you how the vibes are for that student.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to resources, as a teacher we can actively seek out seminars or free classes and such to get ourselves more educated about certain matters we aren’t comfortable with. Because the worst thing we could possibly do is misinform our students on a situation we know nothing about. Knowing your resources within your school district as well/ knowing who is adept in handling trauma properly is a really good starting.
In some situations, you have to meet the student where they are at because they don’t know how to proceed with their emotions or how to focus on schoolwork. Those personal relationships with your students can be really good for their focus- but you have to set boundaries for yourself to make sure you are not overstepping for yourself or your student.
Kat
I think that if there was a lack of resources in the school, there are still many ways to educate ourselves on how to properly handle these situations. As a part of our education and many other teacher’s educations, creating safe and welcoming environments are great for students who are experiencing trauma. Start by doing the basic stuff, forming relationships with students, checking up on them. Ask them how they are doing/feeling ect. It doesn’t have to be talking to students about the trauma, but just being someone in their lives that asks about their day.
ReplyDeleteOther than that there are also great websites and other free resources for teachers to learn more about trauma informed teaching. There are also conferences or asking other teachers what they do.
I think that there are many ways we can learn about trauma. I like to say that I know a lot about trauma, but that’s because I am in therapy for my own trauma. Plus trauma and how it affects someone's behaviors interests me. So usually I just ask questions to my therapist or I look it up on google. I personally think that everyone should go to therapy because we all have some sort of trauma. Whether that is big T trauma (big traumas like abuse), or little t trauma (littler traumas like moving). Learning about all of your own traumas and how you deal with them can help you understand what might be going through your students mind. Most people act similarly when it comes to experiencing trauma. Not only will therapy also teach about how you respond to trauma, but also techniques and skills to get you out of triggers or help you heal. Which is something that I liked about the podcast about not going into savior mode. Instead of feeling pity for your students you are providing them with skills to help them get better. Knowing some of these skills could help your students
Now not everyone wants or feels like they need to go to therapy. But there is so many resources that can teach you about trauma. You're not going to know how to deal with every situation, because some of these students might be going through some horrific things. And you can’t always say the right thing or be able to fix it. Researching, going to conferences, talking to your colleagues and other teachers can help lead you in the right direction.
But should we be telling our own stories as a “role model”. Personally I would say no, but I think it could be situational. First off, I don’t think teachers should be trauma dumping on their students. It can be uncomfortable and triggering. If you have ever had someone trauma dump on you without consent it can be awful and really just make things worse. I think that if you are going to share a trauma with your students it would have to be broad, with no specific details. But I don't think it is necessary. I think that you should be providing students with a skill or something that might help them get through what is going on. I feel that that can lead to that savior complex especially when you are able to relate and know how awful it feels.
All in all, I loved these podcasts and I loved the movie. I loved the movie a little too much and may have balled my eyes out. I learned new things about trauma-informed teaching, and I loved learning about the savior complex. Personally, I had no clue that was a thing. I know that if I didn’t know about the savior complex I would have fallen into that trap so fast. Now I know that while I am teaching, I need to keep that in the back of my mind and be looking to help the student rather than just feeling bad for them. While still showing support and unconditional love.
-Taylor