When our students enter the classroom, they bring with them a short lifetime of experiences - some barely imaginable in our lives. The worries they have at home could force our students’ concern about their academic work to the bottom of their list of problems. Springfield Public Schools ensures that all of our buildings are responsive to the needs of students who have experienced trauma. Alison Roffers is the Coordinator of School Counseling for the district. She says that trauma-informed is more than just a set of practices.

“Trauma-informed is a mindset. It’s not a magic fix. It’s building the climate in the classroom and raising awareness for yourself,” Roffers said.

According to a study by the National Survey of Children’s Health, almost half of the children in the United States (approximately 35 million kids) have experienced “at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma.” It is crucial for educators to be aware of the symptoms of trauma and learning responses to maximize students’ academic and socio-emotional potential.

Trauma can be broken down into these eight categories, according to the work of Bonnie L. Green, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Georgetown University:

• A threat to life or limb

• Severe physical harm or injury including sexual assault

• Receipt of intentional injury or harm

• Exposure to the grotesque

• Violent, sudden loss of a loved one

• Witnessing or learning of violence to a loved one

• Learning of exposure to a noxious agent

• Causing death or severe harm to another

“Teachers need to take the mindset of not taking things personally and maybe not doing things the way they have always done them,” says Roffers. “Educators need to think about how they can make their classrooms feel more inclusive and how they can build relationships with students to have a more positive impact on everyone.”

These factors can help students feel psychological safety because they can manage stressors or connect with someone else who can help them manage stressors that make them feel unsafe. Implementing a trauma-informed approach in our schools means that teachers and administrators understand the impact of trauma and the potential paths to recovery. Teachers and administrators should be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in students. When adults in schools recognize these symptoms in their students, they make trauma-informed policies, procedures, and practices that actively resist re-traumatization.

To build trauma-informed practices in the classroom, Springfield Public Schools has resources available for educators. Roffers says that counselors across the district will receive the Ten Steps to Create an Informed School from the National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children. Roffers hopes counselors will take on a leadership role in helping schools become trauma-informed.

“They will become educators to the other educators in the building as what trauma-informed means,” Roffers said. “So it doesn’t become one of those abstract things that we’re doing, to make it more tangible, but not overwhelming.”

Building Inclusive Classrooms by Teena Mahoney

As you enjoy these lazy days of summer, maybe your mind will drift to planning to greet and make your classrooms welcome to all students. Take the time to consider marginalized students like those with disabilities, minority-racial differences, and first languages other than English when you plan the first days of school.

Physical Space

• Accessible to all ( including those with disabilities)

• Inviting to all. When decorating your walls, remember to include images that show diversity of ability, nationality, races, and cultures.

• Avoid using gender to address and divide students for classroom activities

• Offer a wide variety of options in your classroom library

• Consider keeping some fidget toys available

Self Preparation

• Know and practice how to say your students' names

• Avoid both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE stereotypes

• Learn the language.

• Use gender-neutral language

• Learn as much as you can about what students from different backgrounds might be experiencing at home.

• Give space for preferred pronouns, but avoid requiring students to share.

• Model and be more accepting of gender diversities so that students can develop the skills necessary to respond to a more hostile world and become resilience