Trauma Sensitive Schools - drcherryesbooksthatsow.com

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Dear Dr. Cherrye,

Trauma Sensitive Schools is a phrase that I am learning about as I seek support for my three children.

I am a single parent who has had to endure suffering while raising my three children. We have been homeless, but doing much better after someone rescued us from an abusive home life. Now that we are thriving, my children must enroll in school near our new home.

I am concerned about my children’s past trauma and wonder if their new school officials will be sensitive to their needs, and their less-than-ideal past experiences. I know that our issues are not the official’s fault, but I hope the staff will make my children’s lives academically and emotionally comfortable.

Dear make my children’s lives academically and emotionally comfortable,

First, let us DEFINE what a Trauma Sensitive School IS and DOES

Trauma Sensitive Schools can be defined as one in which all students feel safe, welcomed, supported, and empowered to participate fully in all that any school has to offer.

Trauma Sensitive Schools are schools that addresses trauma’s impacts on learning, including trauma from racism and other structural inequities, on a school-wide basis is at the center of its educational mission. It is a place where an on-going, inquiry-based process allows for the necessary teamwork, coordination, creativity, and sharing of responsibility for all students, and where continuous learning is for educators as well as students (Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) in Helping Traumatized Children Learn (“n.d.”); A collaboration of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law Schools).

Also, to gain even more insights about ‘Trauma Sensitive Schools’ take a look at Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI): Trauma Sensitive Schools Descriptive Study (Final Report) Making Research Relevant written by Wehmah Jones, Ph.D./Juliette Berg, Ph.D. with David Osher, Ph.D. as Principal Investigator (American Institutes for Research, 2018).

Dr. Cherrye stresses that teachers/staff working with children should consider the whole child regardless of past experiences, but especially if the child has emotional needs. It is always incredibly wise to survey parents asking them questions about their child’s background history. This may be sensitive, but if staff has concerns, questioning (with sensitivity of course) may be useful. Allow parents to open-up sharing as much as they feel comfortable revealing.

FOCUSING ON THE WHOLE CHILD

Building relationships with children. Staff focuses on strengthening the child’s resilience.
Noticing and becoming well in-tuned on how trauma can impact a child’s learning and behavior.
Realizing the importance of trauma sensitive trainings to help with adverse home life experiences.
Making certain the child is not in situations where trauma can reoccur.
We must be focused on transforming student lives.
Transforming a student’s life may mean that the administrative team and counselor must perform home visits.
Transforming a student’s life may mean that the teacher must refer the student to special services. It will take the entire team focusing on the child’s needs.

For more resources, please view Trauma-Sensitive Schools: A Whole-School Approach – Trauma Sensitive Schools; Helping Traumatized Children Learn; A collaboration of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law; Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) (n.d.)

TRIGGERS

Be careful about touch. Even a pat on the back may be off limits.
Think about loud noises/sounds, music, outdoors at play, fire drills, announcements, and the teacher’s voice during lessons. Hopefully, teachers and staff will be eager to tweak where necessary.
Be certain the student realizes authority figures (teachers/staff/cafeteria workers) expectations, or any changes in regular routines. This part will take meaningful awareness and focusing.

STRATEGIES

Staff development covering how to build student resilience.
Staff development on Social Emotional Learning strategies. Hopefully, the school counselor can lead this initiative.
How to identify student talk. What is their vocabulary like? This can be determined when the child enters the school/classroom, or during morning announcements. Observe!
Determine how the child feels or what he/she may be thinking. What is their affect like?
Role plays practicing feelings one to another.
Yes, focus on effective strategies that will assist the whole student in their emotional needs.

IMPORTANT POINTS

Please remember that trauma is a solo matter. It will look different per child and family. What may be traumatic to one child may look different on another.

If schools/staff are focuses on trauma, they must remain trauma informed. All key players must be made aware of what’s going on with the child. Inform! They must focus on the need for implementing effective strategies that work. These strategies may include the following:

Being aware of how a teacher’s past trauma history may impact how they work closely with and instruct their students. Who knew?
Impacting how the teacher/staff communicate with and/or implement discipline and the safety of their students. Will they be fair?

Trauma Sensitive Schools is an important phenomenon in which all school personnel should pay close attention. Schools must always create a very warm, caring, safe and supportive environment. The aura and climate of any school is of utmost importance. Yes, we want and need our children to thrive academically, but in my opinion, no child can thrive academically with void in their emotional stability.

OPEN FOR COMMENTS

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.

IMPORTANT

I have made it my mission to assist parents and educators in resolving the bullying issues children suffer. Offering your feedback and suggestions in the comment section could facilitate meaningful dialogue on this critical issue among ourselves and I encourage this. I will respond to each comment in a timely way. Should you wish to speak privately with me, please email me at cherryeVasquez@gmail.com and I will reply promptly.

Please take advantage of my 3 Free resources by downloading them today. One of them includes my FREE Bullying Checklist. If you feel that your child has been bullied, please

Dear Dr, Cherrye – again, you have taken an effective communicative approach to connect with parents who especially need clarification of their issues and solutions that are designed to help them with their children’s unique emotional needs. Perhaps their needs are not so unique as they are personal and individual and should always be recognized as such while at the same time helping them to understand that they are not so different than other children. Children thrive when they know their personal needs are recognized and taken seriously by those who are in their daily midst and form part of their support network. That ‘safe place’ is critical to a child’s ability to blend into the group setting while feeling assured that they have a ‘go to’ attentive ear to keep them from falling, to help them strengthen and develop their resolve to feel ‘whole’ and to function at their very best, and even become effective peer supports as their confidence grows.

This system can be a tremendous aid to parents who can be overwhelmed with fear for their child’s welfare outside of the home. Even more so with the single parent who feels additionally responsible to provide the atmosphere in which their children can actualize into the best version of themselves possible. It can be comforting to know that children have a welcoming environment to spend so many hours out of their day, that responsible people are there to provide the supports their children need, especially when the child is away from their familiar home environment and on their own, so-to-speak.

Parenting is an awesome responsibility but perhaps more complex than ever due to complicated home issues and increasingly critical social needs of their kids. Perhaps this kind of programming is what anti-bullying, anti-stress advocates for children have been striving to achieve. Raising healthy children requires a network of supports in the home and at school so the need to unify in a healthy approach provides a secure and non-threatening atmosphere for children to grow and actualize to their potential. It’s an ongoing process, advocating for children and their developmental needs and in turn providing the parents with the support they need as they navigate the challenges in providing a safe journey for their children.

I intentionally did not touch on specifics of this program as it is best expressed in the reading of it. I urge all parents to read the expert materials you have provided Dr, Cherrye and gain some assurance that Trauma Sensitive programs are available in an ever increasing number of schools and to follow up on what support networks are in place in their own children’s schools. It takes a parent or a teacher to initiate the concept at their local level and help to turn their schools in effective, ‘safe place’ communities to be proud of,

2 Replies to “Trauma Sensitive Schools”

Linda Hales says:

January 5, 2024 at 7:34 pm

Dear Dr, Cherrye – again, you have taken an effective communicative approach to connect with parents who especially need clarification of their issues and solutions that are designed to help them with their children’s unique emotional needs. Perhaps their needs are not so unique as they are personal and individual and should always be recognized as such while at the same time helping them to understand that they are not so different than other children. Children thrive when they know their personal needs are recognized and taken seriously by those who are in their daily midst and form part of their support network. That ‘safe place’ is critical to a child’s ability to blend into the group setting while feeling assured that they have a ‘go to’ attentive ear to keep them from falling, to help them strengthen and develop their resolve to feel ‘whole’ and to function at their very best, and even become effective peer supports as their confidence grows.

This system can be a tremendous aid to parents who can be overwhelmed with fear for their child’s welfare outside of the home. Even more so with the single parent who feels additionally responsible to provide the atmosphere in which their children can actualize into the best version of themselves possible. It can be comforting to know that children have a welcoming environment to spend so many hours out of their day, that responsible people are there to provide the supports their children need, especially when the child is away from their familiar home environment and on their own, so-to-speak.

Parenting is an awesome responsibility but perhaps more complex than ever due to complicated home issues and increasingly critical social needs of their kids. Perhaps this kind of programming is what anti-bullying, anti-stress advocates for children have been striving to achieve. Raising healthy children requires a network of supports in the home and at school so the need to unify in a healthy approach provides a secure and non-threatening atmosphere for children to grow and actualize to their potential. It’s an ongoing process, advocating for children and their developmental needs and in turn providing the parents with the support they need as they navigate the challenges in providing a safe journey for their children.

I intentionally did not touch on specifics of this program as it is best expressed in the reading of it. I urge all parents to read the expert materials you have provided Dr, Cherrye and gain some assurance that Trauma Sensitive programs are available in an ever increasing number of schools and to follow up on what support networks are in place in their own children’s schools. It takes a parent or a teacher to initiate the concept at their local level and help to turn their schools in effective, ‘safe place’ communities to be proud of,
1. Dr. Cherrye says:
  
  January 16, 2024 at 3:53 pm
  
  Thank you so much, and for your well-thought-out input!
  
  I am increasingly finding that children are entering our schools with ‘baggage’. That word sounds pitiful, but my intent is not to demean, but to give a colorful imagery of just how some children feel after a bad moment or day at home. The weight of their home environment and personal lives does not just fall off their shoulders at the threshold once they enter schools. With this in mind, we must intervene with purposeful intent assisting them with whatever their issues are. We must! If not, we only add to their issues whether intentional or not.
  
  We cannot instruct emotionally crossed children in any compacity. And we must understand that emotionality can be as small as feeling sad about losing a toy or pet, or as large as losing a parent. We must first address the child’s pressing needs. Once they feel better, it is then that we can reach and teach them.
  
  Children must feel safe and comfortable with us. They must trust that our interactions are genuine and caring. Sometimes just a little talk gives them that ‘pat and push’ to complete their school day. They must view us as humanistic, trusting adults who acknowledge their issues. We must pause, look them into their eyes and listen. A little Social Emotional teaching strategies should ‘come into play’. If we do this, we can also bond with the child’s parents – talking with them and offering social services to them and their children. I feel strong that this approach works!
  
  Thank you again for stopping by. I really appreciate you sharing with us.

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