Leisa Irwin is executive director of Paladin Academy, a public charter high school that serves at-risk students. Q. What personal or professional moment or event in your life inspired you to work on ACEs?
A. As a child my life was very complicated and I felt that no one had any idea what was really happening in my life. As a young adult with little to no self-esteem, I continuously put myself into risky situations, ultimately marrying a man who, during an extreme moment of depression, tried to kill me and our two children, as he was threatening to kill himself. It took that dramatic moment in my life to realize that it was up to me to create a life for my children that did not lead them to same challenges I was facing. In the process of creating stability for my children, I found many organizations whom without their support, I could not have made the changes I did. That process led me to the field of education, where I ended up starting new schools, smalls schools, to help meet the variety of community needs for youth.
Q. When did you learn about ACEs, and how did that change your work (or life)?
A. I learned about ACEs in the summer of 2012 as I was researching methods to increase resiliency in youth who had been classified as "at-risk" or "disenfranchised." Prior to knowing about ACEs I felt like I was trying to invent a wheel out of a brick with only a spoon as a tool. ACEs has become the foundation of the data collection at Paladin, the school where I am the director. The ACEs research has allowed the staff at our school to identify the needs in our students quickly and immediately provide interventions and support services.
Q. What does resilience to early childhood adversity mean to you?
A. Resilience means that regardless of the challenging life events that face so many of our children, they have resources within themselves to address and overcome trauma, so that they can lead healthy and productive lives as adults.
Q. How would you like to see trauma-informed practices shape your field?
A. I see education as a critical field to help address ACEs. Given that children spend a large amount of time in school, I would like to see trauma-informed practices implemented at every level in education. I see this as a significant shift from the current trends in education that are focusing on standardized test scores. I do not see these two issues (trauma-informed practices and standardized tests) as contrary to one another, but rather, students who have safety, stability, and support will have higher performance levels academically. However, I do not believe that the reverse is true. Increasing the time teachers spend in classrooms with large groups of students, adding tutors for reading, writing, and mathematics, will not address the social, economic, and family support needs of our youth.
Q. If you encounter or deal with trauma often in your work, what coping skills do you rely on to stay happy and healthy?
A. First, I try to stay focused on the small successes. If I were to focus on the trauma I see everyday, it would be too overwhelming. Second, I read and I write, a lot. Reading and writing are like meditation for me; I use them to clear my thoughts and process events. Lastly, but most importantly, I work very hard to maintain balance in how I spend my time. The lives of my students could easily absorb all of my time, literally my entire life, if I were to allow it. But I know that if I am to keep providing options and resources for them, I have to keep myself healthy.
Q. How do you hope to contribute to and gain from ACEs Connection?
A. ACEs Connection has already brought me so many positive and helpful resources, that I am not sure where to even begin. Between reading information shared by others, communicating directly with a number of incredible men and women who are working in this field, and being directed to other external resources, I don't even know how to express my gratitude. My hope is that I can someday be a resource for others. I truly believe that Paladin is making a significant difference in the lives of youth who have had significant ACEs, many of who are still experiencing adversity now. By sharing the stories of our school, and our students, I hope others will be inspired by our students in the same way that I am inspired everyday.
[Leisa posted this gripping story about one of her students: In the middle of the night, finding resilience in a storm of ACES]
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