“In this bright future you can't forget your past.” -Bob Marley
What if the roots of public education in this country provided us with a vision for creating trauma-responsive environments for all students? Lately I have been reflecting on why the principles and practices of creating trauma-informed/trauma-responsive environments in school settings connected with me deep down in my bones. It was a visceral feeling, a sense of validation and resonance in both my head and my heart. The science of ACEs and the effects of trauma on the brain and learning, this concept of becoming ‘trauma-informed’ in our organizations was new to me, that illuminating ‘aha’ moment many have experienced. But the ‘what to do about it’ felt natural, known, understood instantly. Why? What had I experienced in my life that gave me a great sense of clarity and purpose, a clear vision of the way forward?
I believe it was my own roots in the progressive education movement, my experience in what many called an ‘alternative’ education setting both as a student and then as a teacher. By the time I had finished 8th grade I was no longer interested in attending school, traumatic experiences both in school and in my life had left me jaded, angry, disconnected, and engaged in risky behaviors. I was a hot mess. School was unsafe physically and psychologically, the learning felt irrelevant, and I was unwilling to put myself inside another traumatizing institution without a fight. Fortunately, a peer (because I certainly wouldn’t have listed to an adult) suggested that I check out the alternative high school in my city. For four years I had the opportunity to attend Malcom Shabazz City High, started in 1972 as an experimental partnership between the UW-Madison, the Ford Foundation, and the school district. A small radical public high school, founded by teachers and the community, and built on the ideals of the progressive education movement. In short, the environment was safe, relevant, and empowering. Everything was rooted in relationships first as the primary driver. We were most accountable for how we treated others in our community. We had no grades, every course required self-evaluation and an evaluation of the class. The teachers practiced a power with rather than power over approach. I felt a deep sense of connection, belonging, part of a family. In fact, I am still friends with many of my teachers almost 30 years later. These desired outcomes sound familiar? I often joke that my school was trauma-informed before it was a thing, but maybe there is something to that...
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