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There’s an old adage, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” But as a paraprofessional in Chicago, my cup is almost drained. Each day, I provide academic, emotional, and behavioral support for over 200 students. The amount of mental and emotional energy it takes to calm a single student down, redirect or remove them from the class, and provide appropriate consequences is overwhelming — even with experience — when there are 11 other six-year-olds in a classroom that need my help. I look forward...

In January 2016, my school embarked on a journey to pursue a trauma-informed approach to education primarily because the research and brain science is clear that trauma impacts brain development, behavior, academics, and even health outcomes. In addition, what we were doing was not working for anyone―our students or our staff. Our early conversations always included Dr. Beth Schroeder, our school counselor. She, like most school counselors, is an expert on intervention and supporting the...

For as long as he can remember, Angel has missed the beginning of the school year in Texas because his family stays in North Dakota through the harvest. It's weather-dependent, so there's no hard end; all Angel knows is they'll head home to Texas sometime in October or November. That flexibility is a big deal for employers who rely on seasonal workers to quickly harvest and process crops before they spoil. But it puts workers' kids — more than 300,000 of them nationwide, according to the...

From ACSD Express Setting the Tone for September August 23, 2018 | Volume 13 | Issue 24 Table of Contents Setting the Tone for a Mindful School John Jimno and Bidyut K. Bose A Principal's Story: As I (John) prepared to leave at the end of a long school day, a student I'll call "Carl" came running toward me across the asphalt, clearly upset and in tears. Shortly after, another student whom I'll call "Ron" came tearing across the yard in our direction. Ron was frequently referred to my office...

Attachment & Trauma Network wants YOU and your organization to exhibit at our 2nd Annual Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools Conference. Join hundreds of educators from across the country and around the world to learn more about the trauma-informed education movement and how to Create Trauma Sensitive Schools. February 17 thru 19 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton! This is a great opportunity to increase your organization's exposure and be in-front of hundreds of education...

" Research suggests that diverse examples of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may link to health. This study examines relationships between conventional (abuse, neglect, household dysfunction) and expanded examples (bullying, safety perceptions) of ACEs and adolescent mental health among youth participating in a statewide school-based survey," To read more of the abstract and for full text access options, please click on the link: ...

A mom walked her child in to school at an Oklahoma City Public School last week and the child candidly shared that they'd slept in their car and that is why he was late. This isn't a made for television movie or something that only happens in other cities ... this really happened and happens quite often in our schools. More than 3,000 Oklahoma City Public Schools students identified as homeless last year. Homelessness causes children to be tardy, absent, hungry and suffering from anxiety and...

Alexandria, VA - In recognition of the challenges a new school year presents for children and adolescents, Mental Health America (MHA) is providing new resources on student mental health ( http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/back-school ), with an emphasis on web-based tools that can be easily shared across social media platforms. This year, MHA has developed tools and resources to help increase understanding of how traumatic events can trigger mental health issues and is providing materials...

As teachers, I think it is a safe assumption that we all want what is best for our students and families. What we know is that not all students are successful in school, even life. Some students make us so frustrated, we can hardly stand them. We want them to succeed, why don’t they want to succeed, too? Fortunately, we are learning much about how stressors early in life and throughout development can change the way a person’s brain forms, which can significantly change the way she interacts...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 20, or 2.6 million, U.S. children ages 6 to 17 had current anxiety or depression diagnosed by a health care provider in 2011-12. School nurses in Illinois say the increase is evident in the students from elementary to high school who enter their offices each day, requiring not only bandages and ice packs but also a quiet space to break from stress. Nurses now have to schedule meetings with parents about their child’s...

Whether I'm teaching across the core subjects for 2nd grade or focused on 10th grade science ''(and I've done both), stories are at the root of my teaching. My first introduction of myself to new students involves a short story about me in middle school: chubby, hiding behind my hair, and terrified of the teacher calling on me because I constantly turned bright red. I can see the nervousness evaporate as my students realize I won't put them on the spot that day. My vulnerability helps...

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Kids who faced daunting barriers to success in the classroom had a clear message for University at Buffalo researchers who asked them as young adults to look back on their experiences with maltreatment, homelessness and their time in school: Adults can do better. “It’s as though they’re asking us as adults not to give up on them, to stick with them,” says Annette Semanchin Jones, an assistant professor in UB’s School of Social Work (SSW) and lead author of the paper with...