Tagged With "Kids"
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A New Program Helps Foster Kids in Orange County Avoid Homelessness when They Age Out of Public Care [ocregister.com]
By Theresa Walker, The Orange County Register, December 20, 2019 For three years after he aged out of foster care, at age 18, Christian was homeless. During that time, he was hit by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was in a coma for six months and his speech and memory were affected. Over most of the last year he’s lived at The Link, a homeless shelter in Santa Ana. This week, Christian, now 22, moved into his own one-bedroom apartment, in Tustin. That change is the result of...
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A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus - for Students Everywhere, Online or Not [washingtonpost.com]
By Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post, March 26, 2020 “Anxiety” is one of the words you hear frequently about our individual and collective reactions to the coronavirus pandemic — which has stopped public life in its tracks in much of the world. Kids are anxious. So are their parents and teachers and principals and superintendents and friends and elected officials. For those people who were anxious before covid-19, the sense of apprehension has only deepened. Given that, this post offers...
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Privileged Thinking in Education Course Offered for Staff at Learn4Life
Teachers and staff at several northern Los Angeles County Learn4Life Resource Centers recently completed a Professional Development (PD) titled “Privileged Thinking in Education”. At this PD, staff learned that privileged thinking is defined as an imbalance of power, experience, and access to resources that influence our opinions on the actions of others. They also watched an eye-opening video , which showed how much privilege some have, without even realizing it. The staff also analyzed how...
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CONNECTING WITH KIDS IN PAIN
Kids in pain cannot learn!!! Often your most difficult students are young people living in environments with Toxic Levels of Stress. These environments change the brain! The next time you are involved with a student that is escalating and beginning to loss control try some of the following ideas . 1. BE A THERMOSTAT- NOT A THERMOMETER Develop with-in your head a pause button. Slow down. Everything in your body will be telling you to speed up... remember emotions are very contagious.
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Echo Conference Spotlight: Attachment Trauma & Network Panel
Echo’s conference this year is jam packed with exciting workshops for teachers, parents and anyone who works with children and their families. In addition featuring to the landmark work of Ron Hertel and Mona Johnson in Washington State, we are proud to present: Attachment Trauma & Network Panel Workshop Spotlight: What Parents Wish Schools Knew About Our Traumatized Kids Are you struggling with a challenging child? Hearing the parents from Attachment Trauma Network ( ATN ) gives you a...
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Helping Traumatized Kids Return to The Classroom After a Disaster
This post draws on experiences and lessons learned from working during the recovery phase of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, La 2005. Disasters are calamitous events, traumatic and customarily outside the scope of normal human experiences and likely to involve psychological and physical injury. Disasters uniquely affect children because they are afflicted not only by the trauma of the event but also by their parents' fear and distress. When disasters strike, it disrupts the functioning of...
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How to Talk with Kids About COVID-19 [healthier.stanfordchildrens.org]
By Erin Digitale, Stanford Children's Health, March 10, 2020 As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, experts at Stanford Children’s Health have advice about how families can prepare their children for the continued news coverage and conversations around the outbreak. Parents and caregivers should communicate in an age-appropriate way that addresses children’s questions without stoking anxiety, says Stanford Children’s Health psychiatrist Victor Carrion, MD , who also directs...
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The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Where to begin... My heart is full of hope and joy as I watch the trauma-informed schools movement swell across our nation and planet. The science of ACEs is mind-bending to say the least and we are now able to open up a much deeper dialogue about human behavior and health. Ultimately this work is about healing… All. Of. Us. A new consciousness is taking root around ending the “us vs them” construct. The idea is growing that we’re all on this journey together and that no matter where our...
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Mich. Kids are Going to School Traumatized - and Teachers Lack Training, Resources to Help [freep.com]
By Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press, December 15, 2019 One wintry Tuesday morning, as Tavia Redmond welcomed her third-grade students to class, she asked young Michael why he had missed school the day before. “He told me that the reason he wasn’t here was because he was dead,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Well, you couldn’t have been dead and be back today.’ He said: ‘I was dead. I died over the weekend.’ ” Later, Redmond learned that Michael's older brother had tried to kill himself — again.
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Kids Artwork - The Key to Communications & Goal Setting
Crayons can do wonders. Not just to make colorful rainbows and unicorns but as a vital tool used for communication between students and between the student and their teachers and parents. Janai Mestrovich (BS/MS, Family & Child Development, Ashland, OR) incorporates kid art into her SuperKid Power curriculum. Here are several examples from the kids (pre-K and Kindergarten) reflecting goals the kids said they were thinking about or that concerned them. in the first example, a young boy...
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Kids at Hope in the NW
When I joined the Franklin Pierce Early Learning Center a year ago, I was immediately struck by the positive and hopeful atmosphere. I would quickly learn that the school is a Kids at Hope school - believing and practicing that "All Children are Capable of Success, No Exceptions!" Adults at a Kids at Hope school are Treasure Hunters - seeking out the strengths of both the children and adults in the building, as well as within themselves. I soon was connected with Wally Endicott as I prepared...
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LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guided Workbook - #1 NEW RELEASE on Amazon!
Friends, Check out this new tool to use with youth of all ages! LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guided Workbook to support Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity is the most comprehensive, practical and user-friendly workbook written specifically for clinicians and educators to engage and support lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and questioning youth. *Deal with the challenges of coming out *Understand sexual identity, gender norms and fluidity *Safety plan and address negative attitudes at school and in...
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Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
TROUBLED KIDS ARE DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR REGRETTABLE ABILITY TO ELICIT FROM OTHERS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY NEED. (L. Tobin ) Underneath their surface behaviors your most difficult students are young people in pain. Painful emotions including negative inner states like fear, anger, sadness and shame. Painful thoughts including worry, distrust, guilt, hatred and helplessness covered up by defense mechanisms like denial, blame, and rationalizations to cover the pain. And of course, pain...
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Re: CONNECTING WITH KIDS IN PAIN
Well stated and and good reminder for all of us! Something I like to practice: DRAWO2 D - All people want to be treated with Dignity R - All people want to be treated with Respect A - All people would rather be Asked than told what to do W - All people want to know Why they are being asked O - All people would rather have Options than threats 2 - All people want a 2nd chance to make things right
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Re: CONNECTING WITH KIDS IN PAIN
Dysregulated adults working with dysregulated students is not a good combination for success. Excellent regulation strategies, thank you for sharing.
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Re: CONNECTING WITH KIDS IN PAIN
I will be practicing this with some adults I know! Thank you for the practical tools and reminders on how to relate first!
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Using Creative Expression to build SEL skills in Elementary-aged Kids
For over twenty years, Art with Heart has been spreading the healing power of creative expression to kids experiencing trauma or adversity. Our therapeutic activity books for youth, and resources for the adults who serve them transform pain into possibility for young people around the world. Now in our third decade, we’ll reach 3.5 million more kids through our innovative online learning community and through collaboration with many personal, unique partnerships. Join certified trainer Lulu...
Ask the Community
Can Trauma-Informed Mermaids Help Children & Families? (New Kids Book Series)
Dear ACEs in Education Community, We just launched a new trauma-informed children's book series called Venus and Her Fly Trip . The series has been developed in collaboration with therapists, educators, parents and healers and is designed to promote mental/social/emotional health, body positivity and imaginative play in kids 4-10 , with the ultimate goal of preventing self-hatred. We will also be developing an elementary school curriculum to complement the story books. I would greatly value...
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BUILDING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS IN ELEMENTARY-AGED KIDS
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
We do similar work - and our experience is that it is easier to move away from punishments than to move away from rewards...and both cause some harm. What is your experience in helping folks move away from rewards?
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Hi Rebecca, tell me if students have any codes of conduct and discipline policies to follow in the schools?.
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Sajjad, Our schools have expectations and classrooms have student generated guidelines (which look very similar to adult generated guidelines). The difference is that when someone doesn't follow the guidelines the response is: regulate, relate, reason and then repair the mistake. Of course, safety always comes first which can require removal from the situation (or sometimes even the school) - but the repair is what re-establishes connection and helps reconstruct the community. This is what...
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Jody thanks for the prompt response to my question. We used rewards as for both tangible and intangible since last couple of years. Its particularly challenging for problem kids, but its an incentive to get them to do their work, get along better, and make the right choices. I personally feel that sometimes starting with something the student likes to do, rather than giving them something may be a better reward for them. We have to workout as how to help folks move away from rewards.
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Sajjad, The frame shift that I think needs to happen is the recognition that these students are not "making choices" when their behavior is inappropriate. As Mona Delahooke explains, it is bottom up behavior. We aren't teaching anything with rewards. When students are self regulated they can choose. When they aren't they cannot. It ends up being demoralizing for kids to tell them to make "good choices" and they do when they can - and when they can't and mess up and later get back into their...
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Jody, I really appreciate the way you have explained as how to help folks move away from rewards. I will share the ideas within the local community and see if it works.
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Thanks Sajjad, I invited a colleague who has a lovely one-pager on rewards to share it. I suspect she'll post it some time today.
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Rebecca, I love your Golden words (we’re all on this journey together and that no matter where our efforts lie, we have an opportunity to be a part of this mission.)
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Re: The Absence of Punishment in Our Schools
Jody, Thank you very much for sharing the one-page handout on rewards. I will share in the local community schools very soon.
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Re: Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
Congratulations on your impressively well-done addition to our understanding.
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Re: Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
I love this! We're going to share it with all the teachers we serve - although Teach for America may find it a bit difficult as they were singled out as those who drop in and don't stay. Would you be willing to send me a version that doesn't name them directly? Each month we work with over 200 of their teachers and they are so genuine in their desire to connect with the students they work with and so eager to have strategies, I would love to be able to share this wonderful information with...
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Re: Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
Hi Louise godbold. Hope this finds you well and thanks for the kind feedback. I too have some experience working with the young people in TFA. I admire their desire to do important work. My issue is not with them, it is with the design of what we are currently doing in some of America's most difficult places!! The students in these places need consistency of care and sustained relationships. To create this requires adults to build relationships with relationship resistant young people very...
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Re: Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
Oh, I absolutely agree - it is far from ideal. However, we do have these young people - la creme de la creme of university grads - who are investing themselves in schools where there are many heroic teachers who provide inspirational modeling but also many teachers who are burnt out, and all of them working with the challenges of students as well as the system that further complicates and burdens. Given that these young people are in schools now, given that we have an opportunity to equip...
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Re: Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
Louise Godbold... feel free to copy and past any of my posted work that may help. I would also like to suggest sharing more and more the idea of teaching as a vocation in these places rather then a short term feel good about yourself mission. I have been doing this work now for over 3 decades and what i am seeing in America's most desperate places will require much more!! These young people should really know what the research on resiliency says, what the basic idea of toxic levels of stress...
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Re: Reclaiming Disconnected Kids
Please share a PSA link to help grow public awareness of the impacts of developmental trauma. There are so many of us who’ve never heard of the overpowering, life-long impacts. Click HERE for links designed to use in social media: https://lucidwitness.com/2016/...dex-to-lucidwitness/
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Intergenerational programs can help out-of-school-kids [edsource.org]
By Trent Stamp, Ed Source, July 29, 2020 With just weeks before the fall semester begins, school districts are grappling with reopening decisions as Covid-19 cases rise across the country. It’s obviously a tough choice. We know that little can replace the hours of in-person instruction children should receive each day, and researchers and educators are so worried about these growing deficits that the term “covid slide” has supplanted the “summer slide.” But intergenerational programs can...
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Online Workshop Nov 30, Dec 7 & 14 - Reimagining Resilience - Using a Trauma Lens
For more information and to register - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/124637117975 Reimagining Resilience: Using a Trauma Lens helps adults build positive relationships with children who have experienced trauma. We will explore the impact of adverse experiences and the effect they have on developing brains and student behavior. The course gives teachers, parents, and other adults working closely with kids the skills they need to make sure that every child knows that they matter. An online...
Ask the Community
Early Reader Chapter Book To Teach Kids Resilience: Milo and the Wisdom of the Sea
Greetings everyone, I'm wondering if you might be able to help me. I'm the author and creator of an early chapter book series. The first book, "Milo and the Wisdom of the Sea" has been published and on the market, while the other four books are in varying stages of production. I'm curious if you would have ideas for greater distribution: radio shows, email distribution lists, publishers etc. I have a social media presence including Twitter , a blog , YouTube channel etc. But, the work and...
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Virtual Learning Anxiety: How To Help Your Kids
Virtual work, virtual groceries; everything has turned virtual since the pandemic of 2020. People can get all their work done without having to leave the comfort of their homes. It also means that our children have to adapt to a whole new educational system; virtual learning. While virtual learning offers the feasibility of learning at home, it comes with numerous issues too. One of the commonly-experienced issues is virtual learning anxiety. Not turning off the camera, constantly staying on...
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Trauma- responsive Online Workshop - Reimagining Resilience
Reimagining Resilience 1: Using a Trauma Lens Thurs, Apr 15, 22 & 29 4:00-5:15 pm PDT. Three 75-minute sessions. In addition there are short videos that will be sent to registrants before each class. Register by Wed April 14 in order to receive pre-class materials. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/144484506047 Clock hours are available. $95. The program cost includes access to the workshop recording for two months, the pre-class videos, a course workbook, and connection to peers who share...
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It Is Critical To Maslow Before Students Can Bloom
First, a little background on Maslow and Bloom. Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist. His hierachy of needs framework is a popular theory of motivation. In this theory, Maslow states that our actions are motivated by our physiological needs. Most often this is represented by a pyramid, with the most basic needs at the bottom and the more complex needs at the top, as pictured below. Benjamin Bloom, also developed a theory around how children learn, called Bloom's Taxonomy. This...
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Re: Early Reader Chapter Book To Teach Kids Resilience: Milo and the Wisdom of the Sea
I'd like to read this book. I like different genres, which allows me to learn more information in different areas. I haven't had much time for books lately. Now I'm preparing a research project, and it takes a lot of time. I decided to find this sample, and it helped me. Examples of work on the topic I needed helped me better understand everything, and I hope to prepare properly.
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What Children Really Need Is Adults That Understand Development
The brain doesn’t fully develop until about the age of 25. This fact is sometimes quite surprising and eye opening to most adults. It can also be somewhat overwhelming for new parents and professionals who are interacting with babies and young children every day, to contemplate. It is essential to realize however, that the greatest time of development occurs in the years prior to kindergarten. And even more critical to understand is that by age three 85 percent of the core structures of the...
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Re: What Children Really Need Is Adults That Understand Development
Love this! Through parent coaching, I work really hard to have parents not only understand the importance of presence, joint attention and reciprocity, but how the lack of it they experience shows up in their parenting experiences. Thank you for your contribution to this important work!
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Re: It Is Critical To Maslow Before Students Can Bloom
This text beautifully highlights the intertwined importance of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Bloom's Taxonomy in education, especially in the context of the recent global pandemic. The analogy of "Maslow before Bloom" is aptly used to emphasize the criticality of addressing students' basic needs before expecting academic growth. I used to have depression and wanted to commit suicide. I managed to get out of that state and now I am writing a story about it. I'm not very creative, so I use...