Tagged With "Professional Development"
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What Your Facebook Network Reveals about How You Use Your Brain (scientificamerican.com)
Decades of research have shown that having more numerous and stronger connections predicts better health and well-being , but the shape of your social network matters too. People who are “information brokers” connect people who wouldn’t otherwise know each other. More broadly, being a good friend, teacher, or manager often requires taking the perspective of others—seeing the world through their eyes and understanding their joys and sorrows. These capacities depend on a social brain network ,...
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When Grit Isn’t Enough [EWA.org]
The first time I heard a preschooler explaining a classmate’s disruptive behavior, I was surprised at how adult her four-year-old voice sounded. Her classmate “doesn’t know how to sit still and listen,” she said to me, while I sat at the snack table with them. He couldn’t learn because he couldn’t follow directions, she explained, as if she had recently completed a behavioral assessment on him. Months before either of these children would start...
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When Students Are Traumatized, Teachers Are Too (www.edutopia.org)
"Data shows that more than half of all U.S. children have experienced some kind of trauma in the form of abuse, neglect, violence, or challenging household circumstances—and 35 percent of children have experienced more than one type of traumatic event, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)." "“Being a teacher is a stressful enough job, but teachers are now responsible for a lot more things than just providing education,” says LeAnn Keck, a manager at Trauma Smart...
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Why and How Teachers Can Become Better Prepared for Trauma in Schools
Below is the text of an article appearing in Forest of the Rain Productions with a special thanks to Dr. Michael Robinson. Link to piece is: https://forestoftheraineducation.weebly.com/we-donrsquot-teach-educators-enough-about-trauma-we-should-do-more-karen-gross.html TEXT: Hardly a week goes by without some trauma in the US. Some events are nature made; some are human-made. There appear to be fewer and fewer “safe” places and spaces. The usually “safe” places – schools, universities,...
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Why I believe Gregory Williams, and his book, Shattered By The Darkness, will help save lives and revolutionize healthcare.
When you first hear about it, it sounds unlikely, fact that something that happened to someone in utero, at the age of two months, or four years, or any time in childhood, is what is killing them as an adult, or making them want to die, or making them want to hurt themselves or others. Yet the connection between childhood trauma and adult disease, mental illness, addiction, suicide, violence – most all of society’s ills – is as irrefutable as the myriad truths revealed about it in the...
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Why Mandating Mental Health Education in Schools is a Band-Aid on a Gaping Wound
Don’t get me wrong: of course I care deeply about the mental and physical health of children, including my own son’s. I don’t want students to suffer in silence and shame. But I am very concerned about just how this topic will be taught in schools.
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Why Schools Should Be Organized To Prioritize Relationships (kqed.org)
Over many years researchers in the learning sciences, psychology, anthropology and neuroscience have learned a lot about how humans learn. One of the key properties is malleability. The brain changes in response to relationships and experiences, continuing to develop through young adulthood. And while the children in any class will develop differently based on their experiences, the brain will grow and change with the right inputs. "What's most interesting is a child can become a productive...
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Why Social And Emotional Skill Building In Early Childhood Matters [ChildTrends.org]
I started my career as a preschool teacher. For 13 years, I helped 3- to 5-year-old children learn how to write their name; count, sort and use other foundational math concepts; manage their toileting and dressing independently; and meet other easily-observable school-readiness milestones. The children were flourishing, and their families were delighted with their achievements! But woven throughout the multi-faceted learning experiences supporting cognitive, language, physical, and self-help...
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Why Teens Should Understand Their Own Brains (And Why Their Teachers Should, Too!) [npr.org]
A teenage brain is a fascinating, still-changing place. There's a lot going on: social awareness, risk-taking, peer pressure; all are heightened during this period. Until relatively recently, it was thought that the brain was only actively developing during childhood, but in the last two decades, researchers have confirmed that the brain continues to develop during adolescence — a period of time that can stretch from the middle school years into early adulthood. "We were always under the...
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Why We Should Bring Meditation Into Schools (wakeup-world.com)
Imagine if meditation was a regular part of school life for children. Just think how different the world would be. If every child was able to connect to the ocean of consciousness that permeates all that is, the desire to do wrong by others would dissolve. Meditation helped me find meaning in my own life. I would not be following my heart and trying to change the education system if it weren’t for meditation. It connected me to the deepest yearning of my own soul, and aligned me with my...
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YBRS survey and report from Monroe County, New York
Elizabeth Meeker, an ACEs Connection member from Monroe County, New York shared that her county schools added ACEs questions to their Youth Behavioral Risk Survey (YBRS) in 2015, which is administered to students in schools. They were kind enough to share the instrument as well as a summary report of findings (both attached here). Elizabeth has indicated that she is available to answer questions that you all may have about the implementation of the survey. Thank you Elizabeth, for sharing!
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you are one of the cool kids
We spend a great deal of our energy on fitting in. While insecurity and ego are sometimes part of this effort, it’s inappropriate to think of “fitting in” as a weakness or a crutch. The drive to connect is built into the essence of being human. Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk in his (one of the best I’ve read in the last five years) book, “The Body Keeps the Score,” says, “Our culture teaches us to focus on personal uniqueness, but at a deeper level, we barely exist as individual organisms. Our...
Ask the Community
Guest speaker for professional development?
Hello! Does anyone know of someone my district could bring in for a professional development session on ACES in education? We are located near Allentown, PA. We are interested in someone who could speak to all levels, k-12, but it wouldn't have to be all at once, and we have funding available from a grant. Thank you!
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Organizations that Support Training Teachers
Hi! Does anyone know of any organizations that specifically train teachers and school leaders about the impact adversity has on child development and learning? Thank you!
Ask the Community
Seeking Speakers/Trainers in Virginia on Trauma Informed Schools
Hello, I am working on creating a list of possible PD ideas for my staff (elementary school in Winchester, VA). Our staff is very interested in learning how to appropriately support students who have experienced trauma or ACES (not what ACES are). They are asking for practical takeaways that they can implement in their classrooms. Who have you heard & loved?
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BUILDING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS IN ELEMENTARY-AGED KIDS
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CREATING TSS 2020 [creatingtraumainformedschools.org]
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Dynamic Mindfulness Training
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Resilience for Parents (free webinar series)
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Re: For parents who want to talk to schools
Hello Ariane, I have some suggestions: Chapter 4 of The Connected Child (attached with permission) shows the disarming of fear to create felt safety in what I think is an approachable way that is easy to share with teachers. An Article of "Trauma Informed Classrooms" from Adoption Advocate (attached with permission) gives some practical framework to what is needed in a classroom setting TBRI® Animate: Toxic Stress & The Brain - is helpful as well. I provide resources for Southern...
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Re: Organizations that Support Training Teachers
Hi Jennifer, I provide individual and group coaching and training and am very Trauma Informed! I am happy to support you from wherever you are. I believe the training and awareness starts with "us". Please feel free to contact me at jessiegrahamcoach@gmail.com or www.JessieGrahamCoach.com and you can set up a time to speak with me directly. I look forward to hearing from you, Jessie
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Re: Guest speaker for professional development?
Good Morning, I run a small nonprofit that specializes in building resilient schools and communities. The work is centered around providing PD for trauma along with job-embedded PD related to trauma informed, resilience building practices. I would be happy to talk to you about what you are looking for and how we might help. DaveBrown@EchoDevelopment.org