Tagged With "Mind Matters"
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Mindfulness Resources
Watching the video Gail just posted, I was inspired to look for further resources as to how this could work. Here's a link to what I believe are helpful in implementing such a program and The Smiling Mind can be downloaded for older students to use on their phone, etc. And it's free. https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/mindfulness-and-children/further-resources
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Mindfulness techniques are an economic and effective way to help students cope with stress
According to a recent article in Child Trends - A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness interventions in schools can boost children’s ability to regulate emotions and manage their feelings of stress. Educators. and school staff looking for interventions to help students manage stress may want to consider mindfulness programs. These programs, which don’t require any special equipment, can also be relatively inexpensive to implement; school staff can often be trained to become...
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New Resource Guide for Child Sexual Abuse/Exploitation Prevention
Greetings, ACN Community! I wanted to share this fantastic new resource guide developed by one of the work groups from the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. This guide provides background on best practice, principles of prevention, identifying resources for the classroom, developing a prevention plan, age appropriate teaching suggestions, analysis of specific programs, and guidelines for implementation and evaluation. It is really quite thorough and is full of excellent ideas...
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Nine Simple Trauma-Informed Gestures for Educators
The promotion of trauma-sensitive and trauma-informed schools has grown tremendously in education. Broadly speaking, trauma-informed schools maintain a framework whereby the entire school staff maintains awareness of the impacts of toxic stress and trauma, and strive to ensure that all students feel safe, supported, and connected. Such awareness and motivation among educators and caregivers to promote such a framework presents multiple opportunities to change the lives of students and help...
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Now available: recording of Chris Blodgett's talk on trauma-informed communities
Dr. Chris Blodgett spoke on Thursday, Nov 3rd at the Anchorage Loussac Library to a room of nearly 140 people and 60 more online. His talk "From ACEs to Action: How Communities Can Improve Well-Being and Resilience" was approximately two hours long. Access the webinar video, audio file, and slides here.
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Be the Spark: Igniting trauma-informed change within our communities
Authors note: This piece is co-authored by @Lara Kain and @Christine Cissy White. Though we had never worked together or met, we were asked to co-present on creating t rauma-informed changes in communities by the Attachment Trauma Network for the first national (now annual) Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Summit in Washington, DC. This article is an expanded essay version of that presentation). Be the Spark Oprah Winfrey helped mainstream discussion about...
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Beyond Paper Tigers: The Heart of the Matter
Graphic artist Anne Nelson created this visual roadmap during the partner showcase, capturing the "heart of the matter" for each community member Teri Barila, co-founder and CEO of the Children’s Resilience Initiative and the igniting force that brought change to a quiet corner of southeast Washington, kicked off last month’s Beyond Paper Tigers Conference by sharing one of her “aha” moments. In 2007, she attended a conference in Winthrop, WA, where Dr. Robert Anda spoke about the CDC-Kaiser...
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Black Minds Matter (teachingtolerance.org)
Black people, including youth, are less likely to receive adequate care for mental health issues for a number of reasons: disparities in access to care, stigma about mental illness and lack of culturally competent mental health practitioners. According to a study published in the International Journal of Health Services , black children are about half as likely as white children to get mental health treatment. As the CBC task force, mental health experts and policy makers mull over ideas to...
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Brain Development and Academic Achievement
"As much as 20% of the gap in test scores could be explained by maturational lags in the frontal and temporal lobes. ... The influence of poverty on children’s learning and achievement is mediated by structural brain development. To avoid...
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Building a Resilient Community (United Way of East Central Iowa)
ACES: Building a Resilient Community Childhood trauma has affected the majority of people in our community. Specific family problems as well as child abuse and neglect (summarized as Adverse Childhood Experience, or ACEs) have been shown...
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Building Authentic Relationships with Teens online training
I watched a few of the intro webinars to this course and it looks like a great training from the Center for Adolescent Studies. https://centerforadolescentstudies.com/bars/ 4-Weeks: May 29th - June 26th, 2018 (and a 2-week grace period to finish all lessons to get your certificate of completion) Online: Completely online; login whenever you want each week to access the course material (mostly video presentations, approx. 2 hours per week) Learn: Critical skills for building relationships...
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Chico school district using new approach to deal with behavioral issues [ChicoER.com]
Chico Unified School District is taking a different approach to behavioral problems in the classroom by training its staff to recognize students who have experienced trauma using the “trauma-informed” approach. In a traditional setting, if a student is acting out or not paying attention, a teacher might reprimand the student, or in some cases address them sharply, Chico Unified director of secondary education David McKay said. Using the trauma-informed approach, a teacher will...
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Key to coping with school terrorist fears: Keep the adults calm [EdSource.org]
Threats from alleged terrorists, some more widely publicized than others, have now been sent to school districts in San Francisco, Long Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas, Houston, New York and Los Angeles, as of Thursday. No matter that each threat has been investigated and found to be not credible. Whether targeted or not, school districts are being asked to respond to what Jeff Godown, chief of the Oakland School Police Department, earlier this week called “an air of anxiety in...
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Lessons from the Los Angeles and Oakland teachers' strikes [edsource.org]
After two teachers’ strikes in as many months in California, it is too soon to tell whether the labor disputes in Oakland and Los Angeles presage a new era of school-based activism. But regardless of what comes next, this year’s strikes had much in common, and yielded valuable lessons and insights for other districts where labor troubles may also be brewing. Both strikes were relatively short, lasting about a week. The timeline was shaped by the troubled finances of both districts that...
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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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Linda Cliatt-Wayman: How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard
"On Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s first day as principal at a failing high school in North Philadelphia, she was determined to lay down the law. But she soon realized the job was more complex than she thought. With palpable passion, she shares the three principles that helped her turn around three schools labeled “low-performing and persistently dangerous.” Her fearless determination to lead — and to love the students, no matter what — is a model for leaders in all fields." To see Linda...
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Little Things Matter More than We Realize
Here is a link to a piece on how the small things teachers and coaches do (often unintentionally) affect us negatively for decades. Solutions and suggestions offered. We need to ponder more the message we get too from children's games. Their affect, like the affect of teachers and coaches and other educators, cannot be ignored. https://medium.com/@KarenGrossEdu/sadly-we-remember-the-bad-stuff-teachers-said-and-did-when-we-were-young-94d20e8d5b97
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Loud and Proud Fan of Compassionate Schools!
Consider the premise that to take "compassion to scale" it will take all of us being ambassadors of compassion. The most recent high profile events involving prominent athletes in the NFL have garnered widespread attention that transcends all the...
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Making the Most of Parents’ Time at School (edutopia.org)
My first month teaching, I peeked in on the first parent meeting of the year, and a lone parent sat listening to the presentation. There were over 500 students in the school. Eight years later, over 300 families attended that meeting. Our biggest challenge had been getting parents—who often didn’t like school themselves—to see us as a loving and supportive community, so we deliberately fostered an environment in which families could feel comfortable. If a serious discussion about a student...
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Master of Mindfulness (By Laurie Grossman; Mr. Musumeci’s 5th grade class; Angelina Alvarez)
Do you ever feel angry, disappointed, or stressed out about family problems, school, bullies, or trouble with friends? If so, mindfulness can help. Master of Mindfulness is a unique and empowering book written for kids by kids , with cool illustrations and tips that show you how to be confident, get focused, stay calm, and tap into your own inner strength so that you can be your own superhero—no matter what life throws your way! Written by Laurie Grossman, cofounder of Mindful Schools and...
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The Future of Education: Mindful Classrooms [mindful.org]
A new Guide by mindful.org: What can you d to bring mindfulness into your child’s school? What are the best strategies, practices, and resources to implement a mindfulness program? Implementing a school-wide mindfulness program can take several years, so create a well-thought-out plan that includes presenting programming to parents and faculty. Be patient— making changes in schools can be a lengthy process. [To check out this guide, go to...
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The Importance of Physical Activities, Yoga, and Mindful Based Practices for Young Children
The topic of this blog post is the importance of physical activity for children. In terms of physical activity, I chose to focus on yoga practice for young children. I believe that children are a big part of our society and their health is a reflection of their surroundings, which is why children’s health is so important. I researched three unique and professional studies that show how yoga builds resilience, self-awareness, self-image, self-esteem, quality of life, and dramatically reduces...
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The Journey From Me to We: The Walla Walla Way
“We’re all humans and we’re all going through the same things,” Kelsey Sisavath explains. “It’s important for everyone to know. It can change your perspective on how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you see the world.” The “it” Kelsey is talking about is trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) . She has a unique perspective on the topic given her range of experiences throughout her 19 years of life. The story...
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The Limitations of Teaching ‘Grit’ in the Classroom [TheAtlantic.com]
The first time I heard a preschooler explaining a classmate’s disruptive behavior, I was surprised at how adult her 4-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 kindergarten,...
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The Perils Of Pushing Kids Too Hard, And How Parents Can Learn To Back Off (npr.org)
"Even though I was getting A's and B's, mostly A's, in all my classes — all my honors classes — I still felt it wasn't good enough," Savannah says. No matter how well she did, someone else was doing better. "The pressure I put on myself was out of control," she says. She says she felt the pressure all around her — from peers, teachers and her parents. Newfound awareness of these kinds of struggles, has started a conversation — and new initiatives — in her community. A group of parents is...
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The Relentless School Nurse: Candida Rodriguez is Creating Community Through the Power of Conversations That Matter
Candida Rodriguez is my mentor, while she may disagree with that statement and say it is the opposite, it is the absolute truth. My respect, admiration, and amazement at the depth of her knowledge, talent, and compassion astound me every time we work together. Candida serves her complex and ever-changing community with dedication, skill and a relentless pursuit of coordinating care for her students and families. We are partners in the Community Cafe Initiative that began in 2015 after I...
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The Year Without Graduation
This is the week the Governor of California called off the rest of the school year. Many states are following. This is not just the year of COVID. This is the year without graduation. That means 3.7 million high school seniors in the Class of 2020 are not going to wear their caps and gowns in May and June. Let me speak to you seniors if I may. (The rest of you should stay here, too. You need to get what they are losing). You began the year with senior photos. Sports for the last time for...
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This School Replaced Detention with Meditation and the Results Are Phenomenal
Instead of sending children to stand outside the classroom, or go to the principal's office every time they misbehave, they get sent to the 'Mindful Moment Room'.
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Resource List - Research & Reports
Reports and research about how ACEs affect schoolchildren, or about how schools become trauma-informed, or the outcomes of integrating trauma-informed and resilience-building practices in schools. If you recommend any others besides those listed here, please leave a comment with a link and/or information.
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Resource List - Webinars
Webinars that address integrating trauma-informed and resilience-building practices in schools. If you recommend any others besides those listed here, please leave a comment with a link and/or information.
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Robin DiAngelo on Educators' "White Fragility"
When it comes to cultivating racial understanding, sociologist Robin DiAngelo believes that white people have work to do. In her best-selling book White Fragility (Beacon Press, 2018) , DiAngelo argues that no white person—no matter how well-meaning—is exempt from the forces of racism. Yet when the topic of racism comes up, they often become defensive and "weaponize" their hurt feelings. This refusal to acknowledge the reality of systemic racism blocks white educators from understanding the...
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Sausalito-Marin City district agrees to desegregate school [Marin IJ]
By Keri Brenner, August 9, 2019 for the Marin I. J. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Friday announced a historic settlement with the Sausalito Marin City School District that will lead to desegregation within five years. The announcement comes almost nine months after the AG’s office accused the district of deliberately creating a segregated school at Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Marin City and violating state anti-discrimination laws. Becerra said the district’s former...
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School disciplinary methods change when children are seen as sad and not bad: Jarvis DeBerry [Nola.com]
Before Hurricane Katrina I knew a perpetually sad-faced third-grader at Lawrence D. Crocker Elementary School. There was no apparent neglect. His clothes were always clean. He was always perfectly groomed. And even if you gave him a book many years above his grade level, he could handle every word flawlessly. Some may have considered him the ideal student. But he never, ever smiled. His teacher wondered if the school's social worker might investigate why a child so young never expressed...
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Re: From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Helping children regulate is key to helping them to navigate through the challenges in their world.
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Re: From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Agreed Bob. Seems to apply to us adults as well
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Re: From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Absolutely Heidi! In fact, we need regulated adults to avoid dis-regulating children (originally or further). In my parenting work and professional development for teachers (including preschool and chid care pro's) I help adults recognize how and when child behavior triggers their own disregulated and thus disregulating reactions, and how to transform their responses with mindfulness, a process I call The Method , and the 7 Mindsets . I've been doing this work for over 30 years. I also work...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
This is an excellent piece!!! Educators need to ask "What's happened to this child?" rather than "What's wrong with this child?" when confronted with inappropriate or acting out behaviors. Children come to school each day and give the best they have, even if that best includes ripping up paper and kicking and screaming. Teachers and administrators need to provide effective and appropriate opportunities for children with trauma to release their pent up frustration. They need to keep these...
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Re: [NEW EPISODE] "Create Your COVID-19 Connection Campaign Mini-Training"
Great idea!!! Please share...words matter! Win-Win Campaign Social-Connecting-YES! Physical Distancing-YES Better Together ❤ Dr. B
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Re: ACEs in Education & COVID-19
ACE's, COVID-19 & Trauma-Aware Education - Changing Schools: 7 Big Shifts in Social Consciousness due to COVID-19 Ethos is, as ethos does - Are we all on-board with the following ethos? ETHOS: If a child commits a criminally-prosecutable act then it is a matter for doctors & hospitals, not police & jails (there should be HIPPA protections, not just FERPA)! Well? Onboard? If one grasps the prior, the following is self-evident: CORPORAL PUNISHMENT lays the foundation for abuse and...
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Re: Has anyone surveyed teacher attitudes about trauma-informed care as a way to collect some baseline data?
Does your survey consider teacher self-care from the trauma experienced via workplace bullying in education? Does your district have a workplace bullying policy? A year ago, the AFT and Badass Teachers Association conducted an unscientific, national survey ("Quality of Work life Survey") which indicated teachers were deeply stressed... That survey lef to an amendment in ESSA (co-authored by Senators Booker and Baker) so that school district communities can apply for Title II funding in order...
Calendar Event
Self-Regulation Tools for Special Ed Students
Calendar Event
Webinar: The Trauma, Health & Learning Connection in Schools
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Toxic Schools Worsening Toxic Stress: The Destructive Reign of Universal Standards, Pathology, Medication and Behaviorism
This post is the first chapter of a book. The names HAVE NOT been changed, as each individual profoundly impacted the author's growth and development. She wants their identities to remain intact. I did not realize that my first years in public education would profoundly shape my trauma-informed journey and what I would do nearly twenty years later. But I clearly remember the late fall of 2001. I was completing my second year in a master’s program for school counseling at the University of...
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Trauma education and mindfulness help youth living amid gun violence
Armon Hurst, 2nd from left, first row, Teens on Target, courtesy of YouthAlive! Eighteen-year-old Armon Hurst serves as vice president of the student body at Castlemont High School in Oakland, Calif. He has a 4.0 grade point average, is an avid baseball player, and is slated to go to college next year. But until a few years ago, Hurst would find himself waking from nightmares in the middle of the night. It was difficult to concentrate at school, and he wasn’t eating well. Armon Hurst “There...
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Trauma-Informed Classrooms: Educator Self-Care
Working in a school is hard. It doesn’t matter if you work in a suburban, urban, or rural area. It doesn’t matter if you work with 5 year-olds on building empathy, teach 11 year-olds about symbiosis, coach teachers in aligning curriculum, or help high school seniors choose their postsecondary pathways. It is hard work. From the cacophony of lockers closing at dismissal, to the challenge of getting 25 sets of 8 year-old eyes looking at you in synchrony, schools are a special kind of organized...
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Trauma Informed Education
We have finally completed our one day seminar on trauma informed education. We will be in Los Angeles in February, New York in early March and Michigan in April. We have attached brochures for each of these presentations Hope to see you there!
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Trauma Informed Education
I am up in New York this week doing trauma informed education training for PESI. If anyone is interested in hanging out and sharing ideas I will be in white plains on wednesday, plainview on thursday and in Manhattan on thursday evening/friday. See attached brochure
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Trauma-Informed Social Justice: Q&A with Dr. Bukuloa Ogunkua
Cissy's Note: I work with people who challenge systems and policies, who reform or start non-profits, and who see hope and promise where others see despair or destruction. While some folks shake their heads or shrug indifferently in the face of injustice and suffering, others organize, mobilize, and channel their time and energy towards making a change. Maybe a physician hosts an annual conference bringing trauma-informed approaches to medical practice. Perhaps a woman shares ACEs 101...
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Trauma-Informed Support for Children - A Follow Up to "What Lies Beneath Behavior?"
You’ve worked through the questions in our infographic “ What Lies Beneath Behavior? ” and instead of judging or punishing you’ve figured out the child is just trying to do the best they can to communicate whatever pain or distress lives inside of them… “So now what do I do?” you ask. As promised, we have produced a second infographic to provide you with a step-by-step guide to a trauma-informed response. The bad news is that there is no manualized program, no one-size fits all solution, no...
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Trauma-sensitive education summit for Kansas City schools
From Beth Sarver at Truman Medical Center's Resilience Incubator for a summit June 8-12, 2015: TMC’s Resilience Incubator invites Schools from all over the KC Metro area to attend their Inaugural Resilient Schools Facilitator Summit....