What do Today’s Educators Want you to Know about Teaching Children with Trauma Histories?

This article has been compiled based on interviews with Michelle Courville Feiner, Patricia Kirpan, Shereese Nelson, Cheryl Pyrch, and Amy Shaver (click here for their bios) educators who have decades of combined classroom experiences ranging from Pre-K and Kindergarten to Elementary and Middle school, to High School and College. Their experiences include work in rural small-town communities, middle-class suburbs and urban school settings and they have worked in both public and private schools. In addition to serving as day-to-day classroom teachers, collectively they also have experiences as school social workers, special educators, after-school providers, school culture and climate administrator (handling school-wide discipline policies), a school principal, a college professor and a pastor/community leader. Additionally, three of these experienced educators are also parents, including two who have experience as both foster and adoptive parents of children with trauma histories.  What follows are the important themes and lessons from their professional and personal experiences that can assist today’s educators in meeting the needs of children with histories of trauma and attachment challenges.

Educators observe and understand that children in their classrooms have had exposure to trauma creating unique educational needs which they strive to meet.

“I first became aware of the impact trauma has on students as a first-year teacher when I saw students in my class who I knew had experienced trauma (death of a parent, divorce, abuse, taken from their families, living on the streets) struggle in various ways. Some children behaved in ways labeled “acting out,” such as showing aggression to other children, while others became isolated or depressed.” Pyrch remembers, adding, “Later I also learned that many students struggled with traumatic experiences we didn’t even know about.”

Nelson, reflecting on her time as the school Climate and Culture administrator, notes that the discipline process opened her eyes to all the types of trauma children are dealing with – “what they were bringing to school in their backpack,” and how it shapes their behavior. When students were sent out of the classroom for discipline, she quickly learned that there was “always a story behind the behavior – perhaps the quiet traumas of food or housing insecurity, or more obvious traumas such as witnessing a parent’s death. They needed relationship, not simply discipline.”

While Feiner attributes her time as a school social worker and parent to children adopted from foster care as the experiences that deepened and cemented her awareness of trauma’s impact on education, she, too, observed child trauma in her very first teaching experience. “I was actually aware of the impact of trauma on children in school during my very first year of solo classroom teaching –I had a boy in my 3^rd grade classroom who threw desks around the classroom and although I didn’t have the language of trauma yet, I knew there was much more behind his behavior than just his visible anger. That young boy was the reason I decided to leave classroom teaching and specialize instead on the individual children in need. I wanted to know exactly what was happening for him and how we could better help him. And I still have the intense curiosity today.”

Shaver observes that from her earliest memories she knew that some children needed more supports due to life experiences, and this has intensified in the last four years. In this time frame she has witnessed an increasing number of children with trauma and/or attachment challenges needing personalized care/connection and fewer adults who are equipped and able to provide the supports they need.

Educators are frequently ill-equipped to meet the needs of children with trauma histories in their classrooms, yet they want to do the right thing.

“Although I taught in excellent schools that cared for the “whole child,” with decent psychological services and extensive staff development, I had very limited knowledge as to how particular traumas might affect children or how their struggles could be addressed in the context of the classroom.” Pyrch remembers, adding, “Also, as a classroom teacher with between 28 and 32 children, I often felt overwhelmed by the range of needs, and balancing attention to individuals with holding together and building up the group,” a point which was underscored by Kirpan who says, “Teachers haven’t always learned ways to address one child’s trauma that also involves the whole class in reset activities when possible-so all students can be helped.”

Nelson builds on this theme with a powerful example. “Teachers often do not understand what is behind the behaviors they see. For example, we had a child who had severe food insecurity at our school. He would have a great deal of trouble managing his behaviors whenever food was present (such as cupcakes for a student’s birthday). His behavior would become unmanageable to the point he was sent out of the classroom and missed the positive activity because the teachers didn’t understand that the situation was triggering him. Once they learned more about trauma, they were able to make adjustments, for example, letting him go first to get the cupcake rather than last (his name was at the end of the alphabet). These accommodations aren’t difficult, and they make life better for everyone, the child in question, the teacher and the other students.”

Nelson’s observations parallel Shaver’s reminder that all behavior is communication. “A lot of times what the behavior is unsuccessfully trying to communicate is “HELP”. If it goes unheard, help will be delayed or unavailable. Yet every teacher and parents wants to be able to decode the child’s behavior language and make a difference.” She says.

In her current role equipping teachers through the college-level professional development course, Creative Strategies for Working with Trauma Affected Families, Feiner notes that educators often feel they don’t have the full “big-picture” of what trauma looks like, how it affects students and how they can best meet those needs differently. Her students have shared that learning these things has been critically important and life/career changing information for them.

Experienced Educators have solid recommendations to support today’s teachers

Most important, Nelson emphasizes, is to start with teachers where they are at, and build on their strengths and the positive things they are already doing. “Nobody likes to be smacked down,” she jokes, noting that many trauma-informed schools training and presentations (outside of those provided by ATTACh) don’t begin by getting to know the audience and what the local climate is like before jumping into their planned presentation. Asking educators, “What do you already do in your classroom to make students feel welcomed and safe?” is a great way to start the process. “When you are able to uplift teachers, they are more receptive to new information and tools you want to share.”

All 4 of the educators interviewed agreed that the following tips and tools would go a long way towards equipping today’s educators to meet the needs of today’s students and families:

• Teachers need information to help them recognize the signs to look for that indicate a child may be having a trauma reaction during the school day. By recognizing signs and symptoms, teachers are also able to decrease exposure to triggering experiences for most students. This is especially important in helping teachers understand and respond to students whose trauma responses are not externalized. “The needs of quiet students often go unmet.”
• Teachers need support in organizing and supplying their classroom settings in ways that accommodate the needs of all students, including those who have trauma histories. Examples include offering cozy corners, sensory materials, fidget supplies in the classroom so that students don’t have to be sent out or isolated from others when anxious or dysregulated.
• Teachers need a “toolbox of strategies” that they can implement daily and lots of supportive refreshers, reminders and supports from their own peers about how to integrate their knowledge in practical ways. Relying on an annual all-day training is not enough.
• Teachers also need guidance on engaging parents of children who have experienced trauma. “No one goes into parenting hoping to ruin their child’s life,” Nelson says. So, teachers need to be equipped and supported in listening to and supporting parents and caregivers. Families also need peer-to-peer support with other parents/caregivers who “get their life” and schools can often be instrumental in creating safe spaces for these connections to flourish.

In addition to these practical strategies and tools, both Pyrch and Kirpan remind us that attention needs to be paid to broader systemic factors. “Teachers need the supports that will benefit all children including those who have experienced trauma:  smaller class sizes, plenty of supplies, decent curriculum, time to prepare, professional development, respect and support from administrators,” Pyrch explains and Kirpan adds that teachers, students and the entire school community benefit when they have access to outdoor spaces, art, music and play time, multi-age activities (such as older children reading to younger ones) and opportunities to feel a sense of both connection and belonging in the larger community.

ATTACh can come alongside educators by offering customized supports

When asked what today’s educators need, Shaver unequivocally replied, “The Attach training for sure. It is rare when a training around this topic transforms my understanding not only about children, but my ability to help others grow their understanding. Attach did it! Attach touches on many important components, CONNECTION being the one that stood out and was highlighted for me. My experience has also shown me that trauma and attachment theory is complex, and a growing number of kids have new needs. It’s not rare or uncommon.”

Each of the educators interviewed enthusiastically observed that ATTACh is uniquely positioned to support teachers, parents, caregivers and communities in achieving the goals and standards described above. ATTACh’s ability to listen and customize training to meet local needs, offering low-cost training and support opportunities for both parents and educators and offering resources such as the Healing Connections book, makes ATTACh an important resource and partner for individual parents and teachers as well as for whole school systems and communities.