Teaching Children Affected By Trauma
It may sound odd, yet, I consider myself fortunate to have worked with students that have been affected by trauma.
It has been a huge learning curve and as a result, has completely put my teaching philosophy on its head.
Whilst I had once been a teacher mainly results-driven, all of a sudden my days were focused on wellbeing and setting these children up best for learning. Their personal struggles were the starting point and almost defined our day.
These children are often the withdrawn ones or come to school with tears. Their lunchbox is empty or on the other hand, only full of snacks. You may notice they wear the same uniform all week without it being washed. They may show signs of neglect or tired from responsibilities such as caring for other siblings.
So when these children arrive in our classroom, without any formal training, we as teachers, are expected to know what to do.
It’s a rough scenario but it is happening every day.
You start from what you know. That our students just want to feel safe, respected, connected and be happy.
So you start with their emotions. It is obvious they are central to their learning. This directly affects their performance in the classroom. You feed them, nurture them and love them. You make them feel safe in the classroom and you teach them to regulate their emotions. No one can learn when they are overwhelmed, anxious or stressed.
Yet, sadly, we know there is only so much we can do for these children affected by trauma. We have no control over what happens at home, so we do our best as teachers.
Ensuring we use the best practices around trauma-informed teaching is the way forward. This will involve you being proactive. It may involve research, reading books, listening to your students, speaking to school counsellors, and trialling ideas in class.
There is a great podcast episode I suggest you take a listen to, which I learnt a lot from. It’s called A Crash Course On Trauma-Informed Teaching on Angela Watson’s Truth For Teachers Podcast. Only a 30-minute show but packed with practical and helpful advice.
From my experience I can recommend;
Ensuring students had adequate and nutritious food. We had a breakfast club each morning, prepared food packs and fruit in the classroom which was donated by the local OzHarvest
Our school had a chill-out room at recess and lunchtimes, which was a calming and quiet place for those children who needed some time out or who get overwhelmed by a busy and fast-paced playground
Remove expectations of support from home. These students home life is often very unstable so homework will rarely be returned, notes lost or returned late.
Each day I would incorporate mindfulness activities into our program, it helped set the children up better for learning. For example, Smiling Mind has Mindful Moodles drawing with Ben Sanders
Loving these children was the priority. You need to find something special in every child you teach and more so for these troubled souls. Every child is loveable
Allow your students a voice, let them share - use the circle time activity such as Rose, Thorn, Bud
Guided meditation took a while for the children to adjust to, to slow their bodies and minds, yet it was one of their favourite parts of the day. If you need a place to start Grow Your Mind has some great ones
Trauma unfortunately is affecting so many of our students right now. By using trauma-informed practices in our teaching, we will build better relationships, prevent conflict, and teach students effectively.
Do you have experience teaching children affected by trauma? What were your key takeaways from this time? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.
