Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools Blog

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” And… I’m Relentless for School Change
James Taylor sums up a lot of life lessons in his songs—one of which is the importance of being a friend. Life’s painful for all

Answers to Trauma-Sensitive Questions in Ms. Jen’s Quick Guides
I teach trauma-sensitive teams how to notice the need and meet the need with individuals, groups, and entire school systems. Often, educators in live seminars

Moving from Reactivity to Intentionality
This school year I’ve asked educators to consider what they’d like to move away from and what they’d like to move towards as they continue

Unpacking Big Stress with Rock, Paper, Scissors
Big stress is impacting educators—it’s influenced by a lack of substitute teachers, student behavior concerns, heated conflicts (e.g., over mask mandates, how history should be

Foster Self-Compassion by Listening to Your Body
Once a therapist said to me, “Self-love may be too hard; aim for self-compassion.” Self-compassion, though, can be difficult too. What gets in the way?

The Anniversary of the Pandemic’s Beginning
This month marks the one year anniversary of the time when many people started staying home as much as possible due to the pandemic. It’s