Understanding and Addressing Racism
Understanding and addressing racism is a must for educators. Learn how to unpack whiteness as part of this important process.
When Grief Comes to School: Sad Isn’t Bad
The 2020/2021 school year is a definitely a year when grief comes to school. That grief is caused by different losses. First, the pandemic has changed a lot for everyone. Some groups, however, are experiencing more illness, death, economic hardship, and trauma than others, with communities of color being most severely affected. As such, stressors […]
Questions for Trauma-Sensitive Decision-Making
A shorter version of “Questions for Trauma-Sensitive Decision-Making” was included on the Attachment & Trauma Network’s blog in the fall of 2020. Read it to explore four questions that will help you make trauma-sensitive decisions during the pandemic and beyond. The 2020/2021 school year during a pandemic is stressful for many school leaders, educators, families, […]
Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19
Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19: Your Trauma-Sensitive Back-to-School Transition Plan releases this month. I wrote it for every educator who is wondering how to support students in the wake of the pandemic. COVID-19 is a collective trauma that is affecting everyone, although not in the same ways. Importantly, these stressors are impacting you, as an […]
Trauma-Sensitive Student Support
After watching my webinar with Brookes Publishing that shares this title, read this post to explore eleven activities designed for youth and their caregivers. Use them to provide trauma-sensitive student support during school closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing worry and fear for youth, families, and educators. Each person’s reactions […]
Using Brain Books to Help Students Learn Regulation Skills
Using brain books, I start teaching about the nervous system in second grade for all students, but other educators start even younger. In their unit with me, students master understanding of how the downstairs brain and upstairs brain help us. They also learn to explain the jobs of the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex while […]
The Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast
Thank you to Mathew Portell for inviting me to be interviewed on the Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast this morning. I very much enjoyed our conversation. Additionally, I felt amazed by how much information we discussed in just about an hour. We packed in lots of good stuff. For instance, I gave a detailed example […]
Self-Care Stickies for Educators
Learn how to improve your self-care practices using self-care stickies. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions. Happy New Year (if you celebrate that at this time of year)! It can be a great time to set personal goals. I will lose 50 pounds. I will start exercising every day. I will cut out all processed foods […]
Lend a Hand to Traumatized Youth
Relationships between trauma-sensitive educators and traumatized children must include both nurture and challenge. When should educators lean more into nurturing? And, when is it better to challenge? Read the post below to better understand answers to these questions. You’ll also learn how to lend a hand for traumatized youth to encourage young children to move […]
Self-Care Bingo for Educators
While self-care is important every day, it’s especially important to focus on it in the fall when the layers of all things are rolling. It’s stressful because if you’re like me, you’re trying to juggle it all. Such as… Loving, Teaming, Teaching, Supporting, Assessing, Report card writing, Parent/teacher conferencing, Coping with seasonal shifts, Meeting your […]
