Ginny Witte, PhD
ABOUT
About Ginny Witte, PhD
Ginny Witte, PhD
I am a teacher, a speaker, a trauma educator, and mother. As a teacher I have worked with a diverse group of students from preschool through the university level for over three decades. I love to share how trauma affects life, learning, and health. I have a passion to help each and every student who crosses my path live a healthy and wholesome life. I believe helping educators and parents learn all they can about trauma can help children learn, teachers teach more effectively, parents be better parents, and help us all make the world a better place. I also feel passionate about informing those who have not experienced trauma understand and support others who have.
I am a lover of dance, a passionate gardener, a reading addict, a yoga supporter, and a dog lover. When I was young I wanted to be a physical therapist and a teacher. In a round about way I have eventually come to work both with the mind and the body. I look forward to working with you.
Education
Western Michigan University
BA in Education, Science and Family Life
Western Michigan University
MA in Early Childhood Development
Michigan State University
PhD in Kinesiology and Cognitive Science
Certifications
TEFL Certified
Certified RYI 500
RYI 500 in progress,
Trauma Informed Yoga
Trauma Informed Yoga for Teens
Somatic Stress Release
My passions
My love for movement has never left me. I love many forms of dance, I love to walk the beach, I took gymnastics as a teenager, and have admired gymnasts and ice skaters in the years that followed. I am a certified yoga instructor, certified in trauma informed yoga, dance, somatic movement, and several other movement practices. I instinctively felt a connection between movement and learning and came to learn about the many benefits of physical activity beyond health in my career and graduate work.
Teaching
I began my career as a teacher, with a passion to help students love learning. As most teachers do, I sought to find the blocks to student learning, and what motivated, or opened the window to excite students to learn. Instinctively, I knew from early on that if I could engage the student, and meet them where they were, the window to learning would open. What we now know is that trauma impedes learning, creating a learning block. I love to share this information not trauma with educators, parents, and community members so together we can support healing and build resilience in our students.
My Background
I have taught preschool through the university level. I have taught in many different environments and have taught diverse groups of students. Through the years I have seen noticeable increases in the number of children who were not ready to learn. Many students were behind in their cognitive skills, their behavioral skills and their motor skills. Large numbers of children were being expelled from preschool due to behavior problems. And today, we have such large numbers of students with behavior problems that teachers are struggling to teach and at times, leaving the teaching profession. By helping more people understand trauma we can help reduce behavior problems and promote a healthy learning state in every student.