Each one of us is a result of our genetic background and the experiences we have lived. As adults, we must begin to look at each child through the lens of the life they have lived and the experiences that have shaped who they are. The lives your students  have lived has shaped not only who they are, but also their behavior. Therefore, we can  begin to look at the student’s behavior as information that can help us understand and engage with our students.  

A child’s experiences also shapes their perspective of the world and how they function in the world. When children have experiences with caregivers who have been kind and supportive, the child’s perspective of the world is one where adults are viewed and felt as kind and caring. When a child’s experiences in life are experiences where adults cannot be trusted, or where the child has been hurt by adults, their world becomes one that is not safe.

If our students’ needs have been met, if they have felt loved, supported and guided, they stand on strong ground and are better able to navigate the world of learning.  Students generally come to school with excitement, curiosity, and engagement. If students have lived a life of stress, trauma, and abuse their nervous systems have been shaped for protection. They have learned the world is not a safe, or wonderful  place. They have learned to look out for danger. Students further have learned to fight because no one was there to protect them and they had to protect themselves. They  may have learned to shut down because live was all too much for their nervous system  to handle. These students are not ready to learn. As a result we must begin to look at  each student individually, and to see their behavior as a lens as to what is going on  inside them. This is where I can help. If you are interested in becoming trauma informed, learning more about trauma, or how to help those affected by trauma, please contact me below.