Prioritize a trauma-sensitive approach for the 2020-21 school year [playworks.org]

Playworks believes in a trauma-sensitive approach

Educators should focus on providing a trauma-sensitive approach to the reopening of school.

Students are all having different experiences right now. For some students, the shutdown of schools due to COVID has provided them with a welcome reprieve from toxic situations or stressors. For others, it has created an increased chance that they’re experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences or new stressors.

“A trauma-sensitive school is one in which all students feel safe, welcomed, and supported and where addressing trauma’s impact on learning on a school-wide basis is at the center of its educational mission. It is a place where an on-going, inquiry-based process allows for the necessary teamwork, coordination, creativity, and sharing of responsibility for all students, and where continuous learning is for educators as well as students,” says traumasensitiveschools.org. 

What educators should consider

The transition back to school may not be easy for every kid. And we need to be thinking about the whole child during this time to ensure that school feels like a safe place for every child to learn and grow, not just to shrink a gap in academic achievement. With a trauma-sensitive approach, educators can help ease that transition.

A trauma-sensitive approach has several components which educators should aim to practice. 

• Predictability of routine 
  • By creating a predictable routine for kids whose life isn’t predictable, educators can provide kids with the routine and consistency that they need to feel like they are in a safe environment. That allows them to feel comfortable enough to learn and grow.
• Naming social skills
  • By calling out the social skills kids are practicing with different activities, educators can reinforce both the practice and the importance of those skills.
• Choice and voice
  • Kids should have the ability to choose how they engage at school each day. Educators and peers should listen to ensure kids feel heard and understood. In addition, if recess or play needs to look different, consider intentionally working with students to design recess, create games, identify boundaries, and clarify rules. This buy-in promotes relationship building and will reinforce everyone’s collective understanding of change.

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