By Melanie Blow, The Buffalo News, June 27, 2020
If New York State plans to, as Cuomo put it, “reimagine schools,” we should first reacquaint ourselves with their role outside of education.
Many teachers perform a Sisyphean task of undoing the effects of the childhood trauma that two-thirds of children suffer at home. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrated that 10 childhood traumas change the way a young body and mind develop. These traumas include any form of abuse or neglect, witnessing domestic violence or having a parent suffering from severe mental illness or addiction. They predispose children to a lifetime of poor physical, mental, emotional and even financial health. ACEs are prevalent, over two-thirds of study participants had experienced at least one. More than 10% had experienced six or more; a score so high it statistically shortens someone’s life by 20 years.
What helps children who have experienced ACEs? The answer is complicated, but two critical pieces are preventing further abuse and experiencing healthy relationships. Today, teachers make a significant percentage of reports to the state’s central child abuse hot line. For many students, teachers are one of the few stable, healthy relationships in their lives. New York’s children will not benefit from improved education if we forget the critical role teachers play in mitigating childhood trauma.
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