A Haunting Conversation....

Jim Sporleder posted:

Beautifully said Becky!!  Blessings on your continued work and journey to serve our struggling children and adults who haven't yet discovered just how precious they are... a priceless opportunity to be touched by their lives and their resilience.

Thanks Jim!  Means a lot coming from you!!

Beautifully said Becky!!  Blessings on your continued work and journey to serve our struggling children and adults who haven't yet discovered just how precious they are... a priceless opportunity to be touched by their lives and their resilience.

Jim Sporleder posted:

Thank you Becky, I wish we could come up with another term rather than "Trauma Informed."  I think it sets people up to try and decide on their own who is impacted by trauma and who isn't.  This is a failed approach, and people look at trauma-informed practices as a checklist...."This is what we do" versus "This is who we are." The school's culture is impacted when we embrace the power of intentional caring adults in the lives of ALL of our students. In my opinion, it creates a climate as to who we are as a school, this is how we take care of our children, our staff, our parents, and community.  It's a transformation of letting go of traditional practices, and embracing what the science is telling us is best practice. What student does not benefit from being acknowledged, being aware that they are loved unconditionally with out the shame and blame of tradition, and who feels connected with a caring adult?  I wish for a trauma sensitive school for each of my granddaughters, they are going to have difficult days, and they will benefit from knowing that their teacher(s) love them and care about them.  As you say... the science should be influencing our decisions and the direction we need to be moving. Thanks for sharing.

Could not agree more Jim.  When I offer training, I always include teaching, "trauma-informed is a way of being and NOT a checklist."  Of the hundreds (now thousands) I've trained I've never presented the training in a prescriptive way by telling organizations how they need to change - I tell attendees "I'm equipping them with a pair of glasses like the kind you get at a 3D movie.  You will leave the training having a trauma-informed lens through which you can view services offered by your organization, those you serve and even your own life."  I compare it to going to a workshop on compassion or respect.  You wouldn't leave there and go home to tell all your friends, "today I showed compassion."  Instead it's an understanding that we don't pick where we are born. I could be you and you could be me.  NO ONE chooses their mother to introduce them to heroin at 8 years old or support them as a single mom through prostitution in a hotel room where at 4 years old they are told to "watch cartoons while mommy works."  It's out of that mindset that our local professionals make changes to their programming.  On a personal note, it was my own walk of faith that drew me to this concept.  The Bible is filled with how we are to be lifting up the downtrodden so ACEs has become a way to create a culture of kindness and caring in my community.  So if you coin a better phrase let me know

Becky. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend Nadine Burke Harris's book, The Deepest Well. Maybe a resource for your police officers.

Thank you Becky, I wish we could come up with another term rather than "Trauma Informed."  I think it sets people up to try and decide on their own who is impacted by trauma and who isn't.  This is a failed approach, and people look at trauma-informed practices as a checklist...."This is what we do" versus "This is who we are." The school's culture is impacted when we embrace the power of intentional caring adults in the lives of ALL of our students. In my opinion, it creates a climate as to who we are as a school, this is how we take care of our children, our staff, our parents, and community.  It's a transformation of letting go of traditional practices, and embracing what the science is telling us is best practice. What student does not benefit from being acknowledged, being aware that they are loved unconditionally with out the shame and blame of tradition, and who feels connected with a caring adult?  I wish for a trauma sensitive school for each of my granddaughters, they are going to have difficult days, and they will benefit from knowing that their teacher(s) love them and care about them.  As you say... the science should be influencing our decisions and the direction we need to be moving. Thanks for sharing.

Jody McVittie posted:

Wow Jim you are right about what the students need. I've also learned working with many schools that the implementation of trauma informed practices can, in some instances be a lowering of expectations. That is not necessary or appropriate - and sometimes it gets misinterpreted....so my other wonder is, if they are truly trauma informed aren't they making progress? Has anyone gone in to see what extra supports or coaching the educators need to be able to offer what the students need to thrive? Tragic.

Great point Jody!  We have actually changed our language in working with the public schools to talking about a continuum of care instead of just labeling them trauma-informed after a few teachers attend training.  Instead, after teachers receive trauma-informed care training we say they are now trauma aware.  Next we direct them to become trauma sensitive, (we are not prescriptive and let them decide based on the SAMHSA 6 pillars where change is needed) then by making adjustments they are trauma responsive and when it gets to a level of policy changes, employee orientation training, etc. then we might consider using the label trauma-informed school.  At every level we experience new barriers but to borrow a line from "Finding Nemo"...we just keep swimming

Great post Jim.  If they feel a need to fire ALL the staff, that only reflects on the school administration as how could every single staffer be getting it wrong?  We have been seeing some groundbreaking work in our Alternative High School thanks to having your example to follow from Lincoln High School.  However we are getting "push-back" from those saying we shouldn't try to "coddle" students and we need to do things the way they've always been done.  To move ahead in this conversation, I'm relying on continuously telling school administrators that ACEs is SCIENCE...period!  This is not theory, the latest fad, or a bandwagon, but brain development affected by ACEs is documented by science and completely explains the cradle to prison pipeline.  I wrote a local law enforcement official today explaining the connection between ACEs and the opioid epidemic we are experiencing in Southern Appalachia.  In my statement I cited that SAMHSA, the CDC and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation all state that there is a SIGNIFICANT relationship between ACEs and addiction and thought as I wrote...how many more experts need to say this before communities are open to change?

You are right on Jody!  If the Leader isn't leading the implementation process, it becomes a school with silos.  I also believe that the main office is the core platform to change the school culture and model what we want to see throughout our schools.  I have a section in my book that addresses strategies and practices to cultivate the school culture we want for students, staff, parents, and community.  

Natalia, I wished I knew more specifics about the school. I was fielding a lot of questions, and was stunned with the information she shared with me, but didn't have the opportunity to do more follow up. I like your idea of getting a coalition of trauma informed advocates together to seek out greater understanding as to what is going on in Florida. I've only been to Florida once, and it was to work with the  community partners around collective impact and community response to ACEs.  Thanks for taking a deeper dive into this horrible policy and the harm it is causing the children and staff.  

Jim, I completely agree with your comments. AND.... I think that without a strong leader it can be really messy and confusing for staff. That was one of the things you did that made a difference. We've found that adding leadership support has made a difference in the transition.

That’s really sad. Jim, I have written to the FLDOE and BCPS leaders asking about trauma informed schools and research conducted in Florida and Broward County, but haven’t heard back from anyone. Was this the only trauma- informed school in our state?? I wish all Florida TIS advocates could get together and figure out how to create change! 

The “don’t traumatize already traumatized people” is being ignored across all fronts here: the students, teachers, and parents will all be traumatized by the firings.  Collateral damage includes the families of the teachers, of course, and siblings and other family members of the students.  Lose/lose/lose proposition.  The changes you want to see cannot happen quickly enough! 

The specific school in Florida was in the early stages of looking at becoming a trauma informed school.  You bring up some very good questions and observations with becoming or claiming to be a trauma informed school. 

From my perspective, if there is a lowering of expectations for students, there is a disconnect with truly understanding what it means to be a trauma informed school. If we aren’t holding students accountable, I believe we are failing them.  I think it depends on how a school defines accountability.... is it to punish, which we know is a failing approach, or do we define accountability as teaching with empathy and compassion?

My other observation is... if a school fully implements and embraces a trauma informed approach, they see immediate positive changes that can be observed in the school’s culture and positive adult interactions with students. Their data fuels the fire to stay the course and seek greater understanding. 

Thanks for all you do to help schools with their journey and growth.  

Wow Jim you are right about what the students need. I've also learned working with many schools that the implementation of trauma informed practices can, in some instances be a lowering of expectations. That is not necessary or appropriate - and sometimes it gets misinterpreted....so my other wonder is, if they are truly trauma informed aren't they making progress? Has anyone gone in to see what extra supports or coaching the educators need to be able to offer what the students need to thrive? Tragic.