Childhood trauma is in the news every day, from school shootings to the opioid crisis to separation at the border. While some stories are highlighted in the media, every community has children we never hear about who are dealing with violence, addiction, poverty, mental health issues, and abuse.
The good news is that the public is becoming more aware of trauma’s devastating effects. Terms like “toxic stress” and “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs) are no longer used only by mental health professionals. This increased awareness is a critical first step to ending the epidemic of childhood trauma harming our children.
Many educators are being trained in trauma-informed practices. These practices transform schools into safe spaces for students by building relationships through social/emotional learning, repairing relationships through restorative rather than punitive disciplinary techniques, and promoting self-care to maintain relationships when dealing with trauma takes its toll. Research shows that having one supportive relationship with a caring adult can lower stress hormones and reduce the impact of trauma for children. Training teachers to prioritize relationships so they can play that role for their students is another essential part of the solution.
While these are positive steps forward, we also need to look at where we have been. We need to admit that the attack on public education is part of the reason American children are struggling. For nearly two decades schools have been turned into stress factories where relationships take a back seat to test scores. Anxiety, depression, and aggressive behavior have increased in students, and at the same time we have created a teacher shortage. [For more on this story written by Maureen McGurk, go to http://childsworld.news/09/28/...a-informed-policies/]
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