Blog

This year I came up with an effective strategy using an app on my iPhone. I have been working with 3-6 graders showing them how their heart rate tells a story about how they are feeling in response to external stimuli. I show them through a series of three experiments which measure their heart rate under three different circumstances.

In response to an alarming rise in the number of students who have experienced trauma and mental health issues and who do not succeed in school, the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) and the Successful Practices Network (SPN) announce the release of the Trauma-Skilled Schools Model. The Trauma-Skilled Schools Model was developed to address two serious challenges faced by our nation's schools: The growing negative impact of childhood trauma and the absence of clear and doable action...

Soon after news broke that the Trump administration could further roll back civil rights protections for transgender students, one New York City teacher sent an email blast to her fellow educators. She was searching for materials to use in biology class that reflect people of different gender identities, but couldn’t find anything. Many city educators may similarly grapple with how to support transgender students after it was reported that the Trump administration is considering whether to...

One of the first sessions of the 2018 ACEs Conference: Action to Access discussed the barriers and opportunities for increasing access in the field of education. The main question was: "How can one achieve systematic changes within the field of education?" The session was moderated by Michelle Flowers, a passionate advocate, and the principal of Kinney High in Rancho Cordova, CA, which is part of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. It included a dynamic and diverse panel of education...

Starting in September of 2020, schoolchildren across the United Kingdom will learn from their teachers how to fend off loneliness. In January, British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed the first “minister of loneliness.” This week, her administration released an 84-page plan detailing the actions it will take to curb loneliness across the country, including measures that will be enacted in schools. Starting in primary school, students will have mandatory lessons in “relationships...

Hello All, We @HealthierGen are excited to be expanding our work in social emotional health to work on resilience and supporting schools to be trauma-informed. We have two positions open that we'd love to fill with highly qualified individuals passionate about the work. Join our team! https://healthiergenerationtraining.csod.com/ats/careersite/search.aspx?site=1&c=healthiergenerationtraining Best, Lauren Puzen, Partnership Manager

Sometimes Armando Ortiz looks back at his life and can hardly believe where he is today. He grew up in White Center, just south of Seattle, and at a pretty early age got involved in gang life and hanging out with people who were getting into trouble. He says much of his early educational life felt like he was being passed along from one grade to the next, no one paying much attention to whether he was learning or not. He decided to attend Highline Big Picture High School in Seattle to get...

I'm excited to share a booklet created for youth in Oregon foster care at a Wellness camp this summer. Youth were provided with these quick, easy and effective (and evidence based) "Mindful Moments" exercises in their Wellness Toolkits and they were practiced throughout the day at camp so that they could be remembered in times of stress and dysregulation. The exercised are designed to quickly bring them back to a state of calm. The youth really enjoyed them, and found them easy and...

California rural education network launches to help isolated teachers share resources https://edsource.org/2018/cali...are-resources/603083

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...

Open-ended discussions with children and teens can uncover traumatic causes of behavioral and emotional problems. "It's not necessarily asking, 'Would you like access to mental health services?'" explains La Toya Mobley, a pediatric clinical social worker at the Harriet Lane Clinic. Rather, it's posing questions like, "What is your experience at home?" to get at the heart of the matter. "Trauma and ADHD mirror each other," Mobley says. "So we're asking more questions about trauma, especially...

Educators are increasingly aware of how trauma that students experience in their lives outside school affects learning in the classroom . And while this isn't new information, focusing on how to make the learning environment a safe, nurturing place where those students can succeed has become a robust topic of conversation in many districts. Some teachers worry that trauma-informed practices will mean more work for already overburdened teachers, but others respond that using a trauma-informed...