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"The Trauma Informed Teacher--Silent Front Line I hate the first week of school. It fills me with anxiety and dread. I once loved the smell of new crayons and was excited over the new backpacks and folders. Now I worry. I parent children from hard places; children who have experienced trauma. I’ve been lucky the last two years. I had a teacher that “got it”. I had a teacher that listened to me and studied up on trauma and it’s effects on the child’s brain. She understood that unaddressed...

Hasshan Batts and Ellen Smith presented this workshop today at the Philadelphia Trauma Conference. It was very well received and there was great audience participation. Feel free to review and/or ask questions and/or comment.

While we are mentioning WITF Smart Talk, I thought I would bring you back to last year when ACEs were discussed. http://www.transforminghealth.org/stories/2017/07/do-you-know-your-ace-score.php

This is an interesting Audiotape about Social Determinants of Health. These are various determinants such as poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, etc that impact health. Many are also ACEs, however, as I understand it Social Determinants of Health look at a person's current determinants, which may or may not be similar to what they experienced up to age 18. http://www.witf.org/smart-talk/2018/07/social-determinants-of-health.php#disqus_thread

Here is an interesting article for educators who teach traumatized children. Of course, we don't always know who has been traumatized. We can practice "Universal Precautions" in the same way health care providers don gloves with patients who may have infectious disease because we don't know for sure. So, since you don't know which of your students have been traumatized, perhaps you want to treat all students as if they may have been. Many believe that treating every student (and coworker,...

This article looks like a great, short resource for educators who have learned about ACEs yet need some concrete help in self care in order to give back as necessary. The article is also in the resource tab. Please share with your colleagues. Even if you are not formally an educator, you do educate others every day. My apologies to those who learned English better than I. Feel free to provide corrections, but no big red x's that may be traumatizing!

Executive Function is needed to manage the varying aspects of our days, whether we are children, adolescents or adults. It requires working memory (not just memorization, but working memory in order to problem solve), mental flexibility to adjust to the many unexpected "pleasures" of each day and self-control to keep us from slugging our boss or teacher when they correct us. Needless to say, all of these are needed to keep ourselves organized as we go through our days of getting to work or...

When educators and coaches make kids feel like they matter, it reduces delinquency and destructive behavior. A new study led by a University of Kansas researcher reveals the importance of non-family adults in mentoring youth. "If you are made to feel useful and important to others, especially in this case by a non-kin and education-based mentor, then you are more likely to have a reduction in delinquency and dangerous behavior," said Margaret Kelley, associate professor of American Studies.

Greetings, I am sad that my friend, Dr. Hasshan Batts, had to lead a strong team to help decrease violence in Allentown, but I am excited that they are going big--a goal of 0 murders in Allentown. I am glad that his team is robust and includes leaders from Philadelphia, New York and York, PA. I see courage and commitment in this work, along with honesty and love. I hope this starts a conversation not only in Allentown, but everywhere. If people are interested, we would like to get a...

Thank you Samantha Sangenito for preparing and presenting our Community Map--this outlines all of our known presentations to date. I know there are more, I just don't know who gave them, when they were and to whom. Please add to our presentation for our community. Not only can this be used as a visual representation, it can also be used as a resource to look for others to work with and/or presenters to access. Please add to our map and the Roadmap to Resilience in South Central PA Community ...

The documentary, Resilience, was shown to a large gathering of the faith community in Harrisburg on May 17th at Life Center Ministries International. The purpose was to raise awareness of ACEs as well as their impact on behavior and health. The faith community has a unique opportunity to be a stabilizing influence in the lives of those traumatized. Further discussion and planning will take place this summer.

This 4 hour presentation includes session one being "Foundations"--God's design of Man, Defining Trauma and Its Risks and Symptoms of Trauma Bonds; session two "Bonds to Time, Land and Situation"--identifying trauma bonds to time, land and situation and session three "Breaking the Bonds"--building resilience and prayers to break trauma bonds." The program is taught from a Jesus centered, Christian viewpoint. The facilitator, Linda Forster has a Master's Degree in Christian Counseling. She...