# data[].attributes.body
This course has encouraged and required me to do a lot of self reflection. This particular artifact was taken from module two, when we had to post an artifact on a  padlet board discussing our underlying theoretical beliefs. This particular video that I posted has stuck with me, and has caused me to view my interactions with my students differently. You never know what a student's home life is like, so when they choose to share a story with you that is exciting to them, you should listen because you might be the only one who did. I have started to see that every interaction with a student is an opportunity to begin forming a relationship with them. You don’t have to have a full on conversation with them to build a relationship. It could be something as simple as a “good morning i'm glad you’re here today” or a high five every morning. Those acts might seem unimportant to me, but it could mean the world to a student. I used to not greet the students at the door every morning, but I do now, and I definitely will continue to do so in the future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why I meet my students at the door | Andrew Campbell | TEDxKitchenerED

# data[].attributes.body
This artifact is a blog post from module 3. The question it poses is “Would you like being a student in your own classroom?”. This question blew my mind. I had never put myself in the shoes of my students before. It made me think about how my students might view my actions or tone of voice. As the teacher, I know my reasoning behind why I do what I do, but I realized most of my students might not understand the why behind my actions. They are pretty much kept in the dark and are told to just blindly follow what I say just because they should. I don’t think this is the path that will lead to creating motivated, curious, and self-sufficient citizens. Students deserve to be informed on why they are being instructed to do something so that the next time they can use that understanding to take action themselves without having to be instructed by the adult. I have begun sharing the why with my students and explaining before I start thinking of disciplinary actions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It was a simple question really, "Would I like being a student in my own classroom?" that stopped me in my tracks. Last year when the students had left, the chairs had been put up, and the exhaustion hit, I realized that no, this was not the type of classroom I would have wanted to learn in. And so began a quest of soul-searching, revising, and rethinking, in order for myself not to become a statistic; another new teacher who quits.

I don't know where I went wrong. After all, in college, teachers loved my lesson plans and raved about my ability to connect with students. I graduated with a big heart and a big head. I was going to save the world. And yet, something didn't click. In social studies last year I remember scolding my poor students because they were obviously uninterested. I kept telling them that this was important and they better listen, thinking that yelling at them would make them snap to attention. Or the student who once again didn't do his homework, he got an earful as well because that would show him. Oh how off track I was.

It really hit home when I read a parent magazine last summer in which a question was posed, "My child dreads going back to school, what should I do?" The answer? "Remind them that they will see their friends and how much fun they will have during recess, art and music class." Recess? Art? Music? What about writing, reading, math? What about the majority of the time? Would they be glassy-eyed robots just waiting for the next bubble of fun outside of my room? I had to change.

So I looked inward, reflected, and realized that i had it all wrong. School wasn't about me, or about the knowledge I was going to impart on my students. Instead it is about them, the students Those eager kids that show up ready to learn if you let them. So I had to get out of the way while still acting as a guide. I have written many posts about my transformation and how much it has affected me as a person and as a teacher. Most importantly though it is through this transformation of my own ego that real change has happened. Now I look around my classroom and I celebrate. There is the girl who was too shy to even look at me busting out of her shell as she acts in a fractured fairy tale. There is the boy who barely could add two numbers nailing most math concepts. Or the shy and kind boy, who's biggest wish now is to be on more committees so he can decide things. That is what it is all about. My students are ready for 5th grade, they are ready to leave me with their new knowledge, their energy, their inquisitiveness. I got out of the way and it worked. Now when I ask my kids what is the best thing about school they tell me it is all the learning, the projects, the work. Not recess, not the parties, not their friends, that is just extra. And what a victory that is.

So I will continue to change and adjust. I will continue to ask myself whether I would like to be my own student. It was not a pretty realization back then and it wont ever be but it was a necessary one. Now I am proud to say that yes, I would love to be a student in my own room, and not because of the teacher, but because of the opportunities to learn. Would you?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Would You Like Being a Student in Your Own Classroom?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It was a simple question really, "Would I like being a student in my own classroom?" that stopped me in my tracks. Last year when the students had left, the chairs had been put up, and the exhaustion hit, I realized that no, this was not the type of classroom I would have wanted to learn in....

# data[].attributes.body
I really resonated with this poster from the keynote video with Carla Shalaby. This class has allowed me to look at our habits in schools through a different lens than I normally would. My eyes have been opened to see what is prioritized in our school systems: punishment. Everything is a threat or a bribe, but that is what we’ve been taught. That is what has been used to get students to comply for decades, however, children today are not the same children as they were in school fifty-plus years ago. It is a different world, with different family dynamics, and different societal standards. So, why are we still trying to use the same systems in a different world? Looking back at what my first instinct is when a student is being difficult, it is to assert my power over them and then threaten them into compliance. I have realized two things from that observation, 1. I don’t like it. It makes me feel guilty and sad for my students that that is the environment I am creating for them. And 2. It doesn’t work. All it is doing is placing a band-aid over a wound that needs medical attention. We have been taught to stop thinking of our students as unique individuals who are still children with feelings and to start thinking of them as a mass group with one goal of being academically successful. In the future, I want to start incorporating my students' interests into lessons to promote their interest in school. I want to encourage them to follow their strengths and work on their weaknesses, but I will not tell them they need to fit into a specific mold.

# data[].attributes.body
“The key to managing difficult behaviors of children is to manage our behavior as adults” (Allen,2016)

This quote really brought my role, as the adult  in the classroom, into perspective for me. A lot of classroom management strategies are geared towards fixing the student, as if their behavior is the only possible problem in the situation. This quote made me take a look at my own responses and the effect my reactions might have had on the student and the situation. I have come to the realization that I don’t often view my students as equals in my classroom. I have the mindset where I am the teacher and they should listen to me and respect me just because I am an adult. This is not how I want my relationship with my future students to be, so I have been doing some reflecting on what messages I am conveying through my responses. Did it set a good example for the rest of the students for how to respond in an argument? Did it help calm the situation? Did it allow the student an opportunity to voice their feelings? These are some of the questions I have begun to ask myself. I have realized I tend to raise my voice rather quickly, and my end goal is to assert my power over the students, rather than share the power and allow them to feel heard. This course will change how I react to students in the future, and it will affect the standards I set in my classroom for how we treat ourselves and each other. I have already begun implementing using a calmer voice and leveling with my students before I begin to raise my voice, and I have seen a difference in how they respond already!

# data[].attributes.body
This article has shifted the way I initially view a child's behavior or response. Typical classroom practice is to punish a child who is being very reactive or verbally aggressive, however, this website suggests alternative  trauma sensitive strategies. I have begun thinking more about the child’s background and any potential trauma they might have experienced. I am now thinking of trauma sensitive ways I can respond to the student first that might de-escalate the situation before disciplinary actions are taken. I have begun listening to my students, like actually trying to hear what they are saying, not only with their words but also with their body language. I am more sensitive to body language showing me when a student is presenting as closed off or defensive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
During the first week of school, Marcus sits in the back and refuses to participate. By the end of the first week, he has retreated further and further until he's practically sitting under his desk. The other students have started to warm up to the new environment, joining in on class discussions and learning how to line up and take their seats on the rug. But Marcus never seems to warm up.

What's going on with Marcus? At first glance, we might excuse Marcus' behavior as shyness. And to some extent, an introverted child make take longer to warm up to a new environment. But as time goes on and Marcus is not able to engage at all, we might want to chase the why. Why is Marcus acting this way?

***

Camila seems to get frustrated easily and can be very destructive when things don't go her way. When her teacher has her share a set of crayons with another student, Camila intentionally breaks each crayon in half and throws them down on the floor. When her teacher gets down to her level and tries to calm her down, Camila throws herself on the floor and cries.

What's going on with Camila? Most kids get frustrated from time to time and sometimes struggle to find appropriate ways to express their frustration. But what Camila is doing is beyond the range of normal. She's finding it utterly impossible to navigate the normal social setting of her classroom. If this was a one-time incident, we might write it off as a student who didn't get enough sleep or who had a bad morning, but if this is a common occurrence, it's time to chase the why.

If a child has a behavior that falls outside the normal behavior of the other students, we need to start asking why. It might be a diagnosable learning difference or the student might need special assistance with a certain academic or social skill. Or, as our psychologist Dr. Leahy explained in this post, it might be trauma.

Students who suffer from trauma sometimes look like students who struggle academically or socially. Let's look at the two stories above and see if we can look at them differently through the lens of trauma.

Maybe Marcus has moved a lot in his young life and has a hard time settling in to a new place because he thinks he'll leave soon. Maybe Marcus has a fear of adults because of an abuse experience. Marcus is in a new place with new faces. He has had little or no experience with this new situation and the behaviors that are expected of him. When he's confronted with all these new experiences and rules, his instinct is to retreat into a safe place. His brain is flooded with the stress hormone, cortisol. His retreat under the table might have been the only place he felt safe and comfortable.

Instead of punishing Marcus for not participating, a trauma-informed teacher might first identify why he's hiding in the first place. And once she's noticed that perhaps he comes from an experience of trauma, she can offer gentle encouragement. She can say, "It is hard when you meet new people and come to a new place. Sometimes it feels safer to hide. When you are ready, I would really like for you to join us." Although this sounds very simple, the message it is communicating is, "I understand this is hard. I can wait for you. I want you to join us." What a powerful message of inclusion and respect!

Let's revisit Camila, our student who struggled with managing frustrating experiences. Before Camila ever entered the classroom, she already had years of experiences, and if any of them were trauma-based, she's already baked that into how she navigates the world. In Camila's case, we can sense that she might not have been given the solid foundation of a secure attachment with a primary caregiver. (Learn more about attachment here.) As a result, Camila might be responding the only way she knows how. If no one has ever taught her how to manage frustration, how can she be expected to learn it on her own?

Instead of viewing Camila as a defiant student who is deliberately being disruptive, a trauma-informed teacher might see Camila's behavior as a cry for help. After chasing the why, the teacher might see that Camila's home environment is chaotic and Camila lacks the ability to respond to normal, everyday occurrences with calmness. In addition, she might actually lack some of the skills needed to do well academically, further fueling the anxiety and ultimate frustration when things go wrong. A trauma-informed teacher can exercise patience with Camila as she learns how to navigate a new environment. While the teacher can't follow her home and make sure that all of her relationships with adults are secure and positive, she can create that environment in her classroom. She can offer appropriate guidance and support to Camila to help her eventually improve her behavior.

It all boils down to empathy. Instead of getting frustrated at the students who are difficult (and we know, it can be very frustrating), we need to take a moment to chase the why. Kids very rarely misbehave just for the sake of it. Their behavior is usually letting us know that something else is going on. When we get that call for help, we should be prepared to respond.

When it comes to kids with trauma, it's not what's wrong with you, it's what's happened to you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's not what's wrong with you, it's what's happened to you. Keep reading...

# data[].attributes.body
This website discussing the negatives of reward systems has changed the way I view classroom management. For decades we have been using reward systems as a quick-fix solution for behavior and management of the classroom. However, in the past year, while I have been subbing, I have felt like the rewards systems based on external rewards that I have been seeing aren’t working. As the article discusses, these reward systems are making children feel excluded and are leading children to prioritize their advancement rather than collaborating with their classmates. It is creating a hostile environment in the classroom and a shift is necessary. I chose this screenshot from the website as my artifact because it shows the first steps that I, as a teacher, can take to create this shift in my classroom. It is providing ways I can create a supportive and educational environment that prioritizes collaboration and peer relationships without the goal of receiving a prize.