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I agree and this statistic is staggering.  It makes you realize why we have so many adults who are having a difficult time being a functioning citizen.

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"The consequences of traumatic experiences have the potential to be long lasting and devastating to individuals and society" I feel in today society with everything happening it is evident that we are not taking care of our mental heath. It imperative that we address mental health young so that as adults we are functioning members of society. With all of the evidence that points to mental health and the correlation to traumatic experiences in youth we need to really start investing in our children.

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"Physiological changes to children's brains as well as emotional and behavioral responses to trauma have the potential to interfere with children's learning, school engagement, and academic success."  I feel as educators we are trying to navigate this kind of thing each year with our students who many not be engaging as well as others or making the progress we think they should be.  It would be nice to have the tools as educators and resources to not only help these students more but also the parents and other family members trying to help or navigate the best learning tools and support these students need based on the trauma, when it occurred and how long or severe it was.

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I whole heartedly agree that this needs to be a district initiative. If we are truly committed to our students, and meeting their individual needs, childhood trauma has to be at the forefront of our minds and of our professional development.

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"Childhood trauma can have a direct, immediate, and potentially overwhelming, impact on the ability of a child to learn."

For me this pretty much summarizes the article. Childhood trauma, as a whole, has been ignored by our education system and it is time that it is put to the forefront. Teachers need awareness,  and professional development and support on chidlhood trauma so we can better serve and understand our students. and to help create and environment where everyone can truly learn and feel safe.

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Your ending question absolutely got me! Yes! I struggle with this too. I wish we had more training to know how best to support students who have experienced trauma. It's also hard not to take so much of that home with us. We want so much to help these students, but it's hard when we just barely scratch the surface in the short time we have them.

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"We need to understand the 'cycle of trauma'... where students may display problem behaviors related to past trauma and then become re-traumatized through punishment for these behaviors- embedding the trauma further and continuing the cycle of behavioral problems rather than lessening the. " (McInerney and McKlindon 5).

This quote describes what I've found so frustrating as an educator for years. There are a handful of students who struggle so much with behavior that they seem trapped in a cycle of discipline consequences. It seems to carry from one year to the next and no one at school seems to have a solution. Instead, we keep treating the symptoms instead of the root cause of these behaviors. This quote also reinforces for me that in order to break this cycle, this can't be the crusade of a few teachers. Instead, as a district we need to start making holistic changes.

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reply to Patty
I actually chose the same quote! I wish more teachers would shape their thinking like that to wonder about what trauma has caused this distrust rather than throw their hands up and declare him/her a lost cause, or to suggest that they need to "just get over it."

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"...when compared to their classmates, children who have been physically abused...[or] who have experienced trauma may feel that authority figures have failed to provide safety for them in the past and may therefore be distrustful of teachers."

Not only is this heartbreaking, but it can also be discouraging as a teacher. Most of us wish to be a role model or a trusted adult in our students' lives. To know that certain students will hold distrust towards you, even before your relationship has begun, is a tough pill to swallow. I have struggled with these situations over the 15 years I've taught, and I try to be as persistent as I can be to forge that relationship. Sometimes I have been able to break through, other times not so much. I often wonder and sometimes worry about the impact of my efforts. What if my persistence does more harm?

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Edna, I so agree with your quote and your explanation. Trauma is difficult for anyone to process, but then when we need to ask students to express their feelings that can be difficult as well for our EL students.

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As I read this article it brought back so many feelings from my first job in the education field. I worked with a student who suffered from TBI and how it impacted her and her family. She had a young sister and even how she was impacted each of their developments and how her life was changed in a moments notice. We as educators knew her impact, but at some other times we don't know that trauma until we uncover it from conversations with parents or past teachers. At times it is a puzzle that we have to try and fit it all together, so we can help students be successful.

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Katie, I know that you see students at an age where trauma may just be starting to impact their learning and development. For these students, knowing that they have an adult like you on their side, taking their perspective and adjusting teaching/intervention to meet their needs, is very important.

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I agree with you Mallory Montes,the numbers are high and we don't know who has had trauma. I believe that if we talk and say hi to students that we see in the hallway that can make them forget for a second that they are having a bad day and there for making them feel special.

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It's a scary thing. We wear SO many hats being a teacher and with children walking in our doors with this type of horrible baggage, It's sad that I don't fully "know" what to do to support them except do the best that I can. We need more support and training.

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It is well documented that a child's reaction to trauma can "commonly" interfere with brain development, learning, and behavior--all of which have a potential impact on a child's academic success as well as the overall school environment.  

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It is well documented that a child's reaction to trauma can "commonly" interfere with brain development, learning, and behavior--all of which have a potential impact on a child's academic success as well as the overall school environment.  

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When I thought of trauma...I thought more of the social impacts that could occur....How will the child react to others, will they withdraw, are they sad or scared. To know that children's actual brain development can change from trauma and not just "physical" trauma is frightening to me as well as so incredibly sad.  As an educator,  a trusted adult with 5 & 6 year olds, I cannot imagine being nothing but a supportive role model for children. Learning this makes this hit home even more. Everyone has a story..is my big motto. Get to know your students for whom they are so that you can be the best teacher, role model and support person you can be.

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Lisa I think it's great that you get to see students in small groups and you notice when students are having trouble with trauma. You are at an advantage and able to work through issues with students to help them be successful. I wonder how we could work with teachers to help these students be successful in the classroom as well? Or not just give up. These students need the intervention!

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Katie D."Childhood trauma can have a direct, immediate, and potentially overwhelming impact on the ability of a child to learn."

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Katie D."Childhood trauma can have a direct, immediate, and potentially overwhelming impact on the ability of a child to learn."

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This sentence was very powerful for me because I always try to put myself in my students shoes and see if they are ready to learn. If you think about the day to day issues that impact learning a childhood trauma could affect a learner long term. I could see this happening directly and it would be difficult for the student to put these fears behind them to continue on with their learning.

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Adena responding to Edna. I completely agree, Edna. As adults, we can put things aside and know how to push forward, but students who have suffered trauma are constantly emotionally drained and and do not always know how to ask for help or how to "keep going".

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Adena responding to Edna. I completely agree, Edna. As adults, we can put things aside and know how to push forward, but students who have suffered trauma are constantly emotionally drained and and do not always know how to ask for help or how to "keep going".

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Adena- "At the heart of these approaches is the belief that students' actions are a direct result of their experiences, and when students act out or disengage, the question we should ask is not "what's wrong with you," but rather "what happened to you?". This quote resonated with me because when students act out, we are quick to respond negatively and provide a consequence for their actions. We think it's all due to misbehavior and that they can control their actions, but in reality, they may not be able to control their actions or choices due to their lack of brain development due to trauma and ACES. The difficult part is  not knowing exactly "what did happen to these students" to truly understand them and know how best to support them.

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Adena- "At the heart of these approaches is the belief that students' actions are a direct result of their experiences, and when students act out or disengage, the question we should ask is not "what's wrong with you," but rather "what happened to you?". This quote resonated with me because when students act out, we are quick to respond negatively and provide a consequence for their actions. We think it's all due to misbehavior and that they can control their actions, but in reality, they may not be able to control their actions or choices due to their lack of brain development due to trauma and ACES. The difficult part is  not knowing exactly "what did happen to these students" to truly understand them and know how best to support them.

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"Childhood trauma can have a direct, immediate,
and potentially overwhelming impact on the
ability of a child to learn. "

This sentence stood out to me because I do believe that it would be very difficult for a child that has experience  trauma  to put their feelings aside and learn new things. As adults we know that when a problem occurs we know what to do and have the ability to as for help or put our emotions aside.

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In response to Patty: I am glad you chose this quote because it does help reinforce the idea that no matter how hard we try to build a safe environment and want to build trust with our students, or a student in particular, sometimes it is beyond our control. Students may not be able to rely on/trust in us no matter how much we want them to because of the trauma they have faced. It definitely reminds me that many things are far beyond the students control.

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"Children from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds experience and are impacted by trauma. Research suggests that between half and two-thirds of all school-aged children experience trauma as they are exposed to one or more adverse childhood experience that can be trauma-inducing."

This quote stood out to me simply because of the sheer number of students that are walking into our classrooms every day that have faced some sort of trauma. When we think about this number, and then how trauma can affect how students learn and their ability to function in the classroom, it feels like there's more we need to be doing and learning in order to help these students in every way possible. I know it was said during class, but I don't always feel that I am able to adequately support some of my students who have many ACES. It's one thing to understand and value that their emotional needs are for more important than anything they will learn academically, but I still think, as a whole, educators need more training/guidance especially when we come back to the quote in the article and think about how many students are affected by trauma.

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Children from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds experience and are impacted by trauma.
Research suggests that between half and two-thirds of all school-aged children experience trauma7 as
they are exposed to one or more adverse childhood experience that can be trauma-inducing.8 Trauma
can come in many forms. T

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I agree with you that It is unimaginable that I could be looking out into the classroom and most of them could have been involved in some kind of traumatic experience. This is especially important as it seems the behavior in kids is changing. Is it due to some traumatic experiences? Not knowing can make it difficult and challenging.

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".. students who have experienced trauma may feel that authority figures have failed to provide safety for them in the past and may therefore be distrustful of teachers."  This resonates with me because we work hard to gain trust, create a safe environment for all students, and get to know them on a personal level. We try to create a learning environment where everyone feels safe and has the trust to come to us with their problems. This gives me something to think about if I am unable to reach the students and opens my mind to thinking about what kind of trauma the student has faced rather than what is wrong with the student.

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"An estimated 2 in 3 children are exposed to traumatic experiences that have the potential to impact Brain development, social functioning, and ability to learn and engage in school"

I just think the number is overwhelming. Also to stop and look around a classroom or a caseload of students and think 2/3 may be impacted is much more significant than sometimes we are even aware of. Not knowing and understanding which children can be impacted makes it challenging.

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"Children who have experienced trauma may find it more challenging than their peers to pay attention and process new information, and evidence suggests that some of these children develop sensory processing difficulties which can contribute to problems with writing and reading."

I see this frequently at the high school level with students whom I know have experienced trauma throughout their lives. Many times, it has taken at least a semester for students to feel comfortable enough to open up and share their ideas one-on-one. Unlike classroom teachers, I have the advantage of meeting with students individually or in small groups so I am often one of the early people to see their individual strengths and potential, build upon that, and provide social-emotional support. In the classroom, teachers generally see a student who is disengaged, disrespectful, acting out, and angry. In the classroom the students stop trying (wonder when they can drop out of school), often see themselves in a negative light, and have continued learning issues despite intense interventions.