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Hayman

After watching this movie, I had a knot in my stomach.  Although I already knew many of our students had difficult home situations, I always wanted to believe they could leave that at home and have a fresh start each day at school.  This movie taught me that isn't possible.  The movie helped me realize how important it is to be aware and understand why a child may not be on his or her game that day.  It is difficult to understand how those kids have become victims and how unfair it is.  Their brains can't function properly when they have many more worries in life, like survival and the need for love.  It makes me think of one particular student in my class. NM   She comes from a home that has many kids and used to be in a refugee camp before coming to America. It was survival for her and as she progresses, there are still challenges for her.  I feel I can sympathize more.  Although I can't fix everything, I feel I can give her some of what she needs while she is at school each day. With time and support, I know she can be successful.

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This movie was very eye opening.  I know our kiddos face these situations every day - but it made me really reflect and think about 3-4 kids on my classroom this year - and more from last year.  It made me reflect and realize how I need to approach these students differently and what they need from me - not just the academics but the understanding ear and life lessons they need from me too.  Although we can't change what they have or will experience at home - we can change how they feel about themselves while they are with us and how much they are loved and respected from our school community.   DH. CH.

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The movie was very informative! The movie reiterates the importance of a good home environment can help a child succeed. It also reaffirmed some things are out of our control and we as teachers need to know we are impacting many lives. We can provide a safe environment and a place for a child to enjoy his or her day. We cannot change a child's home life or the things that have happened to them, but we can be a solid impact on a child during the school day.

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The movie was an accurate glimpse into the future of many of our students.  I learned two things about how stress affects us.  Chronic stress changes your brain to go to the dark side.  Living in chronic stress has life long affects. So the result of a crappy childhood is almost always what we saw in the movie,  dysfunctional teens and inevitably a menace to society as adults and parents. This is the downward spiral, the cycle of self destruction and poverty.  Trying to undo the damage,  it's overwhelming and causes me stress. This is what I stay up at night thinking about. Teaching the whole school, I don't have indepth knowledge  of individual student's trauma, instead I feel the weight of the schoolwide trauma. I cannot choose  only 2, I can choose to love them all through it and understand that their actions are based on their brains wired for survival and it's not about me.

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I found the movie to be a good representation of what many schools and students experience on a daily basis.  It's a film all educators should see in order to help them realize that it's not just a struggle at their school or in their building.  The challenges are happening everywhere.  I liked how the teachers presented themselves in a real way.  They did not take on an attitude of being better than the kids.  I learned that the stress actually causes physiological changes in the brain.  It doesn't just make a person "feel bad".  It changed their actual development.  I also learned the typical ways of addressing student concerns is not enough anymore.  Our approaches need to adjust to help students with the causes of their stress in order to see progress in other areas.
I have had many students over the years who have kept me up at night. Way back when I was an aide two girls who were twins lost their mother and father within a short time and I wished I could have taken them home. KN from fifth grade who was removed from her mother and living with grandparents had many ACEs. Then her grandma died and added another wound. JI and EH and JW...these boys have so much potential if they could focus on school, but their homelife is chaos. For my current class, I am thinking of CR. Her selective mutism is a mystery to me. I am hoping to build a connection with her where she feels comfortable talking to me. I don't have many standouts this year with obvious ACEs that I am aware of yet, however I can focus on ML or PH. I am not too sure on the amount of time they may actually get to spend with parents.

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Paper Tigers - Murphy          My thoughts: 1. Great movie. Anytime one can get another's perspective, I think all are better for it. 2. Left me with a stomach ache and feeling exhausted. Very heavy and overwhelming. 3. How does this apply to me? Coincidentally, today we received a call from hs that es library fines won't be collected anymore from other buildings. My initial reaction is, "Well, how are we ever going to hold those students accountable? They lost/destroyed it and should pay for it." But, really, should they? Does it matter? I know students should be responsible for their books, but, after watching the movie, paying a book fine or limiting a student to a paperback isn't high on the list of things of things that kid-in-crisis would care about. So, why do we/I? How can students be held accountable for lost materials without fining them?

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Paper Tigers - Murphy          My thoughts: 1. Great movie. Anytime one can get another's perspective, I think all are better for it. 2. Left me with a stomach ache and feeling exhausted. Very heavy and overwhelming. 3. How does this apply to me? Coincidentally, today we received a call from hs that es library fines won't be collected anymore from other buildings. My initial reaction is, "Well, how are we ever going to hold those students accountable? They lost/destroyed it and should pay for it." But, really, should they? Does it matter? I know students should be responsible for their books, but, after watching the movie, paying a book fine or limiting a student to a paperback isn't high on the list of things of things that kid-in-crisis would care about. So, why do we/I? How can students be held accountable for lost materials without fining them?

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I really enjoyed watching the movie, even though I was freezing!!! Throughout the movie, I kept thinking about the students I have had that have the same stories. I feel that the majority of our students have many of the ACES in their lives.  It breaks my heart, as a mother and teacher, that these kids have had so much trauma in their lives at such a young age. Chronic stress can cause a child's brain to change, but  one caring person in that child's life can help them see that they are special. J.Y and J.I. are 2 students that came to mind while watching this movie. If their home lives were better, they wouldn't have so much anger. I wish I could take them home and show them what their live should be like.

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I really enjoyed the movie. It was very eye-opening. One thing I learned is to look for triggers that might set students off. I think getting to know your kids on a "real" basis is key to finding out what the triggers are. A lot of our students do not have a constant person that is in their lives. They live in chaos and go through tramatic things like parents leaving, dying and not having parents at all.  I believe a lot of our students would have these ACES in their lives that may be affecting them in the classroom. One student i can get to know is LJ. I would love to do maybe a 5th grader also.

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I really enjoyed the movie. It was sad and very real.  I see many of the same behaviors from our students that the students in the movie exhibited.  Our students have a lot of baggage that they bring with them to school.  It is hard sometimes to stop and think about that.  Students that are living in chronic stress are simply trying to survive.  They are living day by day.  Many are depressed and feel life is not worth living.  Many do not have anyone who they can count on. My 2 students are E.H. and N. R.
I  think about the stories they tell me and the homes they go home to each night and it makes me so sad for them.  I want them to know that there are adults who care and that they can do great things in life.

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I learned that chronic stress actually changes a student's brain. Having a parent who grew up in a family full of "ACES" and overcame it, I have always believed that our students can do the same if they put forth the effort. This movie made me realize that I wasn't wrong, but the missing piece is that one "positive adult" in their life that helps them through the scars and helps them reach their potential. When I think to my family members who did overcome their situation, they all had this person in their life. The ones who still struggle, did not. My student B.B lives in a family with a lot of anger and a history of abuse. He doesn't like to talk about his family and when questioned about things that happen, he has learned to evade the question or make up stories. I hope I have already been this person for students, but now I am going to make a conscious effort to make sure that I am.

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I was in and out of the movie because I had to meet with 4th grade and leave before it was over. That being said, what stood out to me was when the teachers were taking that one boy to look at colleges and he mentioned something about seeing the other side of society and how that changed his perspective on life. I feel like so many of our students are clueless about the other side of society and I feel it's so important we expose them to the possibilities they have available to them in the future and help them develop their interests and passions.

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I found the effects on the brain to be quite interesting.  I liked the fact that this school takes the time to teach the students why their brain "is the way it is".  It really is amazing the effect that chronic stress can have on the brain.  Right away one student said, "I like the way I am" when Gordon had the slide about how they are going to change. This is so typical of kids that suffer like this. I also learned that with support and love, even the students that try to sabotage the good changes and the "way out" can succeed.  Too often we see history repeating itself with these students because they are used to the chaos and there is comfort in the familiar.
One student that I think about often is E.H.  I feel as though he is always in chaos.  I feel that those kids are raising themselves since dad is no longer in the picture and mom does not seem very involved.  When I had his older brother, who is now in MS, his mom made a conference for 10 a.m.  He rode his bike up here to make sure that mom showed up for the conference because she had not come home the night before.

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Hopefully, this movie left you with some thoughts.  What are two things that you learned about students living in chronic stress? Think of 1-2 students in your class(es) that come to mind. Put their initials in this document, as you will become the "positive adult" in their life. What is one thing that keeps you up at night about their life?

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One thing I learned is that students that are under chronic stress  their brains are actually changed.
Also that even when something good happens to them they try and sabotage themselves.
Z.S. who I have not personally worked with, but know some of his background. I know mom and dad are drug users. Lots of abuse in the home and dad has been in jail.