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COVID-19 Resources for Parents and Teens

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COVID-19 Resources for Parents and Teens

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Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

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COVID-19: Resources for Parents and Teens

We know that teens and their families are anxious about the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, especially given the media attention to this issue. During this time, it is important for teens and families to get information from reliable resources.

SAHM recommends that teens and their families review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) websites for the most up to date information about COVID-19.

The CDC's COVID-19 website provides detailed information about how to protect yourself and others, what to do if you think you are sick, and more.

The WHO's COVID-19 website provides information about protecting yourself and others from getting sick, protection measures for those who have visited areas where COVID-19 is spreading, coping with stress, and more.

We also recommend the American Academy of Pediatrics' healthychildren.org website for information about COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many new stressors for teens and their families. SAHM has assembled resources addressing several topics including: teen mental health and coping; parenting and caring for one's family; resources for online education; guide to discussing social distancing; and sexual health considerations. We hope these resources are helpful to you, and encourage you to share them through your networks.

Teen Mental Health and Coping

Addiction Medicine: COVID Guidance
From Yale University, this guidance addresses youth who are managing addiction, including vaping, during the COVID pandemic.

Blogging to Cope: An Opportunity for Teens to Blog
From the University of Pittsburgh, an opportunity for youth to contribute to a youth blog which may help teens cope with stress and anxiety during this time.

PsyberGuide: Tools for Mental Health Support
A compendium of online tools for mental health support, including apps and websites, which are ranked based on credibility, evidence, usability, and safety.

How Teenagers Can Protect Their Mental Health During COVID-19
A resource from UNICEF for understanding youth anxiety and strategies for teens facing a "new" normal.

Helping Children Cope with COVID
From the National Association of School Psychologists, strategies for parents in English and Spanish on ways to help children cope with COVID)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline
The hotline provides help and support to anyone contemplating suicide

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SAMHSA resources for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders

Coping with grief and loss during COVID-19
Resources from the MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds for helping children and adolescents cope with grief due to COVID-19

Parenting and Caring for Your Family

Quaranteenagers: Strategies for Parenting in Close Quarters
Guidance for parents of teens using compassion during this crisis, from the New York Times.

Helping Families Cope With COVID-19
A guide for parents and caregivers to help support family coping, from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Now that your College Student is home
Advice for parents of college students working from home

Tools and resources for families and caregivers during COVID-19
An encompassing list of resources for families compiled by Seattle Children's Hospital and Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health. Includes strategies for parents of children with autism.

What to do if you and your teen don't agree on social distancing
Advice from child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg to help get parents and teens on the same page when it comes to social distancing

Risks of summer activities
Experts rate the risk of 14 summer activities

What's worrying teenagers right now
Information about what is worrying teenagers during the pandemic

Managing Anxiety over reopening
Strategies for parents and families to manage anxiety during reopening

Teenagers and re-opening
Tips for helping teens stay safe during reopening

Resources for Online Education

Life Skills Education
Educational activities to build life skills in day to day activities, from GCF/GCF Global.

Supporting Students Away from School
Curriculum Associates' resources and guidance for educators and families to support home learning for students through grade 8, including printable "At-Home Activity Packs". Also in Spanish.

How to Homeschool for Free During a School Closure
Ideas, resources, materials and more for homeschooling preparation for families.

Khan Academy for Remote Learning
Free resources for students, teachers and parents of youth Kindergarten through College. Includes lessons in multiple subjects as well as exercises to practice. Also have guides to plan learning.

Virtual Museum Tours
Online virtual museum tours from 12 international museums.

Talking about Social Distancing

The following articles are great resources for starting the conversation around social distancing.

Written for Parents / Trusted Adults:

Sexual Health Considerations

Sex and Coronavirus Disease
Practical guidance on staying safe and making decisions about sex during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the NYC Department of Health and Hygiene.

SIECUS - Sex ED for Social Change: Homeschool Sex ED Resources
Resources for homeschool sex education

Intimate partner violence/domestic violence during COVID-19
Intimate partner violence and domestic violence have increased during the pandemic, and the following are resources that may be helpful.​
Eating Disorders and COVID-19The COVID-19 pandemic may be affecting individuals with eating disorders in different ways, and the following are resources that may be helpful.

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COVID-19: Resources for Parents and Teens

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We know that teens and their families are anxious about the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, especially given the media attention to this issue. During this time, it is important for teens and families to get information from reliable resources.

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This article defines compassion fatigue (aka, secondary traumatic stress) for educators.

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Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide (PBIS) 

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Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide (PBIS) 

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PBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide.pdf

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Seven Habits of Highly Affective Teachers

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Seven Habits of Highly Affective Teachers

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From ASCD

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Anxious, overconfident, curious, indifferent, angry, amused, lonely, hopeful, embarrassed, empowered, afraid, excited, diminished-teachers have seen all these emotions emerge from students as they engage with classroom content. Emotional responses to lessons often go through students' minds before they even begin to think about the material: This stuff is stupid/awesome/beyond me. I'm not comfortable with this. Finally, something I'm good at. Maybe somebody will notice I can't read. Let's see her find a mistake in that one-it's perfect. Does the teacher know I didn't study this last night?

Some of us deny this reality and claim we aren't trained to guide children's emotional health. We think our purpose is to teach content and skills only, not to deal with the touchy-feely stuff. This attitude turns a blind eye to the developmental nature of the students we serve, and it runs afoul of how minds learn. Unless we're the most severe of sociopaths, we all have emotional responses that affect what we do.

Adding to the messiness, our individual perspectives and experiences may put us out of sync with others' emotional states, even as the institutional nature of schools demands emotional synchronicity. The resulting miscommunication, blame, anxiety, and frustration are not the best ingredients for a good day at school.

Teachers who deny the emotional elements of teaching and learning can become exhausted from ceaseless confrontations with students' emotional states, often blaming their personal stress and students' failure to learn on students' lack of motivation or maturity. They grow disconnected from students, creating an almost adversarial relationship with them: I need to get them to shape up. It's them or me. These students are hopeless; why should I bother? It's the parents who created this situation. This attitude can bleed into daily interactions with students and colleagues.

It doesn't have to be this way. We can develop constructive responses to our own affective needs as teachers and equip our students to do the same. These responses take mindfulness and practice to become daily habits. Borrowing and modifying the premise from Stephen Covey (1989), let's explore the seven habits of highly affective teachers.

1. Find joy in others' success.

Climbing the mountain ourselves and resting at the top while others struggle below isn't the goal; getting everyone to the top is. Our choice to become teachers is reaffirmed with every student's success. Do we experience genuine joy in our students' intellectual milestones? Do we let students see our encouraging smile and rising respect for their work? Or do we interrupt a student's clumsy attempt at a classroom demonstration and just do the task ourselves because it's easier?

We don't just present curriculum and document whether students sink or swim with it; we put skin in the game. We take a personal stake in Gabriella's use of proper dance technique and don't see it as a sacrifice to work with her a couple of times a week before or after school. It isn't an imposition to recommend an online tutorial to Cristian when he requests our input as he studies for an advanced test. We whisper a triumphant, "Yes!" when Carl finally contributes substantively to a class discussion. We get a little misty-eyed when Larrinda's team places first in the robotics competition, knowing how hard they worked, how much they learned, and how happy their families will be.

2. Cultivate perspective and reframe.

Perspective is often the difference between empowering optimism and defeatist isolation. When a student is disrespectful to us, instead of taking it personally, we realize that he's 14 and has only an occasional filter on impulse control. We focus on the positive young adult he's becoming and help him see how his words and actions have consequences, guiding him in making amends and restoring trust, with tomorrow as a fresh start.

A change in perspective can also help us deal with daily challenges. When parents complain about our assignments, we can reframe the problem this way: How can I communicate more clearly and in a timely manner so parents aren't frustrated, and how can I get an honest sense of how assignments are impacting students' home life? Instead of whining about students' distractibility in class, we can seek ways to make our lessons developmentally responsive and meaningful so students are engaged. Hall duty between classes isn't such a hardship when we realize it's an opportunity to connect with students outside class.

Think about whether it's better to be right or to be kind in our interactions with students and colleagues. Sometimes our students need a win more than they need a correction, so we might be kind today and right tomorrow. Perspective provides hope where there is little, and it helps us commit to the long haul. Teachers who have seen formerly frustrating students come back to visit as successful adults trust in the whole enterprise of schooling and growing up. Setbacks are momentary flashes of concern, not dictates of a locked-in future.

3. Ditch the easy caricature.

Ever since the days of hunters and gatherers, humans have been known for categorizing, much of it for survival. This is still true today: Will this person hurt me or defend me? Is this person going to require a lot or a little of my energy and time? Do I belong in this group or in that other one? We pigeonhole others: Eudora is the contrarian, Dave wears rose-colored glasses, Hassan is deep and philosophical, Steve is a sycophant, and Liz always has to see the numbers. We make these categorizations daily, and they affect our interactions with others.

When we see people as fully developed thinkers, they become more to us than our quick categorization reveals. They have value. As a result, we are less likely to dismiss their ideas as not worth considering or to assume nefarious intent on their part. When we visit students' homes and make other efforts to really understand who they are beyond the classroom, they become someone's son, daughter, brother, sister, mentor, surrogate parent, or inspiration. When we see them play in a soccer game, swim competitively, program computers, paint with finesse, perform in a concert, celebrate a religious milestone, or get a new scout badge, we see their extended effort and intellectual fortitude.

When a student becomes more to us than the class clown, mean girl, drama queen, geek, or jock, it is easier to remember that each student matters and is worth our time. They are not just one more paper to grade. We think of them specifically as we plan our lessons, and we look forward to watching them progress. Time in their company is time well spent.

4. Explore the ethics of teaching.

We know that massive packets of worksheets don't teach, that oral dictation spelling tests are not tests of spelling, and that lectures with no opportunities to process content are ineffective-yet we rarely confront these practices in ourselves or others. Are we open to critique, or do colleagues see us as set in our ways? And what goes unlearned among our students when we play it politically safe?

Candor is hard, but when offered constructively and in a culture where it is safe to hold different opinions from those of our colleagues, it's invigorating. When we open up our practices to the scrutiny of respected colleagues and analyze the merits of our decisions, we may find our strategies lacking, but wrestling with practice like this breathes new life into our work. And we may find our practices validated by others, which creates camaraderie. An unexamined pedagogy can hinder learning, but an examined pedagogy empowers learning and gives our students the classrooms they need.

To what degree do we allow people untrained in teaching to tell us what to do? For example, educators often agree that percentage grades distort the accuracy of grade reports and should be abandoned (Guskey, 2013), but many districts keep them because parents want them. Some teachers count homework as 50 percent of the report card grade, even though we know how much this skews our reports of student performance against standards. Do we say something and change the practice? If we do nothing, we are effectively agreeing to distort the grade report.

Discover the energy that comes with candid exploration of ethical issues. Consider how your handling of issues like these may affect your students' well-being:

An English language learner knows the content but cannot express his expertise because he has language limitations. Should he be allowed to take the test in his native language?

A student is late with a project. Should her grade on the project be lowered? Or do we give her one grade on timely attention to deadlines and a different grade on how well her project meets academic standards?

You want to honor diverse opinion and community values, but you teach life science and evolution in a community where a significant number of families are creationists or believe in intelligent design. How do you proceed?

5. Embrace humility.

To accept a new idea, we have to first admit that what we're doing is less effective than we thought. This can be tough because, for many of us, the way we teach defines much of who we are as individuals. If someone critiques our teaching, it feels like they're critiquing us. In humility, however, we grow comfortable with the idea that we may be wrong. One of the signs of an intellectual is the willingness to revise one's thinking. As modern educators, we are intellectuals, and hence open to revision.

Doubt can be our greatest compass rose, providing direction when needed: My colleague posed a provocative question about that strategy I use, but I dismissed it as having no merit-Have I grown complacent? Could there be another interpretation of that classic text that's just as correct as mine? If I ask for assistance with this student, will the administration think less of me?

Let's invite administrators, parents, and students to evaluate us at any time. Let's let students and parents complete report cards on us, ones that they design but that we augment to include elements about which we'd like feedback. We might even want to share, discuss, and respond to this feedback publicly to show our willingness to learn.

6. Value intellect.

Teaching the same age group the same topics five periods a day year after year without intellectual stimulation breeds complacency. It's easier to pull out last year's lesson sequence and go through the motions than it is to breathe new life into the unit and respond to the unique nature of the individuals before us. This problem has existed for ages, as an 1895 report attests:

The deadening influence of routine in teaching is well known; ... Said a college professor, "What can be more deadening to all intellectual interest than to read year after year the same classic author with the successive classes of students? I plead for a frequent change of authors." ... No teacher can afford to dispense with good scholarship; for without it he fails in his chief desire, which is to be of the highest service to his pupils .... A good test of the intellectual condition of the schools is to take an account of the studies the teachers are carrying on for themselves. (Seaver, 1895, pp. 21-22)

Teacher Diana Senechal writes on her blog (2013),

Teachers need room for their own lives and interests, even if they devote most of their time to school. Schools and policymakers should recognize that those outside pursuits enrich lives and translate into better teaching. ... Teachers and students thrive in relation to substantial, beautiful, meaningful subject matter.

A well-nurtured intellect ignites us, deepening our passion for the field. Let's build that intellect. Here are just a few ideas to get you started (for more, see Wormeli, 2013, 2014):

Start or participate in an Edcamp.

Write for education publications. Analyzing and explaining what you do can clarify and transform your thinking.

Reconsider unit sequences. Should a later unit be taught earlier, or can you move through all the topics historically, rather than treating them as disconnected units?

Reflect on how you're different than you were 10 years ago and where you'll be 10 years from now. Identify decisions you've made to get to where you are today and what you still need to do to achieve your current goals.

Write a personal grading philosophy statement listing all your grading policies and a rationale for each one.

As you grow through these experiences, think about how you can use your learning to encourage and spark greater learning in your students.

7. Maintain passion and playfulness.

Having fun with your subject and your students will give students permission to engage, even invest, in their learning, and it will elevate your spirits. There's so much stress involved in teaching today's students; moments of true passion and playfulness bring back much-needed humanity.

Save your sanity, then, by incorporating students' names into your test questions and their community culture into their projects. Use props in lessons, take on the manner of a different character from time to time as you teach, and add something startling to two of your lessons this week.

Invite a colleague to burst into your class at a specific time and blurt something related to the lesson then leave quickly as you respond to the commotion with, "That was bizarre, but by good fortune, we can use the information!" Put a mysterious box in the middle of the room with yellow police tape around it and a sign that says, "Warning: Open one week from today, only in the presence of an adult." Activities like these build a sense of wonder and curiosity in students.

Show students you don't take yourself too seriously by daring them to find a mistake in your lessons. Insert random humorous slides into your media and lesson presentations, and embrace non sequiturs from students and yourself. Let students step into your shoes by teaching a portion of a lesson (perhaps using a family-friendly puppet you have on hand). Or have a student emcee a unit review game while you take a seat as a contestant.

Speak with just as much enthusiasm about your topic during 7th period as you did in 1st period-after all, it's your students' first time hearing this lesson. Find ways to turn seemingly boring material into a great romance or heroic drama. Get manipulatives into students' hands, and ask them to build physical models of abstract and intangible things (justice, algebra, metaphor, or genetics).

Ask students to think creatively by ranking a cantaloupe, a beach ball, a suitcase, and a copy of the Magna Carta in order of importance to one of the characters in a book. Or have them compose a dialog between two punctuation marks about who's more important. Make learning fun for yourself and your students whenever you can.

And One Bonus Habit

All these habits together create a feeling of emotional wellness, but they are habits, not incidents. Like muscles that atrophy in disuse, these habits have to be used frequently to achieve emotional health benefits.

Fortunately, as we practice these seven habits, we discover an eighth habit, perhaps the most important: Self-renew. We need to consider which elements are ineffective and need to be dropped from our practice, what we need to change, and how to generate hope for today's students and our profession. Taking this time to renew whenever we can will enable us to move forward in positive ways.

Stephen Covey declared that our character is the composite of our habits. Let us then compose virtuous affective habits that will ensure the success of the next generation.

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The Seven Habits of Highly Affective Teachers - ASCD

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Anxious, overconfident, curious, indifferent, angry, amused, lonely, hopeful, embarrassed, empowered, afraid, excited, diminished-teachers have seen all these emotions emerge from students as they engage with classroom content. Emotional responses to lessons often go through students' minds before they even begin to think about the material: This stuff is stupid/awesome/beyond me.

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From NCTE

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Culturally Responsive Teaching in Today’s Classrooms

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Valentina Gonzalez offers a number of recommendations to ensure a culturally responsive classroom and respecting each student’s unique culture.

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Take this self-assessment to recognize the warning signs.

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Identity charts are a graphic tool that can help students consider the many factors that shape who we are as individuals and as communities. Use identity charts to deepen students’ understanding of themselves, groups, nations, and historical and literary figures. Sharing their own identity charts with peers can help students build relationships and break down stereotypes. In this way, identity charts can be used as an effective classroom community-building tool.

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Use identity charts to help students consider the many factors that shape their own identity and that of groups, nations, and historical and literary figures.

Advisory

English & Language Arts

History

Social Studies

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Use identity charts to help students consider the many factors that shape their own identity and that of groups, nations, and historical and literary figures.

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This tool provides ideas about how to practice self-care across many areas of your life.

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Top Ten Deescalation Techniques

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How Teachers Can Help Students Transition Back to School

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How Teachers Can Help Students Transition Back to School

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By Dr. Carl Leonard & Dr. Gail Brown

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COVID-19: How teachers can help students transition back to school

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Dr Carl Leonard and Dr Gail Brown provide tips and suggestions for teachers and leaders to help manage the transition back to school after COVID-19.

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Using Stress to Care for Yourself

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In Stressful Times, Make Stress Work for You (Published 2020)

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Research shows we can actually use stress to improve our health and well-being. Here’s how.

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Strategies for Inclusion

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While there is currently more LGBTQ representation in media, politics, and entertainment than ever before, school can still be a challenging place for LGBTQ kids and kids who are questioning and discovering who they are. Here are some tips for making your classroom a safe and inclusive space for all of your students.
Include Resources By LGBTQ People In Your Curriculum
Be deliberate about who makes the cut in your syllabus and include LGBTQ people. You don't have to announce, "And now we'll look at the gay paintings by the gay Michelangelo," but our students (queer, straight, trans, cisgender, whatever) deserve to know that LGBTQ people are important contributors to their learning.

Hang Some Rainbows

Maybe you cover the back wall of your classroom with a Pride flag printed with subtle messages like, ALL STUDENTS WELCOME or DON'T WORRY, THIS CLASSROOM ISN'T HOMOPHOBIC. Or maybe you just stick a Safe Place sticker on your door. A lot of kids will never notice it. But the queer kids will. The kids with queer families will. At least one kid will ask you what that sticker means, and then you'll have the opportunity to talk about it.

If Melanie goes by Mel with her friends, call her Mel in class. Let her write Mel on her papers. Call her Mel when including her in parent-teacher conferences.

Stop "THAT'S SO GAY" Every Time

VIDEO: Change Attitudes Toward Bullying: Be An Ally

That goes for "f**" too, and any other way that kids test out their moxie by using homophobic slurs to bully, tease, or flirt. Even when you have a lesson, a quiz, and a new seating chart to get through, stop it when you hear it. Even when you're forty minutes into the fifth class you've taught that day, stop it when you hear it. Even when you suspect that they don't understand the meaning of what they're saying, stop it when you hear it.

Rally

Gather up the LGBTQ teachers and allies in your building and start talking about how to make your school an inclusive - not just tolerant - place for LGBTQ students.

Or better yet, learn how you can get involved with#QueertheCurriculum. For more information visit kristinleong.com.

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Five Simple Ways to Create an LGBTQ+ Inclusive Classroom

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While there is currently more LGBTQ representation in media, politics, and entertainment than ever before, school can still be a challenging place for LGBTQ kids and kids who are questioning and discovering who they are. Here are some tips for making your classroom a safe and inclusive space for all of your students.

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Strategies to Increase Engagement During Remote Learning

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As university professors and researchers who work closely with K-12 online teachers and learners, we've heard from many newly remote educators who are struggling. Recent class discussions have focused on the difficulties of getting through to students without in-person contact, especially during a time of enormous stress. Some teachers report that their students lack interest and in the worst cases, that students are dropping from classes entirely.

From our experience both in the online classroom and in training teachers to teach online, this is familiar territory and typically happens about six weeks into a new school session. The newness has worn off, the excitement around technology wanes and teachers often struggle finding ways to engage with their students.

The crucial question that has emerged is: how do we engage learners when we are not together physically? It's a complicated question, even in the best of times-one that has been at the forefront of our daily online teaching practice and our research into the online behaviors and interactions that can have the greatest impact on successful learner outcomes. Thankfully, research into online learning can provide us with a starting point to make sure our students continue to be engaged in the process of learning.

There isn't one solution for increasing learner engagement and motivation. Online teachers need to combine multiple strategies to reach learners, such as strengthening relationships with learners, engaging families and helping learners connect with their peers. But building strong relationships online is difficult.

What Is Engagement and Why Is It So Important to the Learning Process?

In its simplest form, engagement is a measure of how much we are attending to a purpose, task or activity. When it comes to learning, engagement is influenced by a learner's level of motivation, focus and cognitive ability as well as online course design and a teacher's decisions regarding facilitation style.

Grounded in the learning sciences, engagement is deepest in environments that support fostering relationships, productive instructional strategies, and social and emotional development. Engaged learners demonstrate stronger satisfaction with learning experiences, stronger achievement in courses and increased graduation rates.

Researchers identify three primary components of learner engagement for in-person and online settings: behavioral, cognitive and emotional. In other words, we know that learners are engaged if they exhibit behaviors, thinking processes or emotions that indicate they are connecting with course materials, with the teacher and with each other.

Measuring these types of engagement is easier said than done, though researchers have settled on some common approaches in traditional classrooms that can easily be translated to the online classroom, where research isn't as far along. Some of these measures will be more difficult for teachers to assess, and some may require teachers to understand and use the analytics capabilities of online tools. Teachers needn't collect data on every single measure, but having familiarity with the following common measurements will allow teachers to determine which factors they can reasonably assess according to the type of engagement they hope to spur.

Types of engagement with common measurements for virtual settings

How can we make the leap from this research to practical application in the remote classroom? The Adolescent Community of Engagement Framework proposed by Jered Borup, Richard West, Charles Graham and Randall Davies gives us one approach. These researchers argue that student engagement is created and enhanced by the involvement of three key players in any K-12 online learning experience: teachers, parents and peers.

Adolescent Community of Engagement Framework: A Lens for Research in K-12 Online Learning Environments hypothesizes that as parent, teacher, and peer engagement increase, student engagement will likely increase until it fills the area indicated by the dotted line. Image credit: Jered Borup, Richard West, Charles Graham and Randall Davies. Used with permission.

How Teachers Can Increase Learner Engagement in a Remote Classroom

One of the most consistent findings in engagement research is that a teacher has an enormous impact on the student's experience, influencing everything from students' perceived learning and self efficacy to their motivation. Being an engaged teacher online means being visible in the class, whether that's through discussion posts, announcements or assignment feedback. Teachers can emphasize their visibility and overall engagement in a remote classroom by implementing these practices:

Post regular announcements: A funny video or meme along with a hello and a weekly reminder of due dates can go a long way in reconnecting learners.

Reply early and often: Students need to feel that teachers are immediately available to help and may feel isolated when educators take a full business day to respond to a request for help. Quick communication builds connection.

Vary communication tools: Teachers should consider the communication preferences of individual students and make sure that their tools are best positioned to respond to students' questions. Phone calls, synchronous video tools, instant messaging or texting are all good options to use in combination, depending on the district's communication policies and student preferences.

Use feedback to build relationships: Providing personalized feedback to let students know their work has been reviewed can strengthen relations. Video feedback is also effective in building a connection with learners.

Physical connections under social distancing: Teacher parades and chalk messages on students' sidewalks are a great example of recent efforts teachers have taken to demonstrate their level of commitment to maintain high levels of engagement with their students. Similar online approaches such as recorded or live book readings and virtual office hours can be just as effective.

How Teachers Can Increase Parent Engagement in a Remote Classroom

Research has shown that the involvement of a responsible adult, typically a parent, is critical to the success of online learners. K-12 learners need the support of a caring adult to build executive functioning, manage their workload and maintain motivation. Teachers can support parents in this role by implementing a few key practices:

Connect with parents: Phone calls, texts and friendly emails help parents feel connected, realizing that the teacher is there to support the entire family.

Provide a schedule: Parents can use a schedule that shows the days and times of synchronous classes and includes what activities students should be working on each day to help keep students on task.

Offer tech support: Teachers can create short videos to help parents understand how to access their online content.

Less is more: Parents can quickly become inundated with well-intentioned emails from various teachers. Keeping emails short and focused is best.

Survey parents: Periodic, brief surveys can help teachers understand what support parents need.

How Teachers Can Facilitate Connections Between Students in a Remote Classroom

Research shows that students who feel connected to other learners are more engaged. In connecting with other learners, students feel that they are part of a classroom community. When motivation for the content itself is lacking, the desire to socialize with other learners can keep a student coming back to the work of a remote classroom. Teachers can improve peer engagement in a virtual setting by implementing these practices:

Use prompts to spark discussion: Discussion boards can be a great space for conversations, especially when teachers use prompts that are open-ended, stir debate or force deeper learning. Prompts can also be used to generate video discussions using a social learning tool like Flipgrid or an online debate tool such as Tricider.

Student talk during synchronous learning: Lectures and focused learning can happen through recorded videos but synchronous sessions offer an opportunity to share and talk to each other as a community. Sessions hosted through Zoom or Google Meet can incorporate traditional classroom activities like jigsaws, small group activities in breakout rooms or discussion protocols.

Group assignments: Learners can create collaborative group projects through a shared Google doc or Google site. For instance, students can collaborate on the creation of an Editor's Toolbox website with grammar tips by assigning groups of students to each page within the site.

Student-led tech support: Students who are exceptionally gifted in technology might troubleshoot or a teacher can create a "Tech Help" forum that students can moderate. Teachers should take care to set up structured guidelines for classroom use.

Carving out time to share: Teachers can allow time and space for students to showcase their expertise, hobbies or projects using a Padlet or Pinterest board.

Figuring out how to effectively engage learners has always been a complex challenge for educators like the ones that we instruct. Identifying ways to motivate students, help them maintain focus and get the most out of learning was difficult when we had physical classrooms and it remains a challenge now that our learning environments are entirely virtual. A savvy educator will employ a variety of strategies to build engagement. By recognizing the critical importance of engaging learners, parents and peers, and selecting the strategies that work for them and their contexts, educators can move toward deeper engagement in online environments.

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How Can Educators Tap Into Research to Increase Engagement During Remote Learning? - EdSurge News

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As university professors and researchers who work closely with K-12 online teachers and learners, we've heard from many newly remote educators who are struggling. Recent class discussions have focused on the difficulties of getting through to students without in-person contact, especially during a time of enormous stress.

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Considerations for Classroom Design in the age of COVID

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Where we learn matters. This truth has exploded as we have waded through the realities of emergency remote learning.

As a profession, we have honorably pivoted to meet the needs of students, but all of us have experienced the soft spots of our strategy. We have seen students lack access to technology and Wi-Fi. We have watched as students with additional challenges, including those with physical or learning disabilities, fade from technology-rich learning, and we have even seen our most driven students burn out from the daily grind of hours on video conferences and completing assignments online.

All of this has us eager to be back in the same physical space as our students as soon as possible. Nothing replaces proximity when it comes to fostering relationships and building trusted connections with students.

The realities of COVID-19 spreading in our communities without a vaccine or herd immunity means that a return to full schools without restrictions is simply out of our reach for many months. We will likely see students returning to school in shifts to classrooms that have been specifically designed to protect students and teachers. Cafeterias, gymnasiums, and libraries may be off limits. Practices we once took for granted, such as community supply stores, learning in groups and soft seating may be on hold for now. All of these things will stretch our ability to redesign our spaces so that students can explore, discover, and connect in meaningful ways.

As the number of things that remain out of our control grows (spacing of desks, movement in and between classes, scheduling), there are still a number space design considerations that we can control and which can allow our students to truly benefit from where they learn. Consider these five ways to craft your classroom in these unique moments when we need to balance the health and humanity of our spaces.

Signage and First Impressions

Returning to a school building for the first time since we were all jettisoned to emergency remote learning will be a stressful event. Many teachers and students haven't gathered in large groups since March, so this return to school will elicit a variety of emotions from everyone. To support students' emotional needs, it will be important to set the right tone with the signage that fills our spaces.

From the front doors of the school, through the hallways, and into our classrooms, do we have signage that cares for all or produces fear? Are we asking people to be a part of a responsible community or filling them with negative messages that lack empathy for the emotional stress of returning to school? There is definitely a need for everyone to understand the community health rules of a space, such as frequent hand washing and donning masks, but this doesn't have to be our leading message. Let all spaces acknowledge the reality, but stress belonging, community and the joy of being together again.

Optimizing the Perimeter

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments may have control over how we design the floor plan in our classrooms (i.e., six feet of space between desks, directional walking patterns, coordinated movement between spaces), educators have control over how we design the perimeter of our classrooms.

Fill the walls with only essential items for learning. During emergency remote learning, we have realized that students can learn without the anchor charts and inspirational posters on the wall. We shouldn't design a sterile space, but instead design with fresh eyes and ask these questions. Does having this item on the wall add to the visual clutter or support daily learning? Can I move more learning resources away from the front of the learning space to calm and focus students on presentations and content? In what ways, can I design with a color palette in mind that brings a coherence to the space? Answering these questions and focusing on the spaces that you can control will allow the classroom to be a place of normalcy during a time when all of the rest of school feels different.

Minimize Teacher Only Space

This was always a good idea, but with the mandated restrictions on space, we need to double down items that fill up space with no real purpose. Start by looking at the teacher-only space in the room-and if you don't know what spaces are teacher-only, ask students to go stand in spaces where they feel are implicitly off limits. This will give you a sense of what spaces have been removed from student use. If we are limited by the rule that only allows 10-15 people in a space, then every square foot matters. Consider ways to add 20-30 square feet back to the space available for students. This addition by subtraction will help give students some breathing room.

Movement and Choice

Intentional space design is anchored in the concepts of maximizing physical movement and providing students with choice over where they learn. This has resulted in the flexible, agile and active classroom efforts that had incredible momentum before COVID-19 disoriented all aspects of learning.

Learning science continues to show us that movement and choice are key to optimal learning. But in this sliver of life these optimal design elements must be put on hold to mitigate the risks of spreading the virus. Even so, we can't eliminate these elements in totality. Having students stand for 3-5 minutes behind their desks to listen to the teacher talk can keep the brain oxygenated and primed for learning. Giving students permission to stand along the sides or in the back of the room or even the chance to sit on the tops of their desks will promote choice and supply variation to a room that has been sterilized by its arrangement. In some locations, moving learning to an outdoor space is an option, and when available can provide the movement needed to greater engagement and joy to learning.

Space is Time and Time is Space

Space and time are interconnected, and when we talk about the aspects of space that we can control in these trying times, we should also talk about intentionally designing the time that we have with students. Face-to-face time shouldn't be a content blitz filled with the voice of the teacher, as most of this can happen in virtual learning; instead, use this time to connect and listen. Use in-class time to promote conversation and community. Use it to calm and lower stress. In the coming months, our time with students may not have daily consistency, so it will be essential to design the time in our physical spaces to support the whole child. It will also be a time to anchor learning in relevant, meaningful contexts. Sync time design and space design to support the academic and emotional needs of all students.

This will be a very non-linear return to our school buildings. In some locations, students will come to school with a new type of schedule. Their in-person learning may pause because of contagion or public health concern and then return to the physical space again. This cycle could happen many times throughout the upcoming school year. For other students and families, they will remain in a virtual only space because of their unique needs or the success that they have found in the virtual learning environment.

All of these variables will require educators to design with the flexibility that allows for students to fluidly move between physical and virtual learning spaces. Design with this reality in mind. Make sure that our digital learning spaces provide easy access to resources and learning tasks. Minimize the digital clutter in these spaces. Model the power of learning near natural light and bringing fresh air into the mix whenever possible, so that students carry this into their home learning spaces.

Where we learn matters, and as we consider the launch of the new school year, take time to listen to students, notice their needs and incorporate that in which we can't control into the design elements that we can control. With these efforts, we can heal, remain healthy and continue to bring a deep sense of humanity to our work to guide the learning for our students, students that are eager to be connected with their learning community again.

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What Does Good Classroom Design Look Like in the Age of Social Distancing? - EdSurge News

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Where we learn matters. This truth has exploded as we have waded through the realities of emergency remote learning. As a profession, we have honorably pivoted to meet the needs of students, but all of us have experienced the soft spots of our strategy. We have seen students lack access to technology and Wi-Fi.

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Use this rubric to reflect on how we can engage families and what family engagement looks like from elementary through high school.

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How Trauma Is Changing Children's Brains

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How Trauma Is Changing Children's Brains

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This article includes some tips on classroom environment.

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For several years, John Snelgrove began his workweek with a lengthy fax from the local police, listing the home addresses where officers had answered domestic violence calls over the weekend.

Snelgrove, head of guidance services for Brockton (Mass.) Public Schools, would check those addresses against the district's student database. When a match came up, he'd alert the counselor at that child's school, who, in turn, would take a red envelope and deliver it to the child's teacher. Inside was a slip of paper with a student's name and a quick prescription for "TLC."

A Sunday night, disrupted by violence, panic, and 911 calls, surely will make it difficult for a child to settle down to learn on Monday morning. But, even more than that, researchers have found that exposure to unrelenting stress and repeated traumas can change a child's brain, making it easier to "fight or flee" from perceived dangers and harder to focus and learn. Understanding this neuroscience makes it possible for educators to create trauma-sensitive classroom.

"It's more than one or two children in your class of 28, it could be closer to 30 percent or more," Snelgrove tells his colleagues. But even children who haven't experienced trauma will benefit from the strategies that Brockton teachers and education support professionals have learned through years of training with the Massachusetts-based Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, and their partnerships with local police, mental health, and child welfare agencies.

"Be consistent, be kind, focus on connecting with kids," he urges.

The Traumatized Brain

Back in the 1990s, Dr. Vincent Felitti, working with very obese adults, discovered that a shocking majority of his patients had suffered significant traumas during childhood. Eventually, his work led to a mega-study, involving tens of thousands of patients, which showed the long-lasting effects of "adverse childhood experiences," or ACEs, such as child neglect or abuse, or a parent with addiction or imprisoned. Those children often grow up to be adults who are more likely to be sick, to be violent, to miss work, and to marry often.

Since then, it's become clear that the damaging effects of trauma are not saved until adulthood. It starts early and it affects students and teachers: in fact, kindergartners who have had tough experiences score below-average in reading and math, even when other factors like household income and parental education are considered, a study published this year found. Those traumatized 5-year-olds also are three times more likely to have problems with paying attention, and two times more likely to show aggression.

What neuropsychologists have found is that traumatic experiences actually can alter children's brains. In times of great stress, or trauma, the brain activates its deeply instinctive, "fight, flight, or freeze" responses, while dialing down the areas of the brain where learning, especially around language, takes place. When this happens over and again, especially in children under age 5, the brain is fundamentally changed. Basically, it adapts for survival under the worst conditions.

"It's an appropriate adaptation to their circumstances," says Amanda Moreno, professor of early-child development at the Erikson Institute in Chicago. "But it comes at enormous cost to schooling, especially with the way we do schooling in this country, which is very standardized."

Traumatized 5-year-olds are three times more likely to have problems with paying attention, and two times more likely to show aggression.

Veteran Illinois special education teacher Kathi Ritchie knows what this looks like in a classroom: "You will see kids struggling with all areas of language, word retrieval, writing... memory suffers hugely. They tend to be forgetful. They don't remember content-area ideas that have been taught to them; the next day it's like they never were taught," she says. "The other thing that is huge is the behavior."

Living in a constant, fear-activated state of hyper-awareness means these children can be quick to rage, Ritchie has seen. In their subconscious efforts to self-protect, they often can be perceived as defiant, disrespectful or overly aggressive. Others may look like they're zoning out or drifting off, she says. "It can look like kids are shutting down, but their brain is telling them, 'you need to be safe.'"

Calming Colors, Safe Spaces, Mindfulness

So what's an educator to do? First, here's what not to do: Punish a child for showing the symptoms of a medical disorder. Trauma and stressor disorders can be found in the most up-to-date Bible of mental health disorders and diagnoses, the DSM-V, which means they are a real medical issue. Out-of-school suspensions are an inappropriate response and likely feed the school-to-prison pipeline.

Instead, what helps is to create a trauma-sensitive classroom where kids can feel safe and build resilience. Although Snelgrove no longer receives faxes from the local police because of revised confidentiality requirements, he hopes the "universal precautions" that Brockton teachers and education support professionals have embraced will catch any student who has experienced trauma.

Trauma-sensitive teachers often offer a "comfort zone" to their students, a safe space where kids can retreat and calm down. Sometimes it's as simple as a beanbag chair. Their classrooms also are neat and uncluttered. Think about how you feel coming home to a messy house, Snelgrove says. A little overwhelmed, right? It's worse for hyper-aroused children. Cool colors reign on the walls.

Ritchie also recommends teaching strategies that include predictable classroom routines with advance warning to students of any changes; asking students to repeat verbal instructions, using more written instructions, and also using visual prompts for multi-step directions, like a sticky post-it note on a desk. All students can benefit from short "movement breaks" every 30 minutes to "reframe the brain," she says.

Moreno's research currently involves the effects of mindfulness exercises on students in some of Chicago's roughest neighborhoods. Although her study is not yet complete, teachers and principals have told her that the time they are spending on mindfulness actually is leading to more time for instruction. Students refocus more quickly after transitions, and calm down after upsets. This makes classrooms more efficient, but it also helps with an even bigger goal: Helping children grow up to be healthy adults.

You will see kids struggling with all areas of language, word retrieval, writing... memory suffers hugely.

- Kathi Ritchie, special education teacher.

Apart from employing a mindfulness curricula, or classroom yoga practices, which also are gaining popularity, simply greeting students at the start of the day and "acknowledging their humanity" before diving into tasks will help, Moreno says. With all the demands placed on teachers, it can be difficult, even "radical," for teachers to slow down the pace of their classes and to take time with every student, but it will pay dividends, she says.

In Brockton, Snelgrove appreciates his district's leaders for investing in years of trauma-related training for teachers and education support professionals, and developing partnerships with police, mental health, and child welfare agencies. This isn't the stuff that appears on state-mandated standardized tests, he acknowledges. But it is the stuff that engages the "hearts and minds" of teachers and education support professionals, he says.

"We're not perfect, and I know we have a way to go, but when we talk about the 'whole child,' we mean it."

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How Trauma is Changing Children's Brains

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For several years, John Snelgrove began his workweek with a lengthy fax from the local police, listing the home addresses where officers had answered domestic violence calls over the weekend. Snelgrove, head of guidance services for Brockton (Mass.) Public Schools, would check those addresses against the district's student database.

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"Empathy is at the core of everything that makes a school caring, a teacher responsive, and a society civilized. When empathy wanes, narcissism, distrust, aggression, bullying, and hate rise—and schools suffer."

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October 2018 | Volume 76 | Number 2
The Promise of Social-Emotional Learning Pages 22-28

Michele Borba

In today's interconnected world, empathy gives students the edge they need to lead meaningful, productive lives, providing what I call the "empathy advantage." Once seen as a "soft" skill, empathy helps us understand and feel with others. That's why Forbes urges companies to adopt empathy and perspective-taking principles, and the Harvard Business Review named empathy as one of the "essential ingredients for leadership success and excellent performance" (Goleman, 2014).

Empathy-or the ability to understand others' feelings and needs-is also the foundation of a safe, caring, and inclusive learning climate. Students with high levels of empathy display more classroom engagement, higher academic achievement, and better communication skills (Jones et al., 2014). Empathy reduces aggression, boosts prosocial behaviors (Eisenberg, Eggum, & DiGiunta, 2010) and may be our best antidote to bullying and racism (Santos et al., 2011).

Planting Seeds of Empathy

Rather than a one-dimensional trait, empathy comprises nine teachable competencies that I identified while writing UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World (2016). Each competency is suitable for students from kindergarten through high school (as well as adults) and can be taught. Together, they can serve as a principal's guide for empathy education.

Educating for empathy is not about using a toolkit or a one-off program; it requires ongoing, embedded work guided by strong school leaders who are empathetic themselves (see " Principles of Effective Empathy Education"). This work must be based on an understanding of the nine competencies, strategies and practices that cultivate them, and students' needs. Gauging success won't come from a grade or score, but from a student's response. Look for smiles, engagement, joy, and even tears: lessons in empathy can be life-altering.

So what are optimum ways to help teachers understand and embed these competencies into their daily practice? Let's look at how empathetic schools are approaching this work.

1. Emotional Literacy

Before students can empathize, they must be able to read emotions. Students who can recognize feelings are better adjusted emotionally and are more popular, outgoing, and sensitive (Goleman, 1995). They also score higher academically and are more resilient (Gottman & DeClaire, 1997). But researchers warn that today's digitally focused world is reducing students' abilities to recognize human emotions and jeopardizing their empathetic capacities (Uhls et al., 2014).

Empathy thrives in environments that prioritize face-to-face connections, so a key step for school leaders is to help teachers create classrooms that nurture meaningful interaction and engagement. Look to see if furniture is arranged to encourage communication, with desks positioned in a semi-circle to allow each student to see every peer, or in small clusters, enabling students to work closely with one another. Notice also if students have opportunities to share ideas and discuss lessons. Watch to see if teachers are with students and building caring relationships, or if they're sitting behind a desk disengaged.

Then note if students are learning to read and identify emotions. First graders in some classrooms I've observed have a morning ritual of pointing to how they feel on a chart of facial expressions reflecting various emotions. A music teacher has students identify their feelings before and after each recital. A science teacher regularly assigns students to spend 30 minutes alone in nature without their smartphones, log their feelings, and even reflect on how briefly unplugging increases their emotional awareness.

Also, look for practices that teachers can use to help students identify how others feel. Middle school students can do daily "emotion check-ins" by observing a partner, asking how they are feeling ("Are you frustrated?"), and offering support if needed ("I'm here for you"). Paired sharing, discussions, and class meetings are other ways to increase students' sensitivity to emotional cues, nurture caring connections, and learn emotional literacy.

2. Moral Identity

A child's inner value system, or moral identity, can inspire empathy, shape character, and motivate compassion. A key step is helping students define themselves as people who value others. Kids are more likely to learn moral identity when adults model, instruct, and expect them to care about others (Oliner, 1992). That poses a problem in our culture, with its increasing void in moral role models, but educators can play a central role in helping students develop strong ethical compasses.

I've seen this being done in countless ways. Teachers have students create class mantras such as "We help each other." High schools require seniors to write graduation essays on who they are and what they stand for. Third graders memorize weekly kindness quotes, and then choose one for their personal mantra. "Finding your mantra helps you discover what you stand for," a teen once told me.

For a quick assessment to see how you and your staff are modeling moral identity, ask: "What do we stand for? How are we expected to behave?" It is important to watch your behavior in front of students. As one group of 6th graders reminded me, a teacher's actions, not a motivational poster on a wall, matter most.

3. Perspective Taking

Perspective taking is the cognitive side of empathy and is crucial for today's students. Whether it's connecting students across the globe through technology, debating an issue from various sides, or seeing the American Revolution from the British point of view, perspective taking can stretch students' horizons and lead them to question assumptions. Research also shows that the most memorable lessons are often based on this third empathy competency (Heath & Heath, 2008).

Stepping into another's shoes (literally or cognitively) helps kids understand others. I once visited the classroom of an English teacher whose test for Romeo and Juliet uses paper shoe cutouts depicting each character. Students step onto each cutout and explain the plot through the character's views and feelings.

We tend to empathize with those who are "like us" in social-economic terms. Teens in a North Carolina school told me their science teacher widens their awareness by encouraging them to participate in a 24-hour hunger strike (with parental approval) to understand poverty. Many of these students now volunteer at a food bank because they know what hunger feels like.

Restorative discipline practices help students who've hurt or upset their peers develop empathy for their victims. In a Kansas middle school, I observed two boys who'd been suspended from class for a heated debate in which each accused the other of "messing with my stuff." They were individually required to complete a "think sheet" that had them describe the conflict from the other boy's view. Asking kids: "How would you feel if that happened to you?" can do wonders to stretch perspectives.

4. Moral Imagination

Educators intuitively know that books can transport students to other worlds, but now science proves it. Reading literary fiction like Wonder or The Grapes of Wrath can enhance empathy and help us to feel with the characters (Mar, Oatley, & Peterson, 2009). Emotionally charged films and images can also prompt empathetic feelings and even encourage charitable giving (Barraza et al., 2015).

Kindergarteners might watch Dumbo, use puppets to depict the elephants and crows making fun of him, then talk about how they'd feel if they were Dumbo. An art teacher might use riveting paintings to help students grasp different artists' perspectives.

Books can also help kids explore lives and beliefs different from their own. " A Long Walk to Water moved me," one middle schooler told me, referring to Linda Sue Park's novel. "I learned Sudanese kids are like me, but lack opportunities. I talked my class into raising money to get them a well."

5. Self-Regulation

Self-regulation allows kids to keep their emotions in check and recognize others' feelings, empathize, and then calmly think of how to help. It also boosts academic performance: Managing emotions is a better predictor of academic achievement than IQ (Lehrer, 2009).

If they are too distressed, kids shut down their empathetic instincts because they can't think clearly enough to help. Regulating feelings starts by teaching children how to recognize their stress triggers and signs before they're in overload. That's why calm-down corners, mood rooms, and stress boxes (which contain sensory objects like stress balls or fidget spinners) are popping up in schools from coast to coast.

I've watched 1st graders practice belly breathing and high schoolers do yoga to stay cool. Many educators embrace mindfulness meditation because it is proven to reduce stress and nurture empathy. Visitacion Valley School in San Francisco introduced a twice-daily, 15-minute ritual in which students choose to sit quietly or meditate. As a result of this practice, suspensions decreased by 79 percent, while attendance rates and test scores have improved (McFadden, Sandler, & Fieldstadt, 2015). Quiet time has been an effective strategy in this middle school because each student chooses what works for him or her and practices the self-regulation technique until it becomes a habit.

An unprecedented rise in youth depression and anxiety make teaching this fifth competency all the more urgent.

6. Practicing Kindness

Being kind is what helps children tune in to other people's feelings and needs, trust more, and become more "we" oriented and less "me" oriented. Each kind act nudges kids to notice others ("I see how you feel"), care ("I'm concerned about you"), empathize ("I feel with you"), and help and comfort them ("Let me ease your pain"). Practicing kindness can also change children's self-image and behavior. If a child sees herself as kind, she is more likely to act kindly.

Kindness is strengthened by seeing, hearing, and practicing kindness. I've seen kindergarteners give one another morning greetings with smiles, handshakes, and eye contact. In Bremerton, Washington, "Kindness Ambassadors" meet their peers at the school entrance with friendly greetings. Students at Pleasant Prairie Elementary in Wisconsin give each other high fives during passing periods. Encourage simple kindness routines like these with your students.

Kindness also jump-starts a cascade of beneficial effects not only for the receiver, but for the giver. One Minnesota educator encouraged students to do two kind things each day and discovered the kids actually seemed to become kinder. A psychology teacher had students chart their kind acts for six weeks. The kids realized they were happier, probably because they noticed how much recipients appreciated their caring deeds. Aesop said it best: "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." A leader's job is to ensure that students take those words to heart, especially in today's increasingly uncivil environment.

7. Collaboration

Empathy is never a solitary act: It's only when we let go of our self-centeredness and feel with others that our hearts open. Working together on common goals can help students make that crucial shift from "me" to "we." These cooperative experiences sensitize students to those who may be different or have conflicting interests. This competency also broadens students' social spheres, preparing them for a diverse world.

Teamwork projects can strengthen students' abilities to encourage others, resolve conflicts, and disagree respectfully-important aspects of empathy.

Many collaborative practices support empathy education and academic growth. Cooperative learning enhances achievement and boosts empathy skills like listening for feelings and perspective taking (Dean et al., 2012). Conflict resolution helps students work together to solve problems. Jigsaw-type learning activities can reduce racial conflict, help kids learn to care about each other, and improve test performance (Walker & Crogan, 1998).

8. Moral Courage

Moral courage is the inner strength that motivates children to act on their empathetic urges and help others despite the potential consequences. Demonstrating moral courage is not always easy, but children who do so stick their necks out for justice and compassion. They are upstanders-the empathetic elite-who stand up for others because they know deep down it's the right thing to do. Acting courageously increases students' resilience, creativity, confidence, willpower, and school engagement-and is teachable.

Mobilizing moral courage may be our best hope to stop cruelty and violence in schools. When kids intervene, it stops bullying more than half the time and within 10 seconds (Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001). Train your staff to teach upstander strategies so students learn how to safely assist bullied peers or those treated unfairly. Then create opportunities for kids to practice those strategies so they become habits. I've watched students role-play upstander skills, teach them to younger kids, and present them to peers in assemblies. Strategies like debate, engaging class discussions, Socratic dialogue, and civic discourse also help students find their voice and practice speaking out.

Lessons that help kids recognize that even ordinary people like themselves can do extraordinary things are invaluable. They can be found in history, through the stories of figures like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela; in fiction, through characters like Dorothy Gale or Harry Potter; or in real life, through examples of heroism from veterans, first responders, or whistle blowers. Keep a box of news articles about heroes and encourage students to find more, then lead discussions about how courage helps us do extraordinary things. Kids need heroes to inspire their courage.

9. Growing Changemakers

Encouraging students to help others can activate empathy and help them see themselves as changemakers: individuals who make positive changes and inspire others to follow. Giving-not receiving-is what makes kids happier, healthier, less stressed, and feel better about themselves (Luks & Payne, 2001). Every student, regardless of zip code, has the potential to make the world a better place, if we provide the right experiences.

School service projects, whether bringing toys to a community shelter or delivering books to a senior home, can help children see the world through others' eyes. And they can be valuable learning experiences. A Seattle 2nd grade teacher's yearly science, math, and service project is to assign each student one square foot in the school's garden. They graph their plot, plant their vegetable of choice, and tend it; but the peak moment is when they hand-deliver their harvest to a local soup kitchen. "The look on their faces makes it all worthwhile," she said. "They realize they can make a difference."

This ninth competency helps children understand they can improve their world by taking action. And they do so not for trophies or to look good on résumés, but because they are driven by the passion of their hearts. These are the graduates we need, and it starts with empathy.

Educating for Humanity

Above all the benefits described, empathy makes our students better people. It is what will help them live one essential truth: We are all humans who share the same fears and concerns, and we deserve to be treated with dignity. School leaders have important work to do. What will be your next step in making empathy education a reality for your students?

› Do you agree that we are facing a crisis of empathy in schools? What examples can you cite from your own school?

› Do any of Borba's nine competencies for empathy seem particularly lacking in your school or district? What practical steps could you or your school take to boost students' skills in these areas?

› In what ways do you and your colleagues model empathy in your school? In what ways could you improve your efforts?

References

Barraza, J. A., Alexander, V., Beavin, L. E., Terris, E. T., & Zak, P. J. (2015). The heart of the story: Peripheral physiology during narrative exposure predicts charitable giving. Biological Psychology,105, 138-143.

Borba, M. (2016). UnSelfie: Why empathetic kids succeed in our all-about-me world. New York: Touchstone.

Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement, 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Eisenberg, N., Eggum, N. D., & Di Giunta, L. (2010). Empathy-related responding: Associations with prosocial behavior, aggression, and intergroup relations. Social Issues and Policy Review, 4(1), 143-180.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. NY: Bantam Books.

Goleman, D. (Summer 2014). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review OnPoint, 24-33.

Gottman, J., & DeClaire, J. (1997). The heart of parenting: How to raise an emotionally intelligent child. NY: Simon & Schuster.

Hawkins, D. L., Pepler, D. J., & Craig, W. M. (2001). Naturalistic observations of peer interventions in bullying. Social Development, 10(4), 512-527.

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2008). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. NY: Random House.

Jones, S. M., Weissbourd, R., Bouffard, S., Kahn, J., & Ross, T. (2014). How to build empathy and strengthen your school community. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Konrath, S. (2010, May 29). Empathy: College students don't have as much as they used to, study finds. Personality and Social Psychology Review. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100528081434.htm

Lehrer, J. (2009, May 18). Don't! The secret of self-control. The New Yorker. Retrieved from www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/05/18/dont-2

Luks, A., & Payne, P. (2001). The healing power of doing good. NY: iUniverse.

Mar, R. A., Oatley, K., & Peterson, J. B. (2009). Exploring the link between reading fiction and empathy: Ruling out individual differences and examining outcomes. Communications, 34(4), 407-428.

McFadden, C., Sandler, T., & Fieldstadt, E. (2015, January 1). San Francisco schools transformed by the power of meditation. NBC News. Retrieved from www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/san-francisco-schools-transformed-power-meditation-n276301

Oliner, S. (1992). The altruistic personality: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe. New York: Touchstone.

Santos, R. G., Chartier, M. G., Whalen, J. C., Chateau, D., & Boyd, L. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based violence prevention for children and youth: Cluster randomized field trial of the Roots of Empathy program with replication and three-year follow up. Healthcare Quarterly, 14, 80-91.

Uhls, Y. T., Michikyan, M., Morris, J., Garcia, D., Small, G. W., Zgourou, E., Greenfield, P. M. (2014). Five days at outdoor education camp without screens improves preteen skills with nonverbal emotion cues. Computers in Human Behavior, 39, 387-392.

Walker, I., & Crogan, M. (1998). Academic performance, prejudice, and the jigsaw classroom: New pieces to the puzzle. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 8(6), 381-393.

Endnote

Resources for teaching upstander strategies.

Michele Borba is an educational psychologist, former teacher, and international speaker to educators and parents. She is the bestselling author of 24 books, including UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World. Follow her on Twitter.

KEYWORDS

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October 2018 | Volume 76 | Number 2 The Promise of Social-Emotional Learning Pages 22-28 Michele Borba In today's interconnected world, empathy gives students the edge they need to lead meaningful, productive lives, providing what I call the "empathy advantage." Once seen as a "soft" skill, empathy helps us understand and feel with others.

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(Five Minute Video)

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Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs Survival Brain

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This concise framework was designed for educators.

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Developing "'Islands of Competence' means finding, developing and supporting a student’s areas of strength, so they can use success to build tolerance to failure and bounce back in the face of adversity."

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Helping Students Cope With Change & Disruption 

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Helping Students Cope With Change & Disruption 

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"...Schools have a unique capacity to ease anxiety for students while serving as models of resilience during a historically challenging time." This article contains strategies to support students.

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Lara Thibodeau and Nancy Rappaport

Our country, our schools, and our students are facing incredible adversity right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has already produced the largest disturbance our school system has ever seen. Schools shut their doors to in-person learning this spring, quickly entering the tumultuous, uncharted territory of online education. Across the nation, educators and their students grappled with the transition from in-person lessons to teaching on unfamiliar online platforms, all while facing anxiety about health, job security, and a changing nation.

Now, we are entering a new school year that will bring new uncertainties and learning formats, likely including hybrid structures that combine distance learning with part-time in-person instruction. There will also be an array of new policies, procedures, and guidelines. With an absence of unifying leadership from the federal government, districts and schools have been left with the unprecedented task of figuring out how to keep students learning while maintaining their physical and mental health in the midst of a global crisis.

It's not exactly a recipe for calm, focused learning.

Even in the face of these daunting challenges, however, educators can continue to effectively support students and their families. Indeed, schools have a unique capacity to ease anxiety for students while serving as models of resilience during a historically challenging time. As civic leaders in whom students and families place their trust, educators can take concrete steps to reduce stress, cultivate productive coping mechanisms, and build a generation of resilient and well-adjusted children.

Be Realistic

To help build students' resilience, educators must first be realistic with them about the uncertainties we are facing.

The Stockdale Paradox can help shed light on why this is important (Collins, 2001). This theory dates back to the Vietnam War, when James Stockdale, a U.S. naval officer, was held captive and tortured as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese for seven years. Later, asked how he survived such a difficult time, he said his ability to maintain a realistic view of his situation was critical to his survival. Prisoners who were overly optimistic fared worse.

"They were the ones who always said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' Christmas would come and it would go. And there would be another Christmas. And they died of a broken heart," Stockdale said.

To educators who are used to looking at things through a highly positive lens, the Stockdale Paradox may seem counterintuitive. But though it may sound dramatic to compare COVID-19 lockdowns to prisoner-of-war experiences, the premise is the same. Initially, students were told they might be returning to school in two weeks. Then it was a month. Then graduations were canceled. Then, before they knew it, classes were out for the summer with uncertain plans for a return to school in the fall. There is no guarantee of when things will return to "normal." And though students are certainly not being held captive, some of their most basic needs-from socializing with friends in the cafeteria to having sleepovers on the weekends-have been stripped from them.

Rather than sugar-coating the situation, teachers must help students learn to cope with a new, often disappointing, reality without losing hope for brighter days ahead. They should focus on helping students make the most out of a difficult situation and highlight the importance of maintaining their safety. At the same time, educators should caution students to limit their exposure to the news and social media (which can exacerbate worry) and encourage them to find creative ways to stay busy.

Adapting to New Routines

Schools can also help students and families deal with anxiety over the continually shifting instructional-delivery plans by setting realistic expectations for blended classrooms and virtual learning. Remote learning is fundamentally different from classroom-based learning, and it should be treated as such. Whereas a typical school day is a full eight hours, elementary school kids should be reasonably expected to participate in only one to two hours of online education daily; for middle and high school students, the limit should be two to three hours and three to four hours, respectively.

Indeed, being realistic and intentional about change also means helping students adapt to new instructional routines and settings. We can't just implement new learning formats without acknowledging the uncertainty and stress they might bring. Some additional ways to help students adjust to changing learning routines include these:

Recognizing that unfamiliar and new routines can be anxiety provoking. In particular, students with a history of trauma may have a range of reactions, including hypervigilance, increased irritability, or withdrawing. It is crucial for educators to validate their frustration, maintain consistency, and hold high expectations in a kind and clear way.

Explaining to students why these new routines are necessary. Educators can empower students by emphasizing the ways each student plays a key role in keeping everyone healthy and safe.

Explicitly teaching new routines and processes to students. It may be beneficial for the school to send videos to students and families so that students know what to expect. Keeping lines of communication open with families and students is also vital.

Infusing joy into new routines. Though safety protocols are important and serious, we can allow students the freedom to build joy into new structures. For example, students may come together to make up a class song to sing while washing their hands or decorating their desk dividers.

Incorporating virtual movement breaks and centering techniques (such deep breathing exercises or activities using the five senses.) For students in a heightened, overwhelmed state, this approach can help to calm the autonomic nervous system.

Emphasizing students' strengths. Because new processes can be overwhelming, teachers should ensure they are also infusing their lessons with areas for students' competency to shine.

Provide Controlled Choice

We know that resilient people focus on aspects of the world that they are able to control, as opposed to worrying about factors outside their sphere of influence (Brooks & Goldstein, 2003; Brooks, 2007). As we head into the new school year, there's a great deal that educators and students can't control, but educators can help mitigate the anxiety that comes with lack of control by offering controlled choice to students whenever possible.

For example, schools could offer students more flexibility in their scheduling, and teachers could give them the ability to choose from a variety of assignments, writing prompts, or project formats. They can offer students the option of opting out of video during online lessons whenever possible or contributing to discussions through the chat feature.

More importantly, they can elicit regular feedback from students about which school changes are working well and which could use improvement. Schools can emphasize that whatever model of learning they are using at the start of this year is new for everyone, and that students have an important role to play in shaping its direction and success.

Contributory Activities

Encouraging students to participate in activities that serve their community can also help reduce anxiety and stress. Psychologist Robert Brooks has suggested that "giving back" is the single most important way to cultivate resilience (2007).

When considering how to guide students on how to productively engage with society, it's imperative to focus on activities that are truly meaningful to the children rather than simply a matter of checking a box. Students must be permitted to tap into their own values to create personal and effective ways to contribute to their communities. (Incidentally, this may be a good time to explore together what their values are!) Educators themselves have provided excellent examples of this type of service. Many have shared personal stories of selfless acts done in concert with students and families. Similar projects can be worked in into the curriculum, such as these:

Organizing a meal program for elderly community members.

Writing letters to first responders.

Studying the science behind public health recommendations, such as mask wearing or hand washing. and making posters to encourage the community to follow the recommendations.

Making drawings and messages of hope as of class and sharing with local nursing homes or healthcare facilities.

In the classroom, whether in person or virtually, teachers can also focus on helping students cultivate gratitude as a means of lessening anxiety and the feeling of lacking control. Simply having students write down three things they are grateful for each day can improve mood (Emmons, 2007). It may also be beneficial to incorporate a daily check-in at the beginning of class. A simple check-in is " Rose and Thorn," an activity in which students share something for which they're grateful (the rose) and something with which they're struggling (the thorn).

Validating Children's Questions and Worries

This fall, students will be filled with questions and concerns, ranging from "When can I go to the playground?" to "Will I ever be able to have a normal high school experience?" to "Ms. Jones, are we all going to die?" Children may vocalize these concerns, or they may act out in ways that are seemingly inappropriate. As educators, it's important for us to recognize that behavior is communication, which can be especially challenging in an online or blended-learning environment.

Children who act out in difficult ways are often expressing underlying emotions and anxiety (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012). As educators, we must step back and play detective: What is the child really trying to tell us? We should respond to their questions and emotions with authenticity, honesty, and empathy. Teachers can learn that it is OK to validate a child's emotions without validating their inappropriate behavior. For example, when a student is running around the room rather than focusing on the class, a teacher might say, "It's so hard to be looking at the screen! And it's hard to be so far away from you! Let's take a movement break and then we'll figure out how to do this problem."

Some teachers may even choose to be vulnerable (while remaining developmentally appropriate and respecting boundaries) regarding their personal struggles during COVID-19. This strategy may help build relationships and allow for open discussion.

It may also be useful to employ a "Yes, and ..." approach when validating students' questions and emotions. A concept originally derived from improvisational theatre (Moshavi, 2001), "Yes, and" is a way of taking a difficult situation, recognizing the challenge, and working productively with that struggle. It can help educators model how to hold competing emotions:

"Yes, I am upset because school is not going to be the way it used to be, and I'm looking forward to seeing you and my other students and growing together."

"Yes, I am nervous about my family getting sick, and I'm happy we are staying in close contact and taking precautions to stay safe."

"Yes, it's scary to think about getting sick, and we are doing everything we can in our school community to stay healthy."

"Yes, it would be more fun to play together if we were in our classroom, and we can find ways to learn and have fun together that are safe."

During this time, many students have also undoubtedly experienced ambiguous loss, which Pauline Boss defines as "loss without closure." Individuals who have suffered ambiguous loss may "fluctuate between hope and hopelessness" (Boss, 1999). Missing graduations, soccer seasons, friends at recess, the structure of the school day, caring adults at school-the list of ambiguous losses for today's students goes on and on. It's crucial to validate these losses while focusing on optimistic approaches for grieving and building resilience.

This often means bearing witness to a child's feelings while helping him sort out his reactions. Younger children may be confused about loss and feel as though they have done something bad to cause this. A teacher's response to a student might sound something like: "Nothing you did caused this. It is hard to have these big feelings. Tell me what you are missing most about the way things were before?" This approach allows children to integrate the loss into their life by talking about their sad feelings. It also avoids trying to offer quick fixes for their sorrow.

Providing a Safe Haven

During this uncertain back-to-school season, students with a history of trauma and challenging home lives may be especially vulnerable to emotional problems. Shifting routines and a lack of consistency and reliable touchpoints may exacerbate underlying anxieties in a child who has already experienced difficult life circumstances. Additionally, this summer, many students had their sense of safety further undermined by the brutal killing of George Floyd and a growing awareness of racial injustice. These students may be feeling a level of fear and distrust that makes learning difficult.

Educators must be cognizant of these issues and take steps to better support students who may be suffering. Some ways to start include these:

Implementing a universal screening tool for mental health needs. This strategy can allow schools to target the most vulnerable students for mental health intervention. For students at high risk, every effort should be made to coordinate care with a school social worker, counselor, or psychologist, using outside community resources as appropriate. Schools should build intentional structures to help children process their experiences, which can include reaching out to community organizations if schools do not have the capacity or resources for this.

Embedding such activities as a daily reflection prompt or meditation into lesson plans. Writing about personal experiences and creating narratives can help children process difficult emotions (Cohen & Mannarino, 2015).

Integrating social-emotional learning strategies (for example, keeping a circle time routine to begin and end the day, assigning "class jobs," allowing time for unstructured talking) into lessons for all children, as the pandemic has undoubtedly affected every single student, albeit in different ways. Educators can also teach self-regulation strategies to help children manage their emotions.

Ensuring that students know they have at least one caring adult at the school they know well and can check in with regularly (including virtually).

Providing safe and developmentally appropriate spaces for difficult conversations about loss. Leaving children without a means for discussing their experiences and emotions is likely to worsen anxiety. But bearing witness to sadness with steadiness and compassion can promote healing as we return to familiar routines and comfort.

Reminding depressed and anxious kids that this situation is not permanent (even though it feels like it). For traumatized kids, reinforce the idea that there are multiple endings to a story.

Hope for the Future

A colleague of ours recently sent a photo from her daughter's 5th birthday celebration, which was celebrated during quarantine. The photo depicts a young girl in a birthday crown, sitting in a dark hallway with only a single spotlight illuminating her.

The photo was a reminder that we are indeed living through dark times. But the spotlight on this child shrouded in darkness reminds us that, as educators, we need to shine the light and find the way for our students. Even during a pandemic, there is reason to have hope. Our kids deserve that.

References

Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous loss: Learning to live with unresolved grief. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Brooks, R. (2007). Engaging children in "contributory activities": A preventive disciplinary approach. Retrieved from https://www.drrobertbrooks.com/0704/

Brooks, R., & Goldstein, S. (2003). The power of resilience: Achieving balance, confidence, and personal strength in your life. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.

Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2015). Trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy for traumatized children and families. Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America, 24(3), 557-570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2015.02.005

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap ... and others don't. London: Random House.

Emmons, R. A. (2007). Thanks!: How practicing gratitude can make you happier. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Minahan, J., & Rappaport, N. (2012). The behavior code: A practical guide to understanding and teaching the most challenging students. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Moshavi, D. (2001). "Yes and ...": Introducing improvisational theatre techniques to the management classroom. Journal of Management Education, 25(4), 437-449. doi:10.1177/105256290102500408

Lara Thibodeauis a fourth-year medical student at Tufts School of Medicine and a former teacher.

Nancy Rappaport is a part-time associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a consultant in the psychiatry department at Cambridge Health Alliance. She is the author of In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother's Suicide (Basic Books, September 2009) and coauthor (with behavioral analyst Jessica Minahan) of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (Harvard Education Press, April 2012).

ASCD Express, Vol. 15, No. 21. Copyright 2020 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.

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Helping Students Cope with Change and Disruption

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Lara Thibodeau and Nancy Rappaport Our country, our schools, and our students are facing incredible adversity right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has already produced the largest disturbance our school system has ever seen. Schools shut their doors to in-person learning this spring, quickly entering the tumultuous, uncharted territory of online education.

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These are sample forms that can be used to do weekly (or daily) check-in's with students. Student responses may trigger an individual contact with the teacher or a referral to support staff.

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This is a graphic explaining the continuum of restorative practices from preventative to responsive.

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"Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach to teaching that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental awareness."  To learn more about the principals of responsive classroom, click the link below

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The Responsive Classroom approach is informed by the work of educational theorists and the experiences of exemplary teachers. Read more!

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Creating Restorative Culture in the Classroom

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Creating Restorative Culture in the Classroom

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These are questions for self-reflection when considering the integration of restorative practices in your classroom.

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Creating Restorative Culture in the Classroom

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Adverse Childhood Experiences

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Proactive Supports for Students with Challenging Behaviors

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Once you understand the basics of what is PBIS and why implement PBIS, it's time to start-but where do you start? There are initial steps everyone can take to get started with PBIS, whether you are a classroom teacher, school leader, or a district or state leader.

Classroom Teachers

Students spend most of their day at school in classrooms. In that way, classrooms serve as a microcosm of your school-wide systems and your students' primary exposure to expectations and rewards. For that reason, the PBIS strategies you implement in your classroom play such an important role in the overall implementation. Here are some resources for classroom practices:

Create a Classroom Support System Backed by Research

In the same way your school establishes systems to support PBIS practices, you need to establish systems for defining, teaching, and responding to the behaviors happening within your classroom. Check out the classroom practice guide to help you set up those systems within your context.

Use Positive Practices with Students

Set yourself up for success by intentionally establishing positive routines and practices for how you want to interact with students in your classroom. The effective classroom habits brief walks you through how to develop habits of effective classroom practices and how to expand those effective habits in schools, districts, and states.

Greet Students at the Door

One positive habit to incorporate into every day as a teacher is to positively greet students at the door. These greetings set a positive tone from the moment students walk through the door and create a welcoming space.

Get Support

Talk to your school leaders about your interest in PBIS and suggest the getting started steps listed below for them.

School Leaders

School-wide PBIS implementation depends on strong leadership guiding the way. Without it, things can easily fall apart. School leaders can begin by building a team and assessing what is already in place to plan next steps.

Gather a Leadership Team

PBIS is a team-guided approach [link to new TIPS practice brief]. Your leadership team steers your PBIS implementation, monitors its effectiveness, and provides continuity as people join - and leave - your school. You could build your leadership team from scratch, but it's often best to start with an existing team (e.g., school improvement team, school climate team). No matter what, it's important to include these folks in the group:

School administrator

Family representation

Classroom teachers

Student representation (more likely at the high school level)

In addition to these suggested roles, the team should have the following skillsets represented:

Behavioral expertise

Coaching expertise

Knowledge of student academic and behavior patterns

Knowledge about how the school operates across grade levels and programs

Assess What's Already in Place

Even if PBIS is a new framework for your school, there are probably some PBIS practices you're already doing. The Tiered Fidelity Inventory assesses how closely school personnel are implementing the core features of PBIS. As a leadership team, assess all three tiers together or separately to understand which features you've already implemented and where to focus your efforts next.

Solidify the PBIS Basics

If you aren't sure which features to focus on, establish a solid foundation for your framework by focusing on implementing the basics. There are three videos available to guide you through implementing the core features of PBIS data, systems, and practices.

Get Support

Talk to your district or state leaders about your interest in PBIS and suggest the getting started steps listed below for them.

District or State Leaders

Schools wanting to implement PBIS look to district and state leaders to provide the time, people, and other resources needed to ensure that implementation is successful. Your role is essential to supporting PBIS at every level.

Get Connected

You're not alone! Find out what supports are already available in your state to help you get moving with PBIS. Locate your state coordinator and give them a call.

Download the Blueprint

Every PBIS core component and practice is defined within the PBIS Implementation Blueprint Part 1. ‍You'll even find some helpful instructions on how to get started working on some of those important systems.

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Once you understand the basics of what PBIS is, it's time to start implementing. Where do you start? No matter your role, there are initial steps everyone can take to get started with PBIS.

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PBIS supporting and responding to behavior

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Childhood Trauma Affects Long-term Health

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Childhood Trauma Affects Long-term Health

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Thanks to Jo Rytel for sharing this Ted Talk by Nadine Burke Harris on how childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime.

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童年創傷如何影響一生健康

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童年創傷不是一件長大就能解決的事。兒科醫生娜汀‧哈里斯 (Nadine Burke Harris) 解釋虐待、忽視、和父母精神健康不良或有藥物或飲酒問題，都會影響兒童的大腦發展。童年經歷影響終身，在高壓環境下長大的兒童比他人得到心肺疾病的比例高三倍。這是一位慷慨激昂的兒科醫生祈求眾人面對、預防和治療心理創傷的演講。

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Trauma Informed Schools

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More than half of all young people have reported exposure to violence or abuse, and by the age of 16, more than two thirds will have experienced a potentially traumatic event. Adverse childhood experiences (ACES) can impact a child's cognitive abilities and impede their development, which limits their academic potential.

And as the study of ACES continues, the spectrum of qualifying events has broadened. The first major study of ACES identified 10 common experiences which can be traumatic for children and young adults, culminating in adverse health outcomes in adulthood.

With continued research, that core list of identified adverse experiences has grown to include experiences such as bullying, the death of a loved one, deportation or migration, medical trauma, witnessing community violence or any type of violence outside of the home, and discrimination due to race, gender, sexual orientation, birthplace, ability, or region/ethnicity.

These findings make clear that any discussion of trauma-informed schools must start not only with identifying adverse events that can limit a child's ability to learn, grow, and thrive-but with the recognition that these events are not confined to one economic, social, or ethnic layer of our society.

"Promoting trauma-sensitive school approaches has the greatest potential to positively impact all students, regardless of trauma history."

Most adults, regardless of their background, have experienced at least one ACE in their own childhood, and more than a tenth have a total ACE score of 4-a score which doubles their risk of heart disease and cancer, increases their odds of becoming an alcoholic by 700%, and their risk of attempted suicide by 1200%.

With the right support, children and young adults can successfully process adverse events and go on to thrive. Schools are the single point of connection between home life and community dynamics, and the responsibility of educators to prepare young people to function successfully in the world as adults can only be bolstered with a trauma-sensitive approach.

In fact, when schools are trauma-informed, students cultivate lasting resilience, which leads to:

Significant improvements in behavior

Fewer suspensions

Fewer expulsions

Significant improvements in academic achievement

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has pointed out that trauma informed schools promote:

Feelings of physical, social, and emotional safety in students.

A shared understanding among staff about the impact of trauma and adversity on students.

Positive and culturally responsive discipline policies and practices.

Access to comprehensive school mental and behavioral health services.

Effective community collaboration.

"Given the widespread scope and prevalence of childhood adversity and trauma," writes the NASP, "Promoting trauma-sensitive school approaches has the greatest potential to positively impact all students, regardless of trauma history."

The value of trauma-informed schools is rooted in the universal best practices of trauma-informed care.

If trauma-informed practices can benefit all students, what are their core values? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has established the following guiding principles for trauma-informed care:

Safety

Trustworthiness and transparency

Peer support and mutual self-help

Collaboration and mutuality

Empowerment, voice, and choice

Consideration, recognition and provision for cultural, historical, and gender issues

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network ( NCTSN) has synthesized research about adverse childhood experiences, the impact of various behavior management strategies, and findings regarding the importance of professional development and school climate in addressing the risks and outcomes of trauma. Per NCTSN, here are the "4 Rs" that should be present in any trauma-informed system:

Realize both the widespread effects of trauma, and the many pathways to recovery.

Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma.
In CPI training, we call these Precipitating Factors-and we look to address them as supportively and safely as possible.

Respond with a trauma-informed approach that's integrated into every aspect of the system in which you're working.
In CPI training, we call this taking a Supportive Stance℠ with individuals in crisis.

Resist re-traumatization by reducing the likelihood of triggers.
In CPI training, we proactively address triggers by understanding the stages of escalation in the Crisis Development Model℠.

Based on their analysis, NCTSN has developed extensive, evidence-based guidelines regarding developing and sustaining trauma-informed schools. You can read their full report on creating, supporting, and sustaining trauma-informed schools, but broadly summarized:

Because there is a direct relationship between adverse childhood experiences and academic performance, schools must acknowledge and incorporate the priorities of mental health and wellness if they're going to help all students successfully achieve their full potential.

A tiered approach, that's rooted in a culture of collaboration and safety, is the best way to make sure that all staff, students, and families are included in a trauma-informed approach.

Even if an adverse event doesn't result in the clinical symptoms of trauma, it can still have a profoundly negative impact on all spheres of a child's development: physically, cognitively, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. A trauma-informed environment accounts for the potential of harm and embeds supportive elements for prevention and early intervention.

A trauma-informed approach is most effective at the early learning stages-it helps build a critical developmental foundation for children to help establish the most optimal trajectory for them as they continue to learn and grow.

Trauma-informed schools incorporate policy, procedure, and curriculum into a holistic approach that supports every student's potential.

The article Applying a Trauma-Informed School Systems Approach: Examples from School Community-Academic Partnerships considers examples of public schools who have applied a trauma-informed perspective to school policy and procedure for the purpose of actively mitigating the detrimental social, emotional, and cognitive experiences that adverse events may cause in the lives of children-and their futures as adults. Some of their findings include:

Coordination matters.

Not only adequate, but appropriate, hiring and development empowers educators to collaborate effectively and reduce the odds of burnout or vicarious trauma. It also makes sure that students are met with consistency and continuity across the school climate, not just in one classroom or with one staff member.

Example: A school principal used this practice to empower staff across his school to facilitate constructive dialog with parents, building trust and transparency.

Restorative practices are integral to any trauma-informed approach because restorative practices are fundamentally trauma-informed practices.

Because of the inherent relationship between restorative justice and safer schools, schools are more likely to ladder their success with restorative attitudes into a larger school climate of trauma-sensitivity.

Example: Trained facilitators leading weekly restorative circles in one school have transformed behavior management dynamics from punitive to positive-and the structured approach makes direct instruction time more productive.

A trauma-sensitive approach is not separate from the priority of helping students learn.

In fact, a trauma-informed school fosters better critical thinking in its students when it comes to core curriculum. Say the authors of one trauma-informed school initiative, "...Instruction is not limited to the classroom. Students are empowered to translate their coursework into action in the community."

Example: Ninth grade algebra and geometry students facilitated an urban planning project to demonstrate how achieving measurable violence reduction was possible.

Safer schools are more successful schools-when they include community collaboration.

Developing an effective and coordinated approach to trauma-informed care requires an awareness of the environmental, social, and economic factors that may be fueling adverse events that subsequently impact a child's performance in school.

Example: Aware of safety concerns in a school's neighborhood, the principal gathered information from community members to facilitate structured dialog between the city council, police department, and parents. Over time, engagement ratings improved, as did school climate and safety metrics. Ultimately, this school became the first to reach their state's standardized test score benchmark, closing a critical educational gap.

With immense diversity within the US, each school has its own unique dynamics to cope with. But as the NCTSN has pointed out, a trauma-informed approach is one that can bring all schools to an equal standard of excellence:

Specifically, a trauma-informed school promotes a safe and welcoming climate; seeks to create a structured and predictable learning environment that minimizes unnecessary trauma and loss reminders; focuses on building positive and attuned relationships between teachers and students, and among school staff; has anti-bullying and suicide prevention programs; and uses a balanced restorative justice (a.k.a. restorative practices) approach to conflict and conflict mediation with appropriate disciplinary action.

Ultimately, a trauma-informed environment is an integral component of a healthy school climate:

It requires the inclusion of all key stakeholders-administrators, educators, students, their families, and the community.

It protects staff from vicarious trauma by making sure a coordinated approach is in place for both prevention and intervention.

It helps schools to better collaborate with other agencies such as primary health care providers, mental health agencies, child welfare, and law enforcement.

Trauma-informed schools are safer, more successful, and support stronger communities-and crisis prevention training can play an important role.

Considering that our goals as an Institute are centered in preventing violence and empowering individuals to participate in the values of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security ℠, it seems undeniable that the guiding principles of trauma-informed care align with our own beliefs as an organization.

The role that CPI training plays in your school's trauma-informed approach can ultimately only be determined by the stakeholders who implement the practices of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training. If your school is committed to empowering student success with intention and inclusion, then our training solutions can be integral to a collective approach to trauma-sensitive crisis prevention and safe intervention.

But just as trauma-informed schools require a coordinated staff approach, they also require a coordination of solutions that staff can rely upon to implement the best practices of trauma-informed care. A crisis prevention strategy that emphasizes compassionate nonviolence and makes safety paramount is the perfect complement to the mental health, bullying, and suicide prevention measures that NCTSN has identified are essential tools to building safer, more successful schools-and that's where CPI training can fit into a trauma-sensitive school environment.

It's essential that there's an ongoing, robust, and open dialog between administrators, educators, parents, and students, because this transparency is critical to building safer and more caring schools. Understanding the scope of adverse childhood events is critical to identifying the ways that schools will engage with children so that trauma does not impede their odds of success.

Take a few moments to self-assess:

Are these conversations happening at your school, and in your community?

What is your school's plan to address adverse childhood experiences and their associated risks of trauma?

How can you be a part of a coordinated and constructive trauma-informed solution?

Schedule a Consultation

We are here to answer your questions and provide more information about our programs.

Schedule a Consultation

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How Trauma-Informed Schools Help Every Student Succeed | Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)

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CPI's blog discusses how trauma-informed practices in schools can lead to a safer, more resilient student body, staff, and community.

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Treatment and Services Adaptation Center 

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Treatment and Services Adaptation Center 

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Promoting trauma-informed school systems that provide prevention and early intervention strategies to create supportive and nurturing school environments.

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Educators are often the first line of defense for students coping with traumatic events. Access information to better support students, including SSET, an evidence-based intervention for school staff to help students exposed to traumatic events.

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TSA | Support for trauma-informed schools and resources for traumatic stress

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Educators are often the first line of defense for students coping with traumatic events. Access information to better support students, including SSET, an evidence-based intervention for school staff to help students exposed to traumatic events.

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Compassion Fatigue Symptoms and Strategies

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Feeling empathy for those you care for may seem like a given, it may even be the reason you're doing what you do, but this empathy can often go too far, leading you to feel the symptoms of compassion fatigue as you suffer from another person's trauma.

Compassion fatigue, or vicarious/secondary trauma, is much more serious than general burnout: it's a caregiver experiencing trauma after witnessing another's physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. Concept pioneers McCann and Pearlman define it as "a process through which the caregiving individual's own internal experience becomes transformed through engagement with the client's trauma" (1990).

According to the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, anywhere from 25-50% of healthcare workers experience symptoms of compassion fatigue. Everyone from long-term care workers to family caregivers to emergency room nurses to police officers may find themselves taking on others' trauma.

What are the symptoms?

A Canadian study in the Archives of Internal Medicine by Leeat Granek notes the following as common symptoms of compassion fatigue:

Feelings of failure, guilt, self-doubt, sadness, and powerlessness

Loss of sleep

Reduced sense of efficacy on the job

Difficulty concentrating

Feeling overwhelmed by obligations

Apathy and emotional numbness

Secretive addictions or self-medicating in a variety of ways

Those affected are sometimes the last to recognize what's happening and may need family members, friends, or colleagues to help them make the realization.

As the symptoms of compassion fatigue closely resemble those of post-traumatic stress disorder, those affected often struggle to function in their day-to-day routines. And if multiple employees in an organization with these symptoms feed negatively off one another, a toxic culture can result.

Who is most at risk?

Those new to the field of caregiving.
Unlike burnout, compassion fatigue can happen quickly. New caregivers may be more likely to get overwhelmed by their responsibilities.

Those with a history of personal trauma.
Abuse, natural disasters, military experience, the unexpected death of a loved one, accidents, neglect-personal.

Those who interact with many clients.
The greater the number of clients, the greater the likelihood that one will be experiencing or have experienced traumas that a caregiver will be exposed to.

Those working long hours.
Many human services professionals work a great deal of overtime and regularly pull double shifts, and nothing can errode emotional resiliency like sleep deprivation. This also includes those who are caregivers in their personal lives, and do not have the opportunity to "clock out" and leave an emotionally fatiguing situation.

Those with a history of experiencing burnout.
Job dissatisfaction built up over time becomes its own form of trauma and increases the likelihood of an individual developing compassion fatigue.

Those who have trouble communicating.
People to struggle to express their emotions may find it easier to bottle up the stress of being a caregiver, putting them at greater risk of trauma.

Those with inadequate personal support systems.
When people don't have others to lean on and offer support-a significant other, family, friends, neighbors, trusted colleagues, church groups, clubs, even pets-trauma can result.

What can I do about it?

Organizations should offer opportunities like those below to raise awareness and/or help those struggling with compassion fatigue. If your organization does not, advocate that they be added!

Formal debriefing sessions

Internal support groups

Employee Assistance Programs

Corporate wellness programs/committees

Flexible hours

Job sharing

The Ten Laws Governing Healthy Caregiving [PDF], along with other resources at the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, can serve as mantras to reframe situations from trauma to empowerment.

Most importantly, though, you need to prioritize your own physical and mental health. Many in the helping professions excel at taking care of others and ignore thems own needs. Self-care isn't optional. It's a critical part of ensuring you have enough mental and physical energy to do your best at caring for others.

If you're not sure where to start when it comes to caring for yourself, learn the technique that nurse Laurie Barkin uses. Also make sure to:

Exercise regularly

Do activities you enjoy regularly

Build and maintain a good support system

Pursue a good work/personal life balance.

When you do work that emotionally affects you, it's more important than ever to develop strong self-care habits. You're obviously overflowing with passion, given the work you've gotten into. Spare some of it for yourself.

If you want to learn more, listen to our podcast episode about surviving vicarious trauma.

Also listen to Patricia Smith share her story of compassion fatigue, and her path to recovery.

Additional resources

If you want to learn more about this topic and help raise awareness among your colleagues about it, check out the following resources.

Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project's websites, compassionfatigue.org and healthycaregiving.com.

Compassion Fatigue: Coping With Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in Those Who Treat the Traumatized by Charles R. Figley, Ph.D.

Compassion Satisfaction: 50 Steps to Healthy Caregiving by Patricia Smith

CPI. (2012). Instructor manual for the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training program. Milwaukee, WI: Author.

Figley, C. R. (Ed.). (1995). Compassion Fatigue: Coping With Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in Those Who Treat the Traumatized. New York: Taylor and Francis Group.

Gift From Within's Article Library on Compassion Fatigue

McCann, I. L., & Pearlman, L. A. (1990). Vicarious Traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3, 131-149.

Professional Quality of Life Scale (a measurement of the effects of helping others who experience suffering and trauma with sub-scales for compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion fatigue)

Smith, P. (2012a) Alleviating compassion fatigue before it drags down productivity [PDF]. Long Term Living.

Smith, P. (2012b) Nursing home employees often suffer from compassion fatigue [PDF].

To Weep for a Stranger: Compassion Fatigue in Caregiving by Patricia Smith

Originally published in the Journal of Safe Management of Disruptive and Assaultive Behavior, Fall 2013. © 2013 CPI. Certified Instructors, log in to read more JSM articles.

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Compassion Fatigue Symptoms and Strategies

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Feeling empathy for those you care for may seem like a given, it may even be the reason you're doing what you do, but this empathy can often go too far, leading you to feel the symptoms of compassion fatigue as you suffer from another person's trauma.

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National Child Traumatic Stress Network - National Center for PTSD

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National Child Traumatic Stress Network - National Center for PTSD

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Psychological First Aid for Schools (Field Operations Guide)

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This comprehensive resource is from CASEL. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL).

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Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Roadmap for Reopening School - CASEL

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As educators across the country prepared to welcome students and adults back to school in Fall 2020, they faced the layered impact of school closures, the COVID-19 pandemic, and racial inequities exacerbated by the pandemic and amplified by the nationwide mobilization for racial justice.

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CDC Resource

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

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Helping Children Cope with Changes Due to COVID

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Helping Children Cope with Changes Due to COVID

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National Association of School Psychologists

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National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

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Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools, places of public gathering, and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal. This includes trying to keep children occupied, feeling safe, and attempting to keep up with schoolwork as best as possible. None of this is easy, but it helps to stay focused on what is possible in order to reinforce a sense of control and to reassure children that they are okay, and that the situation will get better.

It is very important to remember that children look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events. Acknowledging some level of concern, without panicking, is appropriate and can result in taking the necessary actions that reduce the risk of illness. Teaching children positive preventive measures, talking with them about their fears, and giving them a sense of some control over their risk of infection can help reduce anxiety. This is also a tremendous opportunity for adults to model for children problem-solving, flexibility, and compassion as we all work through adjustting daily schedules, balancing work and other activities, getting creative about how we spend time, processing new information from authorities, and connecting and supporting friends and family members in new ways. The following tips can help.

STAY CALM, LISTEN, AND OFFER REASSURANCE

Be a role model. Children will react to and follow your reactions. They learn from your example.

Be aware of how you talk about COVID-19. Your discussion about COVID-19 can increase or decrease your child's fear. If true, remind your child that your family is healthy, and you are going to do everything within your power to keep loved ones safe and well. Carefully listen or have them draw or write out their thoughts and feelings and respond with truth and reassurance.

Explain social distancing. Children probably don't fully understand why parents/guardians aren't allowing them to be with friends. Tell your child that your family is following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which include social distancing. Social distancing means staying away from others until the risk of contracting COVID-19 is under control. Showing older children the "flatten the curve" charts will help them grasp the significance of social distancing. Explain that while we don't know how long it will take to "flatten the curve" to reduce the number of those infected, we do know that this is a critical time-we must follow the guidelines of health experts to do our part.

Demonstrate deep breathing. Deep breathing is a valuable tool for calming the nervous system. Do breathing exercises with your children.

Focus on the positive. Celebrate having more time to spend as a family. Make it as fun as possible. Do family projects. Organize belongings, create masterpieces. Sing, laugh, and go outside, if possible, to connect with nature and get needed exercise. Allow older children to connect with their friends virtually.

Establish and maintain a daily routine. Keeping a regular schedule provides a sense of control, predictability, calm, and well-being. It also helps children and other family members respect others' need for quiet or uninterrupted time and when they can connect with friends virtually.

Identify projects that might help others. This could include: writing letters to the neighbors or others who might be stuck at home alone or to healthcare workers; sending positive messages over social media; or reading a favorite children's book on a social media platform for younger children to hear.

Offer lots of love and affection.

MONITOR TELEVISION VIEWING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Parents/guardians should monitor television, internet, and social media viewing-both for themselves and their children. Watching continual updates on COVID-19 may increase fear and anxiety. Developmentally inappropriate information, or information designed for adults, can also cause anxiety or confusion, particularly in young children.

Dispel rumors and inaccurate information. Explain to your child that many stories about COVID-19 on the internet may include rumors and inaccurate information. Older children, in particular, may be accessing a great deal of information online and from friends that contains inaccuracies. Talk to your child about factual disease information.

Provide alternatives. Engage your child in games or other exciting activities instead.

TAKE TIME TO TALK

Let your children's questions guide you. Answer their questions truthfully, but don't offer unnecessary details or facts. Don't avoid giving them the information that experts indicate as crucial to your children's well-being. Often, children and youth do not talk about their concerns because they are confused or don't want to worry loved ones. Younger children absorb scary information in waves. They ask questions, listen, play, and then repeat the cycle. Children always feel empowered if they can control some aspects of their life. A sense of control reduces fear.

BE HONEST AND ACCURATE

Correct misinformation. Children often imagine situations worse than reality; therefore, offering developmentally appropriate facts can reduce fears.

Explain simple safety steps. Tell your child this disease spreads between people who are in close contact with one another, when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or when one touches infected objects or surfaces.

Stay up-to-date on the facts. Go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htmlfor additional factual information.

KEEP EXPLANATIONS AGE-APPROPRIATE

Early elementary school children. Provide brief, simple information that balances COVID-19 facts with appropriate reassurances that adults are there to help keep them healthy and to take care of them if they do get sick. Give simple examples of the steps people make every day to stop germs and stay healthy, such as washing hands. Use language such as "adults are working hard to keep you safe."

Upper elementary and early middle school children. This age group often is more vocal in asking questions about whether they indeed are safe and what will happen if COVID-19 spreads in their area. They may need assistance separating reality from rumor and fantasy. Discuss the efforts national, state, and community leaders are doing to prevent germs from spreading.

Upper middle and high school students. Issues can be discussed in more depth. Refer them to appropriate sources of COVID-19 facts. Provide honest, accurate, and factual information about the current status of COVID-19. Engage them in decision-making about family plans, scheduling, and helping with chores at home.

For all children, encourage them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. Be a good listener!

STAY CONNECTED TO SCHOOL

Locate learning resources. Schools' capacity to conduct virtual learning experiences will vary greatly, but most schools are providing lessons and learning activities for children to do. Take advantage of the many companies and online platforms currently offering free learning opportunities.

Identify additional resources. Know if your school or district is providing additional resources, such meals, or technology, such as a laptop or tablet.

Stay in touch. Find out how the school is communicating with families and students. Be sure to read any communications you receive. Check with you children, particularly older ones, as they may be receiving information directly that would be helpful for you to know.

Connect with school staff. Reach out to your child's teacher and other relevant school staff if you have concerns about their coping and keeping up with assignments or activities.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19

According to the CDC, symptoms of fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath appear within 14 days after being exposed to the disease.

For some people, the symptoms are similar to having a cold; for others, they are more severe or even life threatening.

MODEL BASIC HYGIENE AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PRACTICES

Practice daily good hygiene. Encourage your child to practice these simple steps to prevent spreading the virus.

Wash your hands multiple times a day for 20 seconds. Singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or "Happy Birthday" twice is about 20 seconds.

Compliment your children when they use a Kleenex or sneeze or cough into the bend of their elbow. Teach them the importance of throwing away used tissues immediately after sneezing or coughing.

Sadly, handshakes and hugs need to be limited to immediate family members, at least for now.

Foster a sense of control. Offering guidance on what your child/children can do to prevent infection offers them a greater sense of control, which reduces anxiety.

Build the immune system. Encourage your child to eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly; this will help them develop a robust immune system to fight off illness.

BE AWARE OF YOUR CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH

Most children will manage well with the support of parents and other family members, even if showing signs of some anxiety or concerns, such as difficulty sleeping or concentrating. Some children, however, may have risk factors for more intense reactions, including severe anxiety, depression, and suicidal behaviors. Risk factors can include a pre-existing mental health problem, prior traumatic experiences or abuse, family instability, or the loss of a loved one. Parents and caregivers should contact a professional if children exhibit significant changes in behavior or any of the following symptoms for more than 2 weeks.

Preschoolers -thumb sucking, bedwetting, clinging to parents, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, fear of the dark, regression in behavior, and withdrawal.

Elementary school children -irritability, aggressiveness, clinginess, nightmares, school avoidance, poor concentration, and withdrawal from activities and friends.

Adolescents -sleeping and eating disturbances, agitation, increase in conflicts, physical complaints, delinquent behavior, and poor concentration.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For more information related to schools and physical and mental health, visit www.nasponline.org and © 2020, National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East Wes t Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814, 301-657-0270 www.nasn.org.
Adapted from, Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource, National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Nurses, NASP, 2020.

Contributor: School Psychologist Kathy Sievering

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Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19

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Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools, places of public gathering, and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal.

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Yale University

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Infants as young as six months old can recognize differences in skin color. By age two and a half, research has shown, children prefer playmates who are similar in race and gender. And as early as age three, they are forming judgments about people based on racial differences.

What children learn, hear, and witness from family members, friends, and others in their communities about race plays a major role in how they view people who are different from them, according to Yale experts.

Children "identify all kinds of differences quite readily," said Yarrow Dunham, assistant professor of psychology at Yale and director of the Social Cognitive Development Lab. "The critical question is: Which of those differences do they come to think of as important determinants of social identity and social outcomes? They make those decisions by observing the world around them. And here - unfortunately - the world presents them with abundant evidence that race matters."

As a result, it's imperative that parents recognize and talk about racial differences with kids from an early age to prevent racism from taking root, said Yale experts.

"It's important that we tell children about their environment and what's going on in the world," said Dr. Wanjiku Njoroge, a board-certified child psychiatrist and adjunct professor of psychiatry at Yale, whose research focuses on the impact of culture on early infant and childhood development. "Or they will make up their own stories."

This requires that parents who are uncomfortable talking about race confront and overcome that feeling, Dunham said.

"Many white parents are very uncomfortable talking about race," Dunham said. "As a consequence, they do not put in the work to support the emergence of a structural or justice-minded understanding of racial disparities and of racism more generally. As white parents, we have an obligation to put in this work."

Silence is a message

Avoiding conversations about race sends a message that there's something off-limits, and even bad, about racial differences, said Njoroge, who completed four fellowships at Yale and is also an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and program director of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

She recalls a young patient who asked if her skin was so dark because she didn't take baths.

"If you are in communities that are not diverse, you can introduce race through books and through play," she said. "Talk about how there are different genders, different races, languages, and cultures. Tie their questions to education - get out the globe or the map and tell stories."

In the absence of these conversations, she said, silence is powerful: "If they hear nothing about race, they figure out that there's something different about that topic. And that difference can become imbued with negativity."

Start with self-reflection

The words are important, but what's more important is that you are open to talk about this. It's not one conversation, it is many conversations.

Dr. Amalia Londono Tobon

Dr. Amalia Londono Tobon, a board-certified psychiatrist and clinical fellow in the Yale Child Study Center, who collaborates with Njoroge on projects related to race, culture and young children, said different conversations are possible at every stage of a child's development. "Be comfortable with the fact that you don't know everything," she said. "The words are important, but what's more important is that you are open to talk about this. It's not one conversation, it is many conversations. And as kids grow, they have more complex questions."

White parents need to critically examine their own upbringing, she said, to think about how they learned about race, and how they may have acted in ways that revealed bias against black people - crossing the street to avoid a black person, or treating them with distrust. "Think about where you are right now," she said. "What are you reading? What TV shows are you watching? Who are your friends?" All of that, she said, affects the way a child perceives the world.

Avoiding race conversations is privilege

The ability to avoid talking about race is a form of white privilege, the researchers said.

In black families, racial differences, and the history of race relations in America, are conversations that happen organically, at all ages, said Njoroge. "For many African-American families, there is that history of segregation, of 'separate but equal,' woven into the fabric of our experiences."

Njoroge, whose father is Kenyan and mother is African American, recalls growing up in Missouri and taking trips in the summer to visit her maternal grandparents' house in the tiny town of Glenmora, Louisiana. The town had one main road, one movie theater, and two gas stations. At the local movie theater, she said, black people had to sit in a balcony, use a separate entrance, and had separate access to concessions. For children growing up in black families, she said, this experience "leads to questions: Why couldn't you go to the movies? Why couldn't you go to the school in town?"

Njoroge was taught by her mother to always get a receipt when she bought something from a store, no matter how small, in case she was questioned. It's something she does to this day.

The ongoing nationwide protests in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd is an opportunity to have conversations with kids about racial differences, white privilege, and systemic racism, Njoroge said.

"This is a moment where you can't ignore the history of the U.S.," she said.

She recommends that parents talk honestly with their children about their own moments of racism - and how they have learned to be better.

"Describe the inequities built into our country," she said.

Recommended resources for talking to kids about race

The following resources were recommended by Dr. Amalia Londono Tobon, clinical fellow of the Yale Child Study Center, and Dr. Wanjiku Njoroge, an adjunct professor at Yale and program director of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, for parents who want to have conversations with their kids about race and racism.

VIDEO

How to talk to kids about racism, protests & injustice: article and video with journalist Sheinelle Jones from the "Today" show.

AUDIO

How white parents can talk about race: NPR's Michel Martin talks to Jennifer Harvey, author of "Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America," about how to talk with white kids about racially charged events.

ARTICLES

Racism and violence: how to help kids handle the news: A guide on supporting your kids during scary times from the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit focused on children's mental health.

Talking to children about racial bias: steps parents can take to confront their own racial bias and talk about racial differences from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

How to talk to kids about race and racism: a comprehensive Parent Toolkit on talking to kids about race and racism from NBC News.

Discussing race with white children, part one: This article from the Yale School of Medicine offers white parents advice for self-reflection as well as media recommendations and other resources to help guide discussion.

BOOKS

Where to find diverse children's books: a guide to blogs and sites where parents can find books featuring diverse characters and highlighting social justice from EmbraceRace, a parent-founded organization to fight systemic racism.

Anti-racism books for kids: books for kids of different ages that celebrate racial diversity and explain how diversity makes us stronger from Books for Littles, an organization that uses picture books to help parents have important conversations about social issues.

Social justice books for teens: a compilation of books for teens exploring how race, class, gender, size, and sexuality affect our lives from the Chicago Public Library.

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It's never too early to talk with children about race

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Infants as young as six months old can recognize differences in skin color. By age two and a half, research has shown, children prefer playmates who are similar in race and gender. And as early as age three, they are forming judgments about people based on racial differences.

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Our mission is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.

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Understanding how school discipline policies can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline is essential for educators and families. Harsh punishments, automatic out-of-class time and police involvement for discipline can push young people out of classrooms and into the criminal legal system. But educators, parents and caregivers can help to change this harmful system by advocating for and implementing practices that prioritize mental health and well-being.

We offer this new resource page that highlights LFJ articles and content to open dialogue, shift practices and foster change to benefit all young people.

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Learning for Justice | Education Resources

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Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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Expect Heightened Anxiety & Behavioral Issues in Students

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Expect Heightened Anxiety & Behavioral Issues in Students

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Students with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to experiencing anxiety, regardless of whether they exhibited such signs before the COVID-19 outbreak.

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After spending months with just their families during the pandemic, students with disabilities may show signs of anxiety as they return to school regardless of whether they exhibited such signs before the COVID-19 outbreak.

"We need to be very thoughtful and prepared because anxiety will be up," says Jessica Minahan, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and consultant based in Massachusetts. "Routines will be different and fears around germs and sickness may be more common. Many students may experience a sense of trauma. It'll be more important than ever to be anxiety-informed and trauma-informed in our interventions with kids."

Follow these tips to ensure students' smooth return to school despite anxiety related to COVID-19:

Review the curriculum. Encourage colleagues to review their curriculum before assigning reading and other work. For example, if a character in a book becomes seriously ill or dies, you may want to wait until later to assign that one. "You may want to reshuffle the timing of it or be very thoughtful how you introduce it,"Minahan says. "If two-thirds of the students in your class are from an apartment complex that was heavily hit by COVID-19, that should influence your decision to use that text."

Validate, reframe student feelings. If a student begins to panic in the classroom about herself or someone else getting sick, use or encourage your colleague to use the tone and volume you would use to tell a bedtime story, validate the student's feelings by saying something such as, "I'm sorry you're worried about your health," and then express that she is safe, Minahan says.

Reframe the student's thinking to focus on what she has control over, such as washing her hands, taking her vitamins, and standing six feet away from others. The student might keep a journal so she can feel some control over documenting the situation. Pointing out to the student how many helpers exist in the world and encouraging her to research someone doing good for society may be helpful, she says. Also suggest the student watch positive coverage of inspiring people rather than focus nonstop on negative news.

Rethink breaks. Asking a student to take a walk or engage in drawing to calm down if he is feeling anxious may allow the student's negative thoughts to fester rather than help him calm down, Minahan says. "We assume the student needs to move, but now they're alone with their thoughts. The brain is like a remote control. You have to change the channel to calm down." Instead, a teacher may want to ask the student to engage in brain teasers such as sudoku, trivia, Mad Libs, and other exercises when he is feeling anxious, Minahan suggests. Or ask the student to listen to an audiobook for two minutes or think of the second verse of his favorite song. "Doing that is incompatible with worrying," she says.

Prevent misunderstandings because of face coverings. Students may show heightened anxiety because of everyone wearing masks. They may not be able to understand others' intentions well because they can't read their facial expressions or body language. Avoid using sarcasm or spell out when something is funny to help students navigate interactions.

Offer predictable positive attention. Don't wait for an anxious student who wants attention-or, more accurately, connection-to start to exhibit attention-seeking behavior, such as banging her knee on her desk, Minahan says. Preempt the behavior by positively greeting the student at the beginning of class and saying something like, "I can't wait to see what you think of this assignment." Then tell the student you're going to check on her in five minutes and set a timer. When time is up, ask the student a question, then say you're going to check on her again in 15 minutes and set the timer. "The student won't act out all the time because they know you're coming," she says. "It's important for teachers to always think about attention-seeking behavior as attachment-seeking or connection-seeking behavior."

Cara Nissman covers autism, school psychology, and IEP team issues for Special Ed Connection, a DA sister publication.

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Expect heightened anxiety and behavioral issues in students returning to school as schools reopen

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After spending months with just their families during the pandemic, students with disabilities may show signs of anxiety as they return to school regardless of whether they exhibited such signs before the COVID-19 outbreak. "We need to be very thoughtful and prepared because anxiety will be up," says Jessica Minahan, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and consultant based in Massachusetts.