On page 98 it states, “Proper supervision paired with clear behavioral expectations and procedures must be ensured.” It was funny to read the basic definition of PBIS without it being named. Plus, since it’s state mandated, it was nice to have confirmation that it’s good practice, even though it does seem to be common sense.

I LOVED the line on page 100, “This requires teachers, counselors, and administrators be trained in trauma-sensitivity, but it must not start snd end there.” The idea that any adult that interacts with any students being trained in anything that isn’t academic content related is brilliant! I especially like this as a high school teacher; I only get to interact with students for 50 minutes in their 8 hour school day. That leaves a lot of time with other adults that may not know what they need and how to help them cope throughout the day.

The description of executive functioning from pages 105-109 was really helpful for me! The term executive functioning is used a lot in education and I’ve never been formally taught the definition. And, the author’s explanation of all it takes to finish a chapter was very clear and a great reminder that executive functioning is a big goal we’re asking students to achieve! When I consider how little self-discipline I have, I’m reminder that students need more grace than I normally give.

I identified so greatly with the line in page 115, “It was steps forward, steps back, and then steps forward again, as it often is for severely traumatized youth.” I find that to be the case with any children. But, in the moment, when you’re working so hard to help them grow, you forget that growth isn’t really linear. This is a quote I need to post around my desk!

“First, educators must be safe in physical, emotional, social and nonverbal ways,” page 117. This was a good reminder that students (and really anyone) is paying attention to all forms of communication we’re putting off. So, if we want to be considered genuinely safe and someone of comfort, it has to be shown in all ways.

I found a lot of the examples in this chapter to be more for elementary schools. But, I really like the idea of the high school’s homeroom being like a morning meeting. That could be really powerful for meeting the universals discussed in the chapter, while also improving communication throughout our building.

On page 139, it states, “…all strategies must be accompanied by safe, predictable, and caring adult responses.” I underlined “predictable” 3 times and added 3 exclamation points under it. I am always so frustrated with coworkers that don’t aim for basic predictability. And, of course, I can always improve myself.

The first full paragraph on page 145 about her response to educators asking if it’s important that students learn to follow directions simply because they are asked was SO GOOD! I actually took a picture and sent it to a few teacher friends. The idea that we do need to work on students’ views of authority figures was so wise. It also made me realize how our job will affect their future that much more.

On page 155, the author writes, “Specifically, trauma-sensitive educators may need to track several dimensions of behavior, including patterns of frequency, intensity, and duration. This was another really good idea to me. I had one problematic student from this past year come to mind; I wonder how I could have helped her if I would have kept track of this data. I definitely want to try this next year.

It is important for ALL staff to be aware of trauma and how it can impact a student in the classroom, as well as some techniques to assist the student in a time of "crisis" (meltdown, trigger response, etc.)

The 3 essentials that must be met for students to learn:

-Students feel safe

-Students feel connected

-Students are able to become regulated.

The "River of Feelings" image on p. 110 can be used with all students. It is a great model to help in understanding what the behaviors/feelings students demonstrate need in terms of states of arousal and stress responses.

A student feeling safe in their learning environment is critical for learning.

Relationships with students should come first in trying to establish assistance to regulate trauma related emotions.

Providing hydration and snacks can be a way to foster the feeling of safety and readiness to learn in the classroom!

YES is important for students to know:

Y: you need to be where an adult can see you at all times.

E: every time you want or need something, ask an adult.

S: seek out an adult if you are unsure about something before acting.

Ask "why's" for a student's behaviors-don't just assume they are acting out. Analyze why they are behaving a certain way. Fixing/supporting the "why" will be much more effective in helping to regulate the behavior.

Routines, routines, routines! They are extremely important for all students-especially those who have experienced trauma. Make sure to prep your students as much as possible for days where the routine may be different.

Playfulness can help students feel connected to you. Using this tactic in stressful situations (where appropriate) can help to alleviate these feelings and create a bond between the teacher and student. (They're still kids!)

Set limits-even if we know a student has been through some very traumatic situations, that is not an excuse to let them behave or do whatever they want. They need to understand we still have limits in a classroom setting, and as individuals in general.

Feel empathy for unpleasant emotions. It can be difficult, but we must try to remember that kids are not trying to be unpleasant-they are just dealing with some difficult situations.

Restorative discipline can be helpful to some students-take the time to help them understand through conversations why what they did was wrong and how it can affect someone else in a negative way.

Practice behaviors when students continuously "misbehave" (ex. "we are going to practice walking in line correctly since you still can't seem to get the hang of it.)

Don't always focus on all of a students' negative behavior in a day. Make sure to encourage their positive moments. Daily reflection sheets can be a great tool for this.

It is very important to take care of ourselves as educators. Otherwise, how can we help our students?

Secondary traumatic stress is very real!

"Teaching has been ranked as one of the top careers linked with stress related health problems" (Johnson et al., 2005, p.221).

I was pleased to read on page 99 it states, "It is important to note that safety does not begin and end with physical safety within families, schools, or communities. Other types of safety, such as emotional, social, and academic safety, must be ensured for all students, families, and staff." Too often we only think about the physical when we think about safety.

On page 101, the book points out that "a caring adult who is present daily, meeting students' basic needs in a consistent, predictable, and kind way, would be a critical part of creating a school climate marked by positive connections for students." This is under the heading of Noncertified Educators. I think this is an important point that it is not just the classroom teachers who are part of fostering these relationships for students.

On page 107, it is noted that "no youth have fully developed executive function." So, all of our students need help in this area. Students dealing with trauma should be expected to be delayed in this development.

On page 116 we have an answer to a question many of us asked previously. "...there are many situations in which we may not be able to significantly change a traumatic environment that a student faces. . . What we can do is be the free space on the game board for our students - a place of safety and acceptance, with no strings attached."

On page 123, a case is made for the importance of Responsive Classroom's Morning Meetings is demonstrating to students that relationships come first. Many of our grades lost this with Covid. Maybe we need to bring this back.

Also on page 123, I liked the detail of the 6 steps to connect with students and listen for understanding, especially with the example script on the following pages.

On page 140 as part of the section about keeping the student's world small - "we only give severely traumatized students the things, tasks, choices, freedoms, responsibilities, and challenges that they are ready to handle successfully."

"We cannot make a student do an assignment, but we can control what we do in response to a child or teen's choice" page 145 under Choosing Limits and Words Carefully in the YES Guidelines.

On page 152, "We need to listen to what students are not saying, as much as - if not more so - than to what they are saying." This is so true. Students will often not say anything directly about their problems.

On page 175, "we can own what happened to us and make sense of how it has affected us, which can then help us better understand our lives and enable us to work on creating healthier patterns in current relationships."

"Above all, it is important not to schedule all fun times because we do not want severely traumatized youth to sabotage their participation out of anxiety. Educators should drop everything and do fun things spontaneously," page 178.

On page 194, we are advised, "Do be careful and purposeful in the use of the word mad or angry when empathizing with students. . . Anger, however, is a secondary emotion, meaning there is always another, more vulnerable emotion with it."

On page 198, it states that "building relationships with students and empathizing with feelings underneath maladaptive actions does not mean we should excuse those actions."

When facilitating a restorative discipline conference, the words "nevertheless" and "regardless" can be very helpful to validate the student's feelings, but keep things moving forward.

On page 214, it is clarified that "educators should not teach youth that any and all acts of aggression are breaks that can be repaired." This follows after stating that we need to teach students the difference between typical relationship breaks and abusive behavior. I agree. We definitely should be teaching and expecting students to return to abusive relationships of any kind.

Page 220: "We must take care of ourselves first."

Page 222: "Secondary trauma is real and can take a significant toll on our health, our work performance, and our families."

Page 224: "We must know our own strengths and limitations and develop personal emotional fitness. ... we need well-developed self-care plans that we put into action on an everyday preventive basis, but we also need plans that we actualize during times of higher stress, ... Knowing what works for us as individuals and whom we can go to for support are both key."