A few weeks ago I was caught off guard by a statement from an educator that I highly respect while talking about the most recent buzz-worthy trend in education, "becoming trauma-informed." She stated that she felt it wasn't necessary for her district to join this journey because her district had a low-poverty rate and was not very racially diverse. In my opinion, this statement couldn't be more misinformed... and yet I also know that not everyone wears the same lens that I do, so I remained curious and asked a few more questions. In the end, I was fairly certain that I hadn't changed her mind. That evening, I shared this picture on Twitter, which seemed to resonate with many of my followers. I was frustrated... no, honestly, I was angry when I created the image, and with each share I felt that little twinge of "showing them." And then I realized... that it was likely the people I was trying to convince still wouldn't hear the weight of this message. I wondered, what can I say or do differently to help get to their hearts? Then a couple of days later, a group of former colleagues walked through the doors at ESSDACK to present to our superintendents group. I was very interested to see one particular person because had I judged her to be someone who would be on "the other side" of this movement. We taught together for one year, and I would describe her as someone who runs a tight ship, one led by tough love and high teacher structure. I had heard that she had attended a Trauma-Informed Conference headlined by Jim Sporleder and Heather Forbes, and that she was really making some big changes in her classroom, but I had not had the opportunity to hear from her how it had impacted her personally. As she talked, it was clear that she had not only "seen the light," she was, as she said, "becoming the light." After her presentation I immediately asked if she would sit down for an interview to share about how becoming trauma-informed was changing her as a teacher and impacting her students. Boy, am I glad I had the courage to ask. In the video below, Sierra shares her story of how this has been a transformation from a fear-based classroom to a love-based classroom, and a shift from the way she was raised in that coach/athlete mentality. "It might take years for this to come naturally to me...but like with anything practice makes perfect." Talking with Sierra encouraged me to have patience as the hearts of other educators are opened to becoming trauma-informed. Here's my takeaway:
As educators, we all enter the classroom with different backgrounds, values, and belief systems. We are all on our own journey, and must honor our colleagues that see life through a different lens. And sometimes we need to see ourselves reflected in the lens of another in order to try on a different pair. However, it is also up to us to share what we see, to be open to hearing the experiences of others too. When we support each other in growing as educators, kids win.
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AuthorHope guides me in all endeavors. In both my professional and personal life I see opportunities to share and spread hope with others so that they too may develop pathways to see great possibilities in their lives. I believe in the power of engaged educators to build significant relationships with young people to encourage, inspire, and build great lives. This blog is a collection of my thoughts on education, hope, connecting, and engaging. Archives
July 2018
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