Trauma Tops the Lesson of the DayBy Dana Bockman, Facilitator of Instruction & Assessment In education, we often hear time is an issue. Because time is precious to educators, we attempt to utilize every second of our time with students to cover our hefty curriculum and to maximize student learning. We feel the pressure to get it all in, but this desire to fill every minute with academic learning comes at a cost to our students. If we don’t stop and address student well-being needs in our classrooms first, we can use our instructional time to the fullest and still not accomplish the learning we want to see. The academic lessons can never be more important than the mental health needs of our students. When a student suffers a trauma or is in the middle of a major behavioral or emotional incident, they tend to shift to their survival brain, sometimes referred to as their downstairs brain. Survival brain focuses on the reactions of fight, flight, and freeze. When in survival brain, students are not operating in a logical way, but rather an emotional way. A person, adult or child, cannot think when they are in their downstairs brain, and if that is the case, they also cannot learn. Before continuing with academic learning, address student emotional, physical, and social needs. Address traumas and provide support to students. We must Maslow before we can Bloom. The first step is to become more aware of the traumas in the lives of our students, as well as the triggers for those that regularly struggle with behavioral and emotional stability. Consider what those students may need from you in those moments. Traumas may include:
These traumas are referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are traumatic events occurring before age 18. The greater the number of ACEs a child has experienced, the greater the likelihood of high-risk adult health behaviors (smoking, alcoholism, promiscuity, obesity, etc.) and the greater the likelihood of struggling in school, difficulty making connections, and making unhealthy and troubling decisions as an adolescent.
Review the ACEs quiz. Then, consider how some of your students would score.
38 Comments
Lizabeth Fox
10/3/2019 05:11:54 pm
"We must Maslow before we can Bloom." So true. Great reminder, Dana!
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Sarah Zbornik
10/3/2019 05:45:05 pm
The downstairs brain gives such a vivid picture of what is happening in the mind during and after trauma. Thanks for posting, Dana.
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Sarah Nowack
10/3/2019 06:40:32 pm
Great reminder for us all. The image is great!
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Jackie Harless
10/3/2019 07:55:46 pm
Thanks for sharing - this is really helpful for those of us who deal with this on a daily basis. Even for us as the adults and professionals, its difficult to not let our emotions take over in difficult moments. Info like this is powerful to have tucked away to enable us to better help our kiddos that are hurting.
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Shanna Dibble
10/9/2019 03:59:02 pm
Thank you for posting, this is such an important topic! We have to make sure to build that foundation - positive, nurturing relationships and a safe, welcoming environment before we can teach the academics and part of this is supporting the mental health and social emotional needs of all students.
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Michael Himlie
3/24/2020 03:41:13 pm
Thank you so much for this post & the research you've done, Dana. Looking at the list of traumas, I think it is alarming that a large, large majority of these traumas don't have to happen. Unavoidable traumas: natural disaster, natural death processes, accidents, illnesses, pregnancy, & a couple others. All others seem to be a result of systematic forms of oppression to disadvantage minority or at risk communities, & especially children. All traumas deserve the utmost care, & I am glad we as educators contribute to a community, society, world, that works to liberate us all from oppressive traumas that don't have to exist. Thank you again, Dana.
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Michael Himlie
3/24/2020 03:52:58 pm
Though to clarify, natural disasters due to climate change are avoidable. Just as more gender liberated based education can minimize traumas as well. Apologies for any offense that may have been taken from above.
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Stephanie Radloff
3/25/2020 11:51:37 am
This was a great post! A great new way of understanding how their minds are working because of whatever trauma they are experiencing or have experienced.
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3/26/2020 06:11:15 am
Thanks for the reminder of how ACE's affect children today at every level. My biggest takeaway from this info is that it only takes one person who listens to that child to counter his/her high ACEs score. The good news is that high ACEs scoring people can do well in life and we, as educators, can be the ones who help tip the scales for them in the right direction.
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Diana Morrow
3/26/2020 06:43:32 am
After taking the quiz, I realized that I grew up in a great home. I guess I have always known that and it’s that modeling that has helped me parent. Working in the lower elementary, I think of some of the kids that do have troubles and think of the “baggage” that some of them carry. We need to be open-minded enough to realize that not all kids come from perfect homes. I give credit to the people in kids’ lives that can be a positive for them, whether that is us as school employees, or a relative, like a grandparent.
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Beth Wahlberg
3/26/2020 07:46:20 am
So important to keep in mind that we often have no idea what our students are going through outside of school. Also, I think about the students who are going through emotional incidents that may not technically be considered an ACE but that affect greatly their ability to focus in school. I think of the student this winter who lost her grandfather, broke up with her boyfriend and had her special 4H animal die, all within about 2 weeks. To us these things might not seem so huge, but to her they were traumatizing.
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Kathryn
3/26/2020 08:52:20 am
There are days that I think I should get a "Maslow before Bloom" tattoo. This mantra was made very evident to me when a former colleague would greet the children each day and then ask, "Have you had breakfast yet?" She knew that some of them had not and should be offered food.
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Dacia Schnuelle
3/26/2020 09:50:14 am
This is a great reminder that we may not always be aware of everything that is going on at home for a student. We need to make sure they feel they feel they have that safe environment at school, before we worry just about academics.
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Brittany Theismann
3/26/2020 12:48:50 pm
ACES is so interesting and really helps you understand where kids might be coming from. We never know what happened before school or the night before so we need to make sure when they come to school to have a loving and nurturing environment.
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Connie Krueger
3/26/2020 06:56:43 pm
We really have no idea what some kids go through at home. This is a good reminder for us to make sure that we make school a place they want to be and a place they can feel safe.
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Sharon Weselmann
3/26/2020 07:22:39 pm
I think Lori said this very well. My goal will be to provide the students I work with a safe environment and that I will be a caring adult to increase their chances for success in school and life.
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DeAnn Leeps
3/26/2020 09:17:03 pm
What a great blog! Stopping and remembering that everyone is dealing with something in their life and making sure that we are addressing their well being is so important.
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3/27/2020 12:01:54 am
This blog again is another reminder that not all children have a great home life, so we need to be that for them at times here at school. We need to be their safe place, a good meal, trustworthiness and a smile for them every day. For some we are the second home and we just need a nice reminder like these blogs.
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Olivia Heier
3/27/2020 07:07:54 am
Addressing the mental health needs of students is key for them to continue learning. We do not always know what students are dealing with at home. That is why we need to make sure school is a safe, positive, and caring environment.
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Ashley Knox
3/27/2020 07:33:28 am
"The academic lessons can never be more important than the mental health needs of our students." I love this statement and I think that more people need this reminder!! Students mental health is key to their learning and wellbeing and without the help and trust of a caring adult, those students will never be able to bloom.
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Deb
3/27/2020 07:50:37 am
We can help our students suffering trauma just by letting them know we care about them and they can come to us anytime for help.
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Chloe Stalberger
3/27/2020 07:51:24 am
The key to our job is treat students with respect. We are able to know backgrounds of some students but not all. It is important to remember that we have no idea what they are going through at home, with friends, or even on social media. We need to be there for them when they want us to listen and give them space when they do not want us. We may be the only safe environment they have.
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Steve Nesteby
3/27/2020 08:21:51 am
This is a good reminder that you never know what kids have and are going through outside of school.
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Kris
3/27/2020 08:39:35 am
After learning/reading more about ACES last spring/summer a lightbulb went off for me in regards to some students I see. This is a good reminder that some kids are just trying to survive and that's why they are often in fight/flight mode. I think it's important to remember by caring and taking time to talk (asking how we can help instead of telling them what needs to be done) maybe we can help them find ways to self regulate and be successful.
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Laura Greve
3/27/2020 08:46:15 am
This blog emphasizes the importance of the one caring adult. No matter what we have been through in our lives, we all need someone to lean on and trust. Even as adults we still need this!
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Nicolle Korsness
3/27/2020 09:08:04 am
"Becoming more aware of the traumas in the lives of our students, as well as the triggers for those that regularly struggle with behavioral and emotional stability" is very important for us as educators to understand so we can better help our kids each day. Knowing the triggers are so important to get through their day of learning. No two children are the same, so it's so important to realize that something that may work for one child will not work for another. Thank you for your blog!
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Pam Sullivan
3/27/2020 09:37:51 am
This reinforces how important adults are for all of our children. Knowing someone cares about them is huge for these kids.
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Denise Solberg
3/27/2020 10:33:09 am
Thanks for this informative post Dana! Several important concepts- the downstairs brain, we must Maslow before we can Bloom, ACE'S and triggers. Such important ideas to reflect on and consider as we work with our students.
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Cheryl Cline
3/27/2020 11:00:05 am
We really don't always know what is going on in a kid's life! It could be at home, with friends, or someone bulling them, among many other things. We need to let them know that school is a safe place with many caring adults ready to support and help them.
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3/27/2020 11:20:03 am
The graphics are very compelling along with the eloquent saying "We must Maslow before we can Bloom."
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Paul Snell
3/27/2020 11:40:02 am
Again, there are many kids that experience so much at a young age they have a hard time dealing with it. That's why we as educators have to try and remain positive with students even when they are challenging us.
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Mary Winger
3/27/2020 01:21:51 pm
This article is packed with interesting scientific evidence, supported by Harvard re: Maslow and Vanderbilt re: Bloom, that states traumatic events, both large and small, interfere with a child's ability to learn. We often don't know what these students are dealing with at home or school. What's exciting is I have seen that problem subtly addressed in many classrooms at DMS. The teacher takes a moment to connect with the classroom, smiling, and speaking calmly about what they will be learning about or working on. It feels nurturing and sets a positive, peaceful tone for students that gives their brain activity the best chance to move "upstairs."
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Sue Lansing
3/27/2020 01:44:45 pm
This is a very sobering reminder of how we don't know what circumstances are at home for our students, and to make sure they have a safe place, and caring adult in their lives for at least part of their day. Most kids today aren't raised like my generation was so now more than ever we need to try to provide attention they need.
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Susan Dugger
3/28/2020 05:39:25 pm
This is a good reminder to all that work with children that many carry baggage that interferes with their ability to engage and learn. When a child knows that they are safe at school, they may be able to better engage and process the lessons of the day. Teachers and paras need to nurture every aspect of the child with a particular focus on their mental health.
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Greg Murphy
3/29/2020 04:31:47 pm
I like the way this blog lays out the problems that our students face on a daily basis. Trauma is the right word and "survival brain" is the right term to describe how students, these days, deal with school work while battling horrendous situations in their personal lives. This is a great article that lays out the Adverse Chilhood Experience most our students face. I can only commit to have more patience with students who come from this background. More patience, more understanding, and more empathy.
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Michaela Seeman
3/30/2020 11:52:02 am
What a great reminder for us as educators. We certainly feel the pressure of needing to squeeze everything in, but when a student isn't in a place where they can contemplate learning, we'll need to re-teach later anyway. As a specials teacher, I occasionally have students pulled from my class to discuss a situation that happened earlier in the day, either by their classroom teacher, the principal, or the guidance counselor. I know all of these individuals avoid pulling students from my instructional time, so if that happens, I know it's a behavior or emotional incident that needs to be dealt with right away. I am grateful for the team that we have in our schools to be able to serve our students and support them in any way we can.
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Sarah Zbornik
4/6/2020 07:30:09 am
Thanks for posting, Dana. It is a reminder that so many students (and teachers) have an experience/trauma that is causing how they are acting and reacting. Lead with compassion.
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Andrew Ellingsen
4/6/2020 07:57:14 am
This visual is so helpful! As Shanna shared with the JCE staff at the beginning of the year, "You have to take care of the Maslow stuff before you can worry about the Bloom's stuff."
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