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Running head: Trauma-informed teaching

Trauma-Informed Teaching

Savannah Snapp, Kinley Spivey, and Kaytlin Stubbs

University of Georgia

4/21/2018
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Trauma-Informed Teaching

Scientists and experts across America universally agree that childhood is the most

important and influential time in a person’s life. Many of us think of childhood as a time of

innocence and mischief, but for many children, childhood can be a dark and scary time in their

lives. Every child carries pieces of their home within them, and these pieces, whether pleasant or

horrifying, manifest themselves most readily in the classroom. Because of this, the

manifestations of trauma in a child’s life often cause issues for both teachers and the impacted

children. In this essay, we will attempt to address this issue by reviewing what constitutes

childhood trauma; how trauma affects the brain, feelings, and behavior; and how trauma-

informed teaching pedagogy can be used to increase effectiveness and empower educators to

advocate for healing in our classrooms.

What is trauma?

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, trauma is “a frightening,

dangerous, or violent event that poses a threat to a child’s life or bodily integrity. Witnessing a

traumatic event that threatens life or physical security of a loved one can also be traumatic,”

(NCTSN, 2018). This means that a child does not have to be a victim or have experienced bodily

harm to manifest traumatic symptoms. Childhood trauma is also defined as a child’s response to

an event or situation that overwhelms their abilities to cope with the situation at hand, leaving

them feeling helpless and vulnerable. Unfortunately, in the United States trauma is a staggeringly

common experience for children. States the Educational Law Center, “between half and two-

thirds of all school-aged children experience trauma as they are exposed to one or more adverse

childhood experiences that can be trauma-inducing,” (Educational Law Center, 2014). The

number of traumatized children per population are highest in urban communities. That means
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that as an educator in the United States, especially in the urban public sector, we are highly likely

to have multiple children in our classrooms that experience trauma and are affected by traumatic

events.

How does trauma impact a child’s development?

Early childhood is a critical period of growth in every child’s life. The brain is easily

shaped and moulded during this period of life, and life experiences play a major part in shaping

the way a child’s brain works. Because of the impact of life experience on a child’s brain,

exposure to traumatic experiences can greatly change the development of a child’s brain. These

changes can, and often do, lead to damage to certain parts of their brains. One study states,

“extended exposure to toxic stress can lead to functional changes in several regions of the brain

involved in learning and behavior including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.

Further, neurological imaging indicates that several regions of the brain may actually reduce in

size as a result of childhood maltreatment,” (American Pediatric Association, 2014). This means

that areas of the brain associated with reading, writing, and socialization are all impaired by a

child’s negative experiences. This leaves traumatized children at a disadvantage to their peers,

who do not struggle with impairments from their life experiences. It also leaves children

vulnerable to stigmatizing and stereotypes in the classroom, as many children who suffer from

traumatic experiences are labeled “bad kids” because of their behavior and inability to keep up

with schoolwork.

Because of these adverse effects on the chemistry in their brains, many traumatized

children struggle to focus and perform well in school. These children oftentimes receive more

disciplinary action than their peers, which leads to increased absence from their classrooms for
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in-school suspensions, and in extreme cases, expulsion. Because of their educational and social

disadvantages, traumatized children are often overrepresented in special education classes.

Trauma also affects the way that a child sees themselves, others, and the world at large.

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, “Our ability to develop healthy,

supportive relationships with friends and significant others depends on our having first

developed those kinds of relationships in our families,” (NCTSN, 2018). These early

relationships have a huge impact on the ways that we interact with our peers and authority

figures. We learn how to interact with others from watching adults, such as our parents and close

relatives, interact with each other. Children who are living in situations where they consistently

feel that they are unsafe develop the belief that adults cannot be trusted. Because of this belief,

many traumatized children struggle to respect teachers and authority figures in their lives. They

also struggle to develop friendships with peers, which leads to higher risk of depression, anxiety,

and loneliness in children.

Traumatized children live their lives in a state of hypervigilance, or a constant state of

alarm. These children constantly scan their surroundings, looking for danger and potential

threats. Because of this behavior, traumatized children are unable to correctly react to stressful

situations, whether high stress or low stress. One child might scream and cry over a minor

dispute between classmates, and another child might shut down and become completely

unresponsive. Both of these responses are coping mechanisms that children have developed in

order to protect themselves from potentially dangerous situations, and both of these responses

result in higher disciplinary actions taken against them while in school settings. When students

are unable to respond correctly to stimuli around them, it leads to higher risk of emotional

outbursts and violence. This often means that traumatized children fall behind more often in
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school and are more likely to give up on themselves and their studies. The NCTSN states,

“Having never learned how to calm themselves down once they are upset, many of these

[traumatized] children become easily overwhelmed. For example, in school they may become so

frustrated that they give up on even small tasks that present a challenge,” (NCTSN, 2018). This

inability to persist when challenges arise lead to setbacks in children’s learning, and many

traumatized children are behind grade level in reading, writing, and math for this reason. They

simply have not been taught to persevere through their personal struggles, and many traumatized

children do not have high self-esteem. This leads to a defeatist attitude towards school, where a

child believes that they are “too dumb” to learn. This cycle of frustration, quitting, and

punishment only serves to exacerbate the issue, however. Many traumatized children do not

respond well to criticism and find negative reinforcement to be demotivating.

In short, many traumatized children struggle to respect authority, tend to overreact or

underreact to everyday situations in the classroom, and are easily defeated in their studies. All of

these behaviors create major issues for educators in the classroom, especially when their students

become hard to teach as a result of their attitudes and actions. But what can we as educators do

about this?

Trauma-Informed Teaching

Trauma-informed teaching is a pedagogy that promotes creating steady, encouraging

classrooms in which traumatized students can become full participants inside and outside of

school. Teachers should go through staff training on trauma that addresses how to “strengthen

the relationships between staff, children who have experienced trauma, and their caregivers,

identify and access outside supports, and help traumatized children regulate their emotions to

ensure academic and social success,” (Educational Law Center, 2014). Finding ways to
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strengthen the relationship between the child’s caregiver and school staff will help the

traumatized child feel more included in the school environment and will increase the child’s

chance of success. Some ways to include the parents in their child’s education is to assess their

strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of the school year. Strengths include highlighting

ways that the parents can feel like they are contributing to their child’s education and setting up

good work hours in which they can attend parent meetings. Another way to include the parents is

by having constant communication via email to update on their child’s success. It is also

important for students to know their supports systems outside of school such as clinicians and

behaviorists. The child should always know that there are adults on their side that want to see

them succeed in life.

Academic Strategies for Trauma-Informed Teaching

Some academic strategies for teaching traumatized students are “islands of competence,

predictability, transitions without trauma, safety, written plans, consistency with classmates, and

positive behavioral supports,” (Helping Traumatized Students Learn: Supportive School

Environments for Children Traumatized by Family Violence, 2013). Islands of competence

refers to the areas where the student feels confident in his or her abilities. Assignments should be

customized to his or her interests, so they can help improve their academic success. Students

should also be affirmed when seen answering correctly, so that they learn over time that they are

capable of producing quality work. Affirmation and positive reinforcement for their work is a

powerful tool to use when relating to traumatized children, as many of these students have low

self-esteem. Building their own credibility in the classroom is incredibly important for their self-

image and for their survival in the world outside the classroom. As a teacher continues to affirm

traumatized students, students also become more motivated to work for their teachers. This
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desire to perform and create quality work can help alleviate many pressures on the teacher of

such students.

Predictability refers to routines and consistent, encouraging behavior. With traumatized

students, they need school environments that are safe and expected because their home life is

wildly unpredictable. Teachers can create a predictable environment by having the day’s

schedule listed in a visible place in the classroom. Some teachers even choose to go over the

class’s schedule before the day begins so that students have an idea about the kind of day that

lies ahead for them. Regardless of the methods of reviewing the class schedule, it is crucial that

traumatized students have a structure to fall back on when they are unsure as to what is

happening in the classroom. If teachers anticipate changes in the classroom routine, those should

be discussed as a class before the day begins so that students are not caught off-guard or startled

by the new event. Teaching students where to find the class schedule, familiarizing them with

classroom routines, and consistently sticking to those routines will enable students to keep

themselves accountable for class activities and will create a safe and predictable learning

environment for every child.

Safe transitions are also critical for traumatized students because transitions tend to

trigger strong emotions or daunting memories for traumatized children. It is important that the

teacher preview new places, people, and evaluate the new space with their traumatized students

in mind. As educators and authority figures in their lives, it is crucial that these students know

that teachers are on their side and are there to protect them. Strange new places where students

may feel a sense of “sensory overload” are more likely to trigger emotional outbursts or

flashbacks in traumatized children and increase the chance that students feel unsafe in school

environments as well.
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Another academic strategy is safety. This strategy often takes time to build, as trust

between teachers and traumatized students is established in the classroom over time. However,

there are some principles that can be set in place immediately to help create a safe environment

for a traumatized child. For the success of your child and for the effectiveness of your teaching

throughout the year, it is crucial that traumatized students feel emotionally and physically safe in

the classroom. The traumatized students shouldn’t be worried about assaults from other students

or verbal or physical threats from parents. The student should especially know that their teacher

is there in the classroom to help and support that student in their learning and development.

Educators can begin to foster this type of environment by using soft, caring tones when speaking

to traumatized students, avoiding large unexpected noises in the classroom, making a conscious

effort to include them in class activities, and diffusing potentially threatening child conflicts in

the classroom. This is attainable through incorporating safety skills into the curriculum and

teaching the whole class to develop conflict management. This includes learning how to share

with others peacefully, how to use their words to express emotions and desires, and even

watching other teachers resolve conflict in peaceful ways. These skills, when incorporated into

the curriculum, can help the social/ emotional awareness and development of every child, not

just traumatized children. The benefits of teaching your students quality interpersonal skills are

endless, as these are skills that students will continue to draw upon for the remainder of their

lives. This will also help improve listening skills in the classroom by learning how to properly

communicate and practice active listening when interacting with others.

Now, we move on to written plans. Teachers should have individualized education plans

for traumatized students in case a traumatic reaction is triggered. Accommodations and supports

should be included in detail so the teacher or substitute teacher is well prepared when a traumatic
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reaction is triggered. Teachers should also have a detailed action plan in place, used only in the

event of a traumatic stress response in their classroom. By planning out what actions need to be

taken as the student is having their traumatic stress response will greatly increase preparedness

and capability of teachers who are responsible for those students. Panic and a sense of

helplessness can also be avoided through careful anticipation of these triggers and the traumatic

reactions themselves. Some students are more easily triggered than others, and it is the

responsibility of the teacher to adjust lesson plans to accommodate for every student in his or her

classroom.

We now move on to consistency with classmates. Traumatized students should be held to

the same academic standards as their peers in the classroom. If traumatized students are not

producing the same quality work as their peers in the classroom, then the teacher should set up a

time to privately meet with the child to discuss school progress. The teacher should then

implement a plan to help the student academically catch up with their classmates, which will

lower risk of peer alienation. As teachers help students move forward in their studies, teachers

should interact with traumatized students in the same manner as they would with the rest of the

class. Giving traumatized students special attention in the classroom will greatly increase the

chance for bullying and peer alienation. It also increases the chance for parent-teacher conflict,

as parents also expect teachers to remain consistent and abstain from favoritism in the classroom.

Consistency in teacher behavior also serves to create a safe and predictable class environment,

which helps to stabilize students.

Lastly, we will discuss positive behavioral supports. This refers to having small tasks

and providing positive reinforcement and support throughout the day. This helps the traumatized

students feel welcomed, included, and safe in the classroom. Teachers can also work with
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behaviorists and trauma-sensitive clinicians to help identify the precursor of the child’s difficult

behavior. They can help the teacher plan the day so that the traumatized student feels safe,

welcomed, and productive while in the classroom.

Language-Based Teaching Approaches

According to the Educational Law Center, “language-based teaching approaches can help

students process information and alleviate their fears. Students who have experienced trauma

often pay more attention to nonverbal cues than verbal communication, so using multiple forms

of communicating information and helping students identify and verbally express their feelings

are important strategies to support learning (Educational Law Center, 2014).” Some of the best

ways to teach traumatized students are to to use multiple ways to present expectations and

instructions. It is important to have these students repeat your instructions and then participate in

the action. For instance, you can tell your students the importance of not cutting in line. Then

you would have your traumatized students actually have them perform this action while in line.

These techniques show that these students are calm and ready to learn.

Another approach to teaching traumatized is to help them control their emotions.

Traumatized students tend to act out impulsively because they can’t use language to

communicate their emotions. Therefore, teachers need to help their students recognize their

feelings and teach them to verbally communicate their emotions. However, the teacher should

always let the child calm down before teachers expect them to communicate their feelings.

Students may need help pulling themselves out of their traumatic stress response before they are

able to communicate what triggered the response, so teachers should be prepared to help students

re-center themselves in their environment. Teaching traumatized students self-regulation and

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anxiety prevention skills will also serve a child greatly in the classroom and will go a long way

in helping each student to control their emotions and reactions to stimuli.

Non-Academic Strategies

There are two non-academic strategies for teachers to use to assist traumatized students.

According to Educational Law Center, these strategies are “building non-academic relationships

with students and supporting and facilitating participation in extracurricular activities,”

(Educational Law Center, 2014). Building non-academic relationships with traumatized students

is one of the best ways for the students to feel welcomed and safe from their living situation at

home. When the child feels safe, the child becomes more open to learning and developing proper

social skills with their peers. The other non-academic strategy is to encourage the traumatized

students to participate in extracurricular activities. Because most traumatized students don’t

flourish academically, it is important for them to get involved in activities such as basketball,

soccer, yoga, and martial arts. This gives them the opportunity to find an activity that they are

good at and will help them improve their self-esteem. Some activities such as yoga and martial

arts are good outlets to let out their emotions and also learn to control them. If the teacher is able

to help find an activity the child excels at, it will also help improve their confidence in the

classroom because their ability to perform will increase their feelings of self-worth.

Discipline Strategies

There are five discipline strategies that are trauma-informed. According to the

Educational Law Center, these strategies are “balancing accountability with an understanding of

traumatic behavior, teaching students the school and classroom rules while reinforcing that

school is not a violent place and abusive discipline (which students who have experienced

trauma may be accustomed to) is not allowed at school, minimize disruptions to education with
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an emphasis on positive behavioral supports and behavioral intervention plans, create consistent

rules and consequences, and model respectful, nonviolent relationships,” (Educational Law

Center, 2014). The first strategy is balancing accountability with the understanding of traumatic

behavior. Whenever a traumatized student misbehaves, it is vital that the student is held

accountable for their actions. They should reflect on the origins of their difficult behavior.

However, traumatized students have limited control and general inability to explain why their

behavior is inappropriate. Therefore, the teachers should keep in mind the limit of the students

because some students may not be able to communicate why what they did was wrong. In this

case, teachers should be explicit about the student’s actions and why they are not acceptable in

the classroom. This should be done in a firm but loving way.

The next discipline strategy is enforcing rules. The teacher should do their best to

explain how rules are in students’ best interests for them to succeed and get along with their

peers. Because their home lives are filled with abusive power, traumatized students generally

don’t want to follow the teacher’s rules. Some are used to adults reacting harshly to students’ bad

behavior, so they tend to believe that discipline and rules are forms of abusive power. This

results in fear and defiance in the classroom, as students feel they must defend themselves from

potential threats. In these cases, it is crucial to show by the nature of the teacher’s disciplinary

style that these rules are simply to keep the peace and that these rules are for every student in the

classroom, not just the traumatized student. Consistency in enforcing these rules across the

classroom will go a long way in preventing outbursts as well, as traumatized children learn that

teachers are holding every student accountable for their actions. This lessens anxiety and the

sense of paranoia that many traumatized children have in the classroom.

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The third discipline strategy is minimizing disruption of education. The teacher should

address the student’s negative behavior before their behavior worsens. The teacher should use

positive reinforcements to help minimize their negative behavior. Teachers should only suspend

or expel the students as the last resort because it is critical that the students feel safe and

welcomed while at school. As most traumatized children struggle academically, it is also crucial

that students remain in class as often as possible, so they are better able to receive the

educational content.

The fourth discipline strategy is creating consistent rules and consequences. This

strategy refers to that all traumatized students need consistent rules in every area of their school.

The same rules apply in the classroom and in the lunchroom. The traumatized students also need

to know that the same rules apply to all students. Consistency is huge for traumatized students

because they never know what to expect when they are at home. They never know when their

parents will have a good day or not.

Finally, the fifth strategy is modeling respectful, nonviolent relationships. This strategy

is often implemented on accident, as many teachers have good relationships with other teachers

nearby. As students watch their teacher interact with adults around them, students learn healthy

relationship skills. This is crucial for students who do not have access to healthy adult

interactions outside the classroom. As discussed earlier, children learn to build behavior based on

the models shown to them. Watching teachers resolve conflict peacefully will go a long way in

teaching traumatized children the same skills.

How to Interact with Traumatized Students

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There are huge differences between the way teachers should interact with healthy

students and traumatized students. According to the Education Law Center, there are 6 principles

in which teachers should follow when interacting with traumatized students. These principles are

“always empower, never dispower, provide unconditional positive regard, maintain high

expectations, check assumptions, observe, and question, be a relationship coach, and provide

guided opportunities for helpful participation,” (Educational Law Center, 2014). As a trauma-

minded teacher, it is always best to avoid power battles with traumatized students. Most

traumatized students want to feel that they have control of the situation. The desire to control

comes from the inability to tolerate helplessness. The less power that a student feels they have,

the more they lash out. This is why it is extremely important to have clear and consistent rules

with your students, and to have structures in place that allow them to feel secure in their

environment.

The second principle is providing unconditional positive regard. This refers to always

having an upbeat attitude and letting the child know that you care about them. Teachers always

want them to be able to form healthy teacher-student relationships. However, students must first

know that they are wanted and cared for in the classroom. This comes as children are

consistently affirmed in their everyday activities.

The third principle is maintaining high expectations. Even though some children have

experienced trauma, the teacher should still set the same high expectations for them as they

would for their other students. If the teacher sets low expectations, then the traumatized students

will feel even more hopeless than they already do because they believe their teacher doesn’t

believe in their academic abilities.

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The fourth principle is check assumptions, observe, and question. As a trauma-informed

teacher, you should never make assumptions about a child. You should always speak with the

child to discuss what they have been experiencing or experienced at home. The next step is to

observe your student’s behaviors and actions and see if those behaviors match the description of

a traumatized student. The last step is to question by being engaged when that child is speaking

to you. This is your time to ask them questions to see if further action is required.

The fifth principle is being a relationship coach. No matter the grade level you teach, it is

still the job of the teacher to help students form relationships with their peers, caregivers, and

teachers. Relationships are vital for traumatized students because friends help bring back life,

joy, laughter, and a purpose to keep on living knowing that someone else cares about you.

The last principle is providing guided opportunities for helpful participation. This

principle is all about promoting peer “helping” situations such as tutoring, coaching, and support

groups. For traumatized students, this is a great activity that they should partake in because they

get to help others and helps them build relationships. These activities should be promoted

regardless of student performance in the classroom, as these activities help build social skills and

self-worth.

Overall, teaching traumatized children is an incredibly difficult but rewarding endeavor.

When teaching traumatized students, it is important to remember that consistency, love, patience,

and high expectations are key to their ability to thrive in the classroom. When students feel safe

and cared for in class, they perform to the best of their abilities. It is our responsibility as

teachers to make sure that these emotional, academic, and social needs are met for every student

in our classrooms. It is also teacher’s responsibility to take care of their own emotional needs, so

they can be the hero that every child needs their teachers to be.
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References

Education Law Center. (2014). Trauma-Informed in School Classrooms. Retrieved April 18,

2018, from https://www.elc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Trauma-Informed-in-Schools-

Classrooms-FINAL-December2014-2.pdf

Helping Traumatized Children Learn. (2005). A Report and Policy Agenda. Retrieved April

18, 2018, from https://uga.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/1473717/viewContent/22685169/View

National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). What is child trauma. Retrieved April 18,

2018, from www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/about-child-trauma.