One of the many things that teacher preparation programs do not prepare preservice teachers for is the significant impact that childhood trauma has on students and how it impacts their ability to learn. In my small Title I school of about 400 students, we have determined that over 60% of our students have experienced some type of trauma in their short lives. These traumatic events consist of divorce, the death of a parent caused by suicide and/or drug overdose, homelessness, neglect, verbal and physical abuse, being the product of incest, and a major overarching concern - poverty. I was confronted with several of these situations upon my return to work last week for the new year.
When faced with this variety of challenges, students are not ready to learn when they arrive at school. As Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states, a student's basic needs must be met before they are in a position to learn. One of the major challenges for teachers and schools is how to address these basic needs within the time constraints of a 7 1/2 hour day. The challenge seems to confront us daily.
My school has tackled these challenges in a variety of ways over the last three years. Our school has become a community center that is available to support families. In August 2017, a school based health clinic (HEALS) was opened on the campus so that children on medicare or without insurance could be provided with quality health care during school hours. Students have access to medical, dental, and vision services. They also receive a free pair of shoes at each annual well visit. Over the last three years we have also offered counseling services through the NOVA center. Teachers and parents can refer students for needs such as focusing concerns and changing families. Students and families are able to benefit from meeting with a school based therapist during school hours.
Our school also found that the 7 1/2 hours allotted for instruction were just not going to put a dent in the academic gaps that some students need to close. We have addressed this through being awarded a 21st Century Learning Center grant that has provided extended day and extended school year (summer) programming in cooperation with the CARE Center and the YMCA. Students are able to get additional academic support, but more importantly, they are able to be involved in extra curricular activities such as cooking, theater, basketball, and rocket building. For many of our students, these enrichment experiences would not be accessible due to the lack of financial resources and available transportation. In the summer, the students also had the opportunity to go on field trips to the Space and Rocket center, Spring Valley Beach, and receive swimming lessons at a university pool. Breakfast, lunch, and transportation were provided on each program day.
Students who have experienced trauma also have difficulty responding to adults that yell at them or discipline them by using a punitive approach. Three years ago, our school began implementing pieces of PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports). Through the implementation of PBIS, we were able to reduce the number of office referrals by 25%. Students have lots of opportunities to earn positive rewards through Tiger Paws that are given out daily and announced each morning, Class Dojo points in the upper grades, and a clip chart system in the younger grades. At the end of each week, students also have a reward time called Tiger Pride. Students get to select an activity that they would like to participate in with their peers. PBIS develops buy-in for students to want to make good choices each day. The rewards are tailored to the students, which promotes emotional support that so many students require.
So many of the experiences that we have implemented would not be possible without reaching out and developing community partnerships. Some of the partnerships that we have developed are Vulcan (a local rock quarry that has provided regular donations and helped us to build an outdoor classroom in 2016), the CARE Center (a local Christian non-profit that supports economically disadvantaged families through educational programming), the YMCA, local engineering companies that have allowed us to expand our STEM offerings, church groups that have provided donations to purchase instructional materials, an Elks Lodge that provided a week long overnight SPACE camp experience for our entire fifth grade class, 100 Women that Care that provided funding for our first summer school program, and local politicians that have provided funds for enrichment programs and tutoring during the school day.
Our instructional staff will continue to search for more opportunities to support our students who are living in trauma, as well as ways to support their academic needs. The most important piece of all is that every adult who interacts daily with students promotes a positive learning experience and provides a welcoming environment for all children.
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