Calm Kits in the Community Project
Attendees at the 5th Annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference have the opportunity to give to other educators and classrooms in the Houston area AND create a calm kit for themselves at our “Calm Kits in the Community” Project on Sunday, February 20, 2022. The project is free to all attending the in-person conference. Participants will […]
The Re-Set Process
It began at TSS In February 2021, I had the honor of moderating Dyane Carrere’s session, “A New Way to Respond to Challenging Behavior: The Re-Set Process” at ATN’s virtual Trauma-Sensitive Schools (TSS) conference. Carrere’s approach to and heart for children from hard places impressed me. So much so, in fact, that I ordered her […]
Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19
A new book for trauma-sensitive educators Returning to school this year has been stressful for school leaders, educators, families, and students, whether they’re engaged in face-to-face, distance, or hybrid learning. My new e-book Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19 is a resource designed especially for administrators, teachers, instructional coaches, and support staff. It provides *right now* […]
Teachers Are Heroes
Teachers are Heroes Being a teacher is more challenging than ever before. Teachers have long been the adults who care for, protect and inspire the next generation. This year, they’re laying their lives on the line and innovating like never before. In short…teachers are heroes. The impact a teacher can make is more important than […]
Of Hats and Children and This Coming August
So many hats… The teacher hat Like so many of you, I wear a number of “hats” every day. Since March, I’ve worn the teacher hat often. This isn’t foreign to me—I spent ten years in early childhood education—but being Teacher-Mom is a whole new classroom! Two of my students have autism. For them, communication […]
Trauma-Sensitive Learning Goes Online
by Dr. Ryan T. Woods for Respectful Ways When learning went online When the threat of COVID-19 arrived, schools responded quickly. Administrators hustled, principals made announcements, and teachers developed lesson plans. In a matter of days, students were learning from home. As any instructor knows, academic content represents just one facet of education. Developing social […]
Wisdom from a Virtual Schooling Mom
Blog Manager’s Note: I don’t know about you, but I know that I have lost count of how many days we’ve been under orders to “shelter in place.” Although absolutely necessary, this isn’t easy, especially as more and more states make the decision to close school doors for the rest of this academic year. Thankfully, […]
Home School in a Stay-Home World
Blog Manager’s Note: Today’s post is about this strange new world in which we all find ourselves learning how to home school. If you’re like me, the possibility had never even crossed your mind in the days and years leading up to COVID-19! As part of our series on coping with the pandemic, ATN Trauma […]
Akin, Trauma, and Mindfulness in School
A Mindfulness room gone wrong About a month ago, I read Emma Donoghue’s novel, Akin, the story of an unlikely duo, both touched by childhood trauma: an 11-year-old boy named Michael and his great-uncle, Noah. Michael’s father–Noah’s nephew–died of an overdose, while his mother is imprisoned for a drug-related offense. Overnight, Noah finds himself the […]
My Son’s Brain in School
A neuropsychologist said of my oldest son: “His brain is not organized the way the world wants it to be, so he has problems functioning. But he doesn’t have behavior problems. His brain doesn’t do those.” My youngest son also has a brain that doesn’t fit the world he lives in, but his brain does […]