Chapter 5: Whare are some ways you currently teach responsibility? How do you know they are working?
Chapter 4 (only if you missed the meeting): Identify, in your mind, three of your current students who are relationally driven. What are you doing to help meet that need? What could you do to support this need?
Chapter 3: Think about a recent negative interaction you had with someone you care about. What would have helped that situation turn out differently? Upon reflection, do you think you both got lost in the behavior versus the need? How can you revisit that with this person and repair?
Chapter 2: What are some factors in your environment that contribute to the problem? What are some proactive things you can do to help reshape some of those systems of meanings in the environment?
Chapter 1: What would you like to see change in your setting? What would make you move even closer to a trauma-invested practice? Look at Figure 1.2.
As I read the chapters, especially figure 1.2, I was trying to think about my own experiences both as a homeroom teacher for 15 years and now as a specials teacher for the past year and a half, and as I reflected, I realize my views on how "trauma invested" I am varies depending on which classroom experience I was in. As a homeroom teacher, I did many things to be trauma invested - implemented Morning Meeting for my last five years as a homeroom teacher, truly got to know my students' background, experiences, personalities, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, moods, triggers...I always felt I tried to create that "nest" where my students were safe and happy and able to have a community feeling.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as a specials teacher now, feeling like a "new teacher" in many ways, I wish I knew how to move back toward trauma invested practices when I only see classes once a week for 45 minutes. It is very difficult for me to even learn all 500 kids' names at the beginning, but I try as best as I can, though it takes time. It is hard to know what every single kid brings in with them from their personal lives, and even harder to remember these histories once a week. While this may sound like "excuses," please know that I don't use them as such; I am open to suggestions for finding out how other people have tackled these issues in the once a week setting.
As far as moving even closer to trauma-invested practices, here are some things I have been doing: I push in to homerooms during my plan times to be more connected with kids, I bring kids to my room for extra time with me during my plan times for working on projects and getting a little more individualized attention, I helped plan and created over 30 Morning Meeting focus topic Keynote presentations for all homeroom classes to be used daily toward social emotional well being and development. As I said, I am open to suggestions for what to do from anyone who has been a classroom teacher and switched to teaching specials once a week. :)
I love that you aware of the barriers you are having as being a specials teacher. I wonder if you can choose a select few kids that you have hear need more of a nest and start there instead of trying to make it for all 500 kids. Also the morning meeting topics are amazing!
DeleteHi :)
DeleteI also think a roster where you can jot anecdotal notes about kids' interests/personal lives/etc. If I don't write it down, I don't remember it! But if you had a roster with 2-3 things about each student, it might help you with the names or spark a conversation with them at the beginning of the year/quarter. Another idea, a quick entrance post on your board or a google form where you can get a snapshot of an interest: a fave food, or song, or whatnot. Though I know how you plan your classes down to the minute. . . so not sure you have one to spare! You do a great job of creating a warm, friendly environment for your students, and I think, from what I have seen in your room and plan times, is that students really love being in your presence.
Christina and Julie - thanks for both of your replies! All great ideas! :)
DeleteAs I read this chapter and read through figure 1.2 a few things came to my mind. As a special education teacher I am going in and out of classrooms throughout the day. My goal is always to see my students as well as the general education students to feel safe asking academic questions when I am present and giving the students what they need to be successful. All while building a safe relationship with the students and creating a team with the teacher. While this is always my goal this is not always easy to achieve. Since I do not see all of the students all day long I am trying to building those relationships and responsibility in a short amount of time during the day. I am trying to work closely with the teacher to ensure that they are getting what they need. There are always barriers throughout this process.
ReplyDeleteI work to have common meeting time with the teacher so that we are on the same page and moving towards the same goals for the students. I work to meet with each of my students and any other student that needs it throughout the day to check in with them and have time one on one with them to build those relationships. I am always open to suggestions from anyone on the team to help those students.
Hi Lauren, it sounds like you are doing an awesome job trying to establish the relationships you need to help your kids (sped caseload as well as the homeroom ones) to feel safe and cared for.
DeleteMay I ask - what grade do you teach? Your situation kind of reminds me of when I was a homeroom teacher. I had the opportunity to co-teach with Ilene Kile and also Sue Bandman, two amazing sped teachers at our building. One of my favorite things about this was how they were seen by all my students as a second "me," like the classroom was theirs, too. This helped them to establish relationships with all students in the room and be another loved and trusted adult in the room. My students saw us as equals. Sometimes they attended our Morning Meetings, they often taught full lessons with me or without me, and worked closely with all of my students as well as kids on their caseloads. I love that in our district we have these opportunities to share students and allow kids to have more than one trusted adult in their classroom that they can turn to.
This year I am teaching Kindergarten, first, fourth, and sixth grade.
DeleteI love the opportunity to teach with all of the different teachers and establish relationships with all of these kids! It is so much fun and such a good experience. I am looked at as a second teacher and trusted adult in the classrooms I go in which I love. I know that I can sit in any room and teach a lesson and it will go just as smooth.
Both of you are in unique positions where you don't have a "homeroom" to create a nest or to have morning meetings to create that community. But maybe that just allows you to put a focus on those students who haven't made connections. Are there students on you caseload or who come to your class that don't seem to have a trusted adult and could you focus on those kids and how to connect them to the school setting? Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteTami - yes, thank you for your thoughts. This is something that I can do in my classroom!
DeleteChapter 2 Blog Discussion
ReplyDeleteWhat are some factors in your environment that contribute to the problem? What are some proactive things you can do to help reshape some of those systems of meanings in the environment?
As a special education teacher I tend to hear a lot of the "negatives" with various students that come up to me. I have to remember to take the time to step back and not focus on only the things that need to be "fixed" for the student that they are coming up to me. When a teacher comes to me and is telling me all of the things that they want help on and all of the things these students are doing wrong I listen and try to give tips and trick but after the exchange I try to think of 3 things I know that student does well or positive thoughts about that child. That way in my head that exchange on that student ended on a positive note. I think if I had that thought process with the teacher that was talking with me that would help their systems of meanings as well.
DeleteThere is always that one student that creates a more challenging environment to the teacher and his or her classmates. Often times we try to just "survive" the year and kind of give up on the student as time goes on. But it is true what Kristin and Pete say, "As educators, we have an obligation to provide an opportunity for all students". When I read this sentence, I highlighted "all students" because this is very important. Even though we might feel overwhelmed and sometimes even hopeless, it is our obligation to make sure every single one of our students have the same learning opportunities.
ReplyDeleteI personally, have felt that I have created positive learning environments for my students throughout the years. I make sure my students feel safe, protected, and that they know that they can trust their teacher. However, I would like to create this environment among them as well. Something that stuck to me while reading chapter 1 is that the students need to feel safe in the whole school, not just in my classroom. I have created a nest in my classroom but we, as a whole have to create a nest in the whole school. How is this achieved? And, since "change is a prerequisite of improvement" as Kristin states in her book, I am getting ready to make some changes myself.
To reach the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs triangle, we need to begin from the very bottom; meeting physiological needs. A student that does not feel physically safe at school whether is because another student threatened him or her, bullying, etc. the student is not going to move to the next stage. Feeling safe, valued, the sense of belonging, and feeling loved and cared for are going to be crucial in order for the student to become more successful in school. When students go through experiences that threaten their well-being, this causes trauma that can, sometimes haunt them forever.
As adults, we also need to feel safe in our work environment. The students need to know that we feel this way so we can help them "feel valued, capable, and awesome". They need to know that it is okay to ask questions, to ask for help, to be wrong, etc. No matter what it is, they are safe with us.
Shanise, you bring up a great point that it is the whole environment and not just your classroom but that it can be difficult because you do not have control over the entire environment. I am curious if there are committees you feel in your school (like Kindness or Orange Frog) that are working to make those changes?
DeleteDefinitely, Chris!! We are heading on the right direction.
DeleteI really enjoyed this chapter. The part that really made me think was how our systems of meaning are influencing the outcome. I'm sure this happens more often than we realize. I know there are times I go into meetings with preconceived expectations and because of that how did my body language or what I said change the course of the meeting? I found this very thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to comment on the negative systems of meaning that were referenced in the book. I have definitely been guilty of having similar thoughts - which as the author said, means I'm human. And, as she also mentioned, in many of our professional interactions, there's at least one person who is accessing these negative systems of meaning. I think this shows why even more than we realize we need to grab hold to the positives. It's interesting; sometimes I say negatives out loud to "vent" to others, but most of the time I do try to work through those issues and solve them to make the situation better. I am not okay with being "just okay" when it comes to my daily life in my job. I strive to make things better so that my students feel safe and successful and we are in a good place together.
ReplyDeleteSecond, circling back to something I mentioned above - I do sometimes vent like everyone else, and then I work toward making my situation better, but I don't always report back to the people I vented to in order to let them know of my improvements. I think that sometimes perpetuates the negativity. They may think oh, she is not happy, she's struggling, she's a victim of the environment, etc., and therefore they may find validation in their own negativity too (we are in this together, misery loves company, etc). In that regard, I think it would be good if I framed things positively to begin with, or, at least, when I vent to others, check in with them again after things have improved and help perpetuate some hope for things being better than they were.
I am a little late to the party, so bear with me while I try to catch up! I will be responding to both Chapter 1 and 2 in this post.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1:
While going through Figure 1.2 I definitely believe that we are at a trauma-informed level as a district because many of the strategies discussed are used intermittently, relationship building is important, we are in the process of acquiring more knowledge about childhood trauma and how it affects our students, but we just haven't all gotten onboard to take that extra step to get from informed to invested.
I feel like there is a disconnect between stakeholders (parents, teachers, leaders, community members, students) and that we aren't all on the same page in regards to supporting our students. This is something that will need to change in order for us, as a district and as a community, to grow and move forward in order to better support our children. We need to improve communication, collaboration, and become a true team.
Chapter 2:
The question that stuck out to me in this chapter was, "How often in education do two nonstressed brains come together?" There are so many stresses and pressures and expectations piled on us every day (whether intentionally or not) that yes, many of our interactions during the school day are accessing negative systems of meaning. When you go into the teachers' lounge next time, listen in to the conversations around you are compare how many of them are negative (complaints about students, staff, school, etc) and how many are positive (complimentary, sharing successes, praising a student or another staff member, etc.) Its jaw dropping how easily we go straight into complaint mode. I wonder why that is? Are we venting? Taking the edge off? What would happen if we ONLY talked about positive things? Or phrased our challenges in a more positive tone?
I am personally going to focus on asking myself these questions when I feel myself slipping into my negative system of meaning:
1) Could I inadvertently be seeing problems that aren't as significant as I believe?
2) Could I be projecting my expectations onto others and assuming their behaviors confirm my beliefs? (I think I do this in my personal life as well...)
3) Could I be looking for trouble when there really isn't any trouble to be found?
4) Could the fact that I'm anticipating conflict mean that I am going to end up instigating conflict myself?
Vita, I love the four questions you posed - I have wondered similar things in myself.
DeleteVita, I love this! And yes, you are right. It is very easy to fall into thinking and expressing the negative more than the positive. I heard once on TV that negativity is contagious. If you wake up in the morning all energetic and ready to begin your day with a positive attitude, as soon as you meet a negative person and that person starts "venting" his/her unfortunate events you then start feeling like you are having the same issues in your life. Immediately your brain starts looking for the negative and similar things that are happening in your own life so you can contribute to the conversation. Isn't' that awful? After I heard this, I thought- how about if we do the opposite, right!? How about if we spread positivism everywhere and to everyone no matter what is happening in our lives? Why don't we make the positive contagious? Great response, Vita. I love your questions. I will reflect on this myself. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteChapter 3: Think about a recent negative interaction you had with someone you care about. What would have helped that situation turn out differently? Upon reflection, do you think you both got lost in the behavior versus the need? How can you revisit that with this person and repair?
ReplyDeleteI think being transparent in what I was wondering - asking for clarification in his behavior, finding out what I could do to help him in what he needs, and show empathy in what he must be going through and what a struggle it is for him - would have helped the situation. Clear and honest communication, letting the other person know I am here to help, etc...these are all powerful things that would foster a sense of trust and repair.
ReplyDeleteI do want to comment on something I appreciated in this chapter - I liked "pete's practice" where he explained how no one expects us to know the story of every individual kid and that you don't always need to know the story in order to help. I think this was good advice for me in what I've been worrying about with having all students in the school. It is common sense, but by just communicating with a student who is having a difficult time and encouraging him positively, helping make things accessible to him in whatever his current state is, can be very helpful in getting him on the right track toward success in my class. This part of the chapter made me feel less overwhelmed about my worries of not being able to connect. Maybe it isn't always about connecting with the "story" as it is connecting by showing I am taking the time to notice and care.
I think I underestimate the student sometimes. I think I need to take a step back and have a true open conversation with them about what they need. I think they can voice more than any one gives them credit for. When the behavior is occurring out of habit we try to come up with solutions for the behavior they are exhibiting at that moment however, I think we need to look deeper than that. We need to look at what needs that student needs so that we can put interventions in place to better help that student before a behavior occurs. As a SPED teacher I do this all of the time but I think I run into trouble when a teacher comes to me explaining a behavior and wants a solution. I need to remember to take a step back and help them analyze better using the needs!
ReplyDeleteI think many of us do this Lauren, I know I have. We "assume" students won't be able to explain it or we don't take the time and we think it's our job to find a solution. I loved this chapter and the focus on the needs of the student vs. the behaviors of the student.
DeleteThis happened to me last year where I was in my downstairs brain because I was stressed about something and someone said something as a suggestion to help and I snapped at them. Even though I realized what I did was wrong and hurtful, and I apologized later (multiple times), the relationship ended that day. Salted earth. No matter what I do now, it doesn't seem to matter because of one comment I made over a year ago. Even though I am able to grow and move on, others are not always able to do the same. It is sad, as it could have been a beautiful and beneficial relationship, but because I spoke without thinking, I lost out on that opportunity. I should have stopped and thought before I spoke, but even though I do this 9 times out of 10, its that ONE time that makes the most impact.
ReplyDeleteI have gotten much better about taking a moment to calm myself and collect my thoughts. It is an ongoing process, however, so please bear with me! As for repairing, I have tried multiple times, but if the other person isn't willing or ready, it won't work. It takes two. And although I would like to forget it ever happened, I can't force the other person to work on my time schedule. So I leave it. And learn from it. Because that is all I can do.
I try not to get involved or share negativity. However, I do listen when someone needs to "vent" or share something. It is hard to find a solution to every situation but if you can at least, listen and offer comfort that is meaningful.
ReplyDeleteStudents and teachers, both go through situations in their private lives. Noone has a perfect life. Even if a student or a teacher looks happy every single day, there is always something going on. Whether it is because there is not enough food at home, the car is constantly in the shop, living in a hostile environment, etc...everyone is going through something. Some more than others but everyone has something going on. This helps me to be more aware of others, including my students.
I often wonder, what is happening at home. Are they going to bed early/late? Did they have breakfast this morning? Why is this teacher walking with her head down today? Sh*t, I wasn't the only one not putting makeup on today. I wonder if she had the same awful night as I did...etc. Even if I do not ask anything, I do wonder and I worry. I have my problems but, I know that others have worse problems that I do so, when I am around my colleagues and my students, I take in consideration their lives. I try to be sensitive. However, I have had my days when it takes me forever to notice that Johnny had a rough night, or that Joe has been running a fever for an hour, or that I was the only one in the school that looks like cr*p, etc. We all have our days but as long as we do our best to not let our behaviors affect others in a negative way, we are heading in a good direction.
Hi Shanise, I love that you said you try to not get involved or share the negativity. I think in today's day and age that really takes a conscious effort. :)
DeleteRecently, a student overreacted in a quite surprising and violent manner to a situation with a fellow classmate—they were teasing each other about progress on ST Math; the student took his Ipad and slammed it repeatedly to the floor. I was very shocked and taken aback by his behavior and hauled him out to hall. He was screaming and crying, “I don't care, give me a Fix It Plan”. My initial reaction was to take him to the office (or at least see if the Social Worker was available). But, after the initial outburst, he calmed down a bit and I could quickly assess that it had little (if any) to do with the altercation. Rather, it was a spillover from this student’s previous night and morning. He has a tumultuous home life and is constantly being pulled between two angry parents (who aren’t together and never have been) and a caring grandmother stuck in the middle. He is dealing with worrying about his mom verbally and emotionally abusing him and wanting to stay more with his dad, who hasn’t always been in his life. I believe this child is dealing with a combination of unmet needs.
ReplyDeleteI think I got lost in the behavior vs. the need, but was able to salvage the situation by helping him to meet his unmet needs, specifically his emotional need. If I can remember this more during “the heat of the moment”, a lot of time, energy and stress can be minimized. And most importantly, I will be able to help the student when they need it most.
Chapter 4 (only if you missed the meeting): Identify, in your mind, three of your current students who are relationally driven. What are you doing to help meet that need? What could you do to support this need?
ReplyDeleteChapter 5: What are some ways you currently teach responsibility? How do you know they are working?
ReplyDeleteOne of the ways that I teach responsibility is by building my students' sense of self efficacy or grit. If they believe they can do it, they are much more likely to try. Even if they don't make it, they can see how far they have come and strive to improve for next time. This is also why I am a huge advocate for mastery learning in the classroom. If they believe in themselves they will try and try again.
ReplyDeleteAnother way that I teach responsibility is by encouraging students to become more self reliant. (This is also something that I have had to teach many parents about as well because they fail to realize that they can't fix everything for their child and that even if they are trying to help, they are actually impeding their child's growth and ability to persevere when faced with challenges). This is something that we celebrate at our weekly class meetings and make goals to improve so that the students are aware of their improvement and growth.
Other ways we encourage responsibility in the class is by building growth mindsets and talking A LOT about cause and effect (or as we call them, actions and consequences) so that students take ownership and RESPONSIBILITY of their choices and actions. By making them aware of how their words or actions or decisions affect them and the people around them, it really drives home the importance of thinking before we act or speak. This is evident in the classroom feel and culture that we have created, where we all feel safe, invited, and included.
SIDE NOTE: Something I loved in this chapter was the "worry stone" idea. This is definitely something that I will try to incorporate in the future when I have a student who needs the tangibles, control and permission to talk about their worries. This book has such great ideas! I am really enjoying it so far and have been making connections to it on a regular basis! ("Oops, so and so is in their downstairs brain right now" or "I'm in my downstairs brain, I need a moment before I respond.") Good stuff!
With my students I work a lot on goals and understanding the word "yet". My students have specific goals that we are working on and we make sure to discuss how we are doing on each goal and what we can work on to make that goal attainable. This shows them that they can learn things even if they were hard to start. I try to make sure all of my students know what they are working on and why we are working on it. This way they can be a part of understanding the point of all of it!
ReplyDeleteI like to make sure that my students have a choice of where they are learning best within reason! We recently got a new flexible seating arrangement in our room and it has been great with some of the students. They are able to work in more comfortable areas and be productive. I like giving them that control of being able to pick their seat as I think it is powerful for them to know where they are productive.
I do have students who struggle with seeing how their actions affect others and with just sitting and not working until the teacher notices. This really opened my eyes about how that could be related to their trauma and some strategies I could use to help those students!