Picture this: you are a 2nd grader who struggles to read. You spend time actively avoiding tasks related to reading- they make you too uncomfortable. You have been laughed at in the past for struggling to read aloud in front of your classmates. You feel as though all eyes are on you when you get pulled from class to work on reading with a different teacher. You fear that your peers think that you’re stupid. You feel ashamed that you cannot read the instructions on your homework and aren’t sure what to do to complete it. Rather than ask for help (and risk looking “dumb”), you just “lose” your assignment and don’t turn it in. These situations are all daily stressors to students across the country. Gone unaddressed, repeated exposure to these stressors each day at school (or each night working on homework) can turn into what researchers call “toxic stress”, which, over time, can manifest itself as trauma.

Researchers are beginning to look at the presence of learning difficulties in students and how it can manifest itself as a form of trauma. Toxic stress is defined as prolonged activation of the stress-response system that causes physical symptoms and can alter brain development. Trauma is the result of unmanaged toxic stress.

The presence of toxic stress or trauma can quite literally alter the way that child’s brain develops. During times of stress, the emotional “hub” of the brain (the Limbic System) is working overtime in response to a something stressful. When the Limbic system is active and stressed, it causes a state of “Fight, Flight, or Freeze”- they can either fight their way through this stress, run away from it, or become so overwhelmed that they cannot bring themselves to do anything at all. At this time, the part of the brain that is in charge of processing and decision making is basically disabled, and the brain is unable to shift attention to things outside of the stressor (like school, friends, or hobbies). These students tend to spend their days in survival mode, just trying to make it through the day. So, the question becomes: how can we work with traumatized youth in an educational setting, when their brains are setting them up for a difficult time?

Here at the Fort Wayne Center for Learning, our staff is trained in and committed to a trauma-informed approach to service. First and foremost, being informed about trauma and its effects on youth is of utmost importance. Trauma-informed care is crucial to building strong, developmental relationships with traumatized youth. Many of these students come from a place of mistrust/distrust toward adults, and because of this, we stress relationship building as the foundation that supports the rest of our progress with each student. A little empathy goes a long way- instead of asking “what is wrong with them?”, we consider “what happened to them?”.

If a student is fearful of a particular subject, it is our job, as educators, to make the learning environment as safe and comfortable as possible so that learning can take place. If that means doing work on the floor rather than in a chair- then let’s read under the table today. If that looks like taking “brain breaks” every ten minutes to allow for rest, then let’s set a timer. Our goal is to improve self-esteem and confidence through the improvement of academic skills. In giving students the tools they need to read in a way that makes sense to them, we are allowing that student to find success on their own. In finding success, they find the self-esteem they may have been lacking- they CAN do hard things, they CAN read.

At the Fort Wayne Center for Learning, we believe that behavior is a means of communication. Any behavior, even negative or “problem” behavior, is a way to communicate needs not being met. For example. If a student is struggling to read and suddenly “has to go to the bathroom” every time it is almost their turn to read aloud to the class, they are most likely not doing so because they are lazy, unmotivated, disrespectful, or any other negative attribute- they have likely just experienced a lot of failure in the past, and the perceived shame that comes along with that failure. Their need to feel safe when trying something new has not been met. Who wouldn’t want to hide from something that has caused them such conflict?

We as educators must balance the line of giving our students grace and acknowledging when they exhibit avoidant behaviors. We hold them accountable when “negative” behaviors become comfortable coping mechanisms. While we can be understanding of why they are demonstrating certain behaviors, we should also be encouraging them to replace their “negative” behaviors with healthier ones. While the instructors here at FWCL are not therapists, we understand that in some cases, learning cannot take place until trauma is acknowledged. This should be intentional, approaching each situation with flexibility to fit the needs of the child, rather than our own agenda.

If a student is in an escalated state, we provide a safe space for them to take a breath, feel the emotion, and let the feeling pass. We work with them to return to a reflective and thoughtful state, using unconditional positive regard and calmness to encourage healthy conversation and communication of needs. It can be challenging to work with traumatized youth (whether that be academic trauma or personal trauma) but this vulnerable population of children need the support of their teachers. We cannot fix our students’ trauma, but we can help them develop emotional regulation, resiliency, and healthy relationships that will support them for the rest of their lives.

 For more information about Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences, please visit: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | VitalSigns | CDC