In this presentation, trauma-informed educators Sarah Brooks, Perveen Engineer, Fiona James, and Regan Rankin use Lily’s story (and others) to share strategies on how to:
There are two ways to access the presentation:
Lily is a kindergarten student who has been having difficulty adjusting to her new classroom. Her daycare reported no concerns about her transitioning to kindergarten. She is very bright – able to read sight words and familiar words with no problem. When she is engaged in a hands-on learning activity, she generally does quite well.
During carpet time, she often interrupts, shouts at or hits others or gets up and runs out of the room and around the school shouting and giggling loudly. When the teacher and EA try to get her to come back into the room, she either appears to not listen and continues running or kicks and hits and yells, “I hate you!” This same behavior is often noted when the teacher and EA are busy helping other students during desk work. During snack and lunch times, she often refuses to eat anything, creating more of a problem in the afternoons.
Does Lily’s story remind you of any student you’ve encountered in your practice?
Consider Dr Stuart Shanker’s Example Stressors in the 5 Domains of Self-Reg. Do you recognize any of these as triggers in yourself or your students?
List some things to do to connect with your students. For ideas look at 10 ways to Build Relationships with Kids.
Consider situations where you could help your students “meet their power needs” as listed in Kristin Wiens’ Rethinking Power Needs graphic.
How might you make use of the Kelty Mental Health S.E.L.F. Toolkit with your students?
Consider introducing mindfulness in your classroom by exploring ideas on Mindfulness for Kids.
Do you have plans in place? Who’s on the team to share the plans with?
Who could you call if you need help?
Are you familiar with what mental health supports are available to you through your district or school?
Do you have a group of colleagues who can offer each other support when needed?
Do you share plans with students, so they understand who’s there to help?
Consider exploring Dr Ross Greene’s Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model.
Consider how you might use contingency maps.
Consider ways you might incorporate a PBIS approach into your practice.
Is there a tip you’d like to try out soon?
Echo, Dos and Don’ts of a Trauma-informed Compassionate Classroom poster
Dr Ross Greene, Lives in the Balance, Educators/Schools, Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model
Dr Sam Himelstein, Trauma-informed Mindfulness, Teaching and Care interview
Sarah Joseph, The Animals in my Brain
Ketly Mental Health, S.E.L.F. Toolkit for Kids
and S.E.L.F. Toolkit for Adolescents
Mindful, Mindfulness for Kids
Dr. Linda O’Neill, Trauma Informed in the Classroom infographic
Open School BC, Building Compassionate Communities in a New Normal
Pathway 2 Success, 10 ways to Build Relationships with Kids
SD 41 Learning Support Services, Contingency maps
Daniel Siegel, Hand model of the brain
Whitney Stewart and Mina Braun, Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus and Calm activity cards
Dr. Stuart Shanker, The MEHRIT Centre, Self-Reg for Educators
The Asante Centre, FASD Resources for Educators and Support Workers
Kristin Wiens, North Star Paths, downloadable graphics on self-regulation and inclusion
Yukon Schools, PBIS (Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports) Resources
Sarah Brooks, president of Teachers of Inclusive Education BC (TIE-BC), is a Learning Assistance Resource Teacher in School District 85, Vancouver Island North who works at the elementary level. Sarah believes that all students deserve a quality education in a safe and caring environment. As the president of TIE-BC, Sarah is committed to delivering quality professional development opportunities to educators in BC and beyond. She has 15 years of experience as a Learning Assistance Resource Teacher. Sarah holds a certificate in self-regulation from the MEHRIT Centre as well as a BA in French from the University of Saskatchewan. She also holds a Bachelor of Education with a Specialization in Special Inclusive Education from the University of Lethbridge.
Perveen Engineer is a Youth and Family Worker at Admiral Seymour on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. She works with a diverse community of families from all over the world. Her goal is to help build and foster resources for a better future for students. She is passionate about what she does and is blessed to work in the community that makes her life richer.
Perveen has been with the Vancouver School Board for over twenty years as support staff, behaviour interventionist, Peer to Peer mentor, and as a part of an Intensive Support Team. She provided skills to staff throughout the district on best practice for students with dysregulation. She is also a trainer of Non-Crisis Intervention, Low Arousal, PBIS, and delivers pro-d on Zones of Regulation and Trauma Informed practice. She also delivers a learning series to the Education Assistant Program for Burnaby/Vancouver.
Perveen is hounoured to live, play, and work on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Skxwú7mesh-ulh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and Tsleil-Watututh peoples.
Fiona James is part of a District Inclusion Support Team on the Sunshine Coast whose vision is that education will be an inclusive experience for all, where everyone has the opportunity to reach and celebrate their true potential. She is dynamically involved in the development of programs and plans which serve to support educators, students, parents, and school goals. She does this through connection, collaboration, and a trauma-sensitive lens. Fiona is also actively involved in the Teachers of Inclusive Education Association as their treasurer.
Fiona has 22 years of teaching experience from K-12 in a variety of roles. Fiona completed her master’s degree in Special Education from UBC. Fiona, her husband, and daughter can often be found exploring the forest and coastline on the Sunshine Coast.
Regan Rankin is an inclusive educator, improvisor, presenter, and mom. Regan has been a teacher for 20+ years and is currently the vice-president of Teachers of Inclusive Education BC (TIE-BC) and a learning support teacher in the North Vancouver School District (SD44). She is a passionate advocate of the notion that behavior is communication. Regan is a creative, out of the box thinker when creating support strategies for the students and teachers she loves to support.
Dean Shareski is an award-winning leader, teacher, speaker, coach and author. He has worked as a classroom teacher, district leader and built community throughout North America. He also has over 12 years of experience in online instructional design and teaching. Dean is a seasoned presenter who brings high energy, humour and isn’t afraid to challenge himself and others with provocative thinking and ideas.
Twitter: @shareski Blog: http://ideasandthoughts.org
This presentation originated as a recorded webinar from March 11, 2021, part of the Ministry of Education’s Teaching Tenaciously: A Webinar Series to Support Educators as They Navigate Through Times of Uncertainty and Change.