4 Students, Educators and Community

When you imagine your future classroom, what does it look like? In what ways will your students be alike? In what ways will they be different?

The dimensions along which your future students will differ are numerous and vary widely. There are many ethnic and cultural factors to consider, such as gender, religion, ethnicity and language. What effect will this have on the learning environment and climate of your classroom? Additionally, your students will have differences in styles of learning, degrees of motivation, emotional well-being, wealth, access to resources, and social skills amongst others. Students also vary in need, and could have cognitive and, or physical impairments. Many of your students will embody several of these characteristics at the same time. Other factors reflect where a student is from, including their cultural values and heritage. The environment also plays a role in student disposition. For example, the student’s home life and experiences help to shape what they bring with them to the classroom setting.  Regardless of the origin or type of factors that work together to make each student unique, a well-prepared teacher needs to be knowledgeable of how student diversity affects their classroom and their teaching. This chapter will review the array of student differences, with specific attention to the needs of emergent bilingual students, and the importance of childhood trauma and social and emotional learning in today’s classrooms.

4.1 Autobiography

Across the United States, the tapestry of the K-12 student population has changed dramatically over the last twenty years and is continuing to evolve. For example, in 2019, bilingual students constituted an average of 14.8 percent of total public school enrollment in cities, 10.0 percent in suburban areas, 7.0 percent in towns, and 4.4 percent in rural areas. As a future teacher, it is important to think about the student population you will be working with in the future.

This section will explore key issues related to getting to know your students’ biographies. This exploration of student biographies begins with an understanding of our own autobiographical narrative. We will build on our autobiographical narratives by learning more about ourselves as learners, and how our own learning styles could influence our future instructional practices.

Autobiographical Narratives

Every student brings unique talents and skills to the classroom. As educators, it is our job to find out what these talents are so that we can build upon them within the classroom. According to Herrera (2010), “understanding the core aspects of each student is essential to the process of identifying the skills and knowledge that he or she brings to the classroom” (p. 7). Autobiographical narratives are one of the key tools that educators can use to learn about the core aspects of each individual student biography.

Autobiographical narratives pull from research on Biography Driven Instruction (BDI). Biography-Driven Instruction (Herrera, 2016) is a communicative method of teaching and learning that helps teachers understand and maximize assets of the student biography to provide a more culturally responsive approach to teaching.

Creating Autobiographical Narratives

Consider writing autobiographical narratives at the beginning of the term and revisit near the end. Reflect on your growth: How has your thinking evolved? What have you learned about yourself this term?

When creating autobiographical narratives, it is essential to consider the student population for whom you wish to develop the narratives with, as this will largely influence the design of your own narrative. For example, students at the Kindergarten level will need a much different autobiographical narrative than students in 12th grade. In addition, you will want to think about how much information you would like to gather directly from the students. Depending on the age, needs, and even language proficiency levels of your students, some autobiographical narratives can be added to/completed by parents or primary caregivers.

Once you have established these basic parameters, you will want to determine what information you would like to gather. This information can range from very general to very specific. A good recommendation is that you try to gather information about each of the following four dimensions of the students biography:

1. Sociocultural (SC)
   • Where were they born?
   • Where were they raised?
   • Are they in foster care?
   • Who is their caregiver?
   • What kinds of activities reflect their livelihood, inclusive of jobs and hobbies?
   • Who are the most important people in their lives?
2. Linguistic (LG)
   • What is their first language?
   • What is their second language?
   • What do they consider their strengths/weaknesses to be when it comes to language?
3. Academic (AC)
   • Where did they go to school?
   • What special programs were they involved in at school?
   • Did they participate in any sports?
   • What did they like most/least about school?
4. Cognitive (COG)
   • What is the student’s learning style?
   • What do they consider their strengths when it comes to learning?
   • What do they struggle with when it comes to studying?

As part of this course, you may be asked to complete your own autobiographical narrative. When creating it, please keep the above four dimensions in mind. Each dimension plays a critical role in defining who you are as an individual and future teacher.

Applaying Autobiographical Narratives

Using insights gleaned from students’ autobiographical narratives, teachers have the knowledge they need to make critical adaptations to their instructional practices to better meet the needs of their student populations. A few of these adaptations have been identified below based on the potential information that could have been learned about the four dimensions of the student biography.

1. Sociocultural (SC)

   • Invite family members, caregivers, or foster parents in to share information about their cultural background.
   • Ask a family member, caregivers, or foster parents to share expertise related to their professional practices.
   • Have the student share information about another city, state, or country they may have lived in and/or traveled to at some point in their lives.

2. Linguistic (LG)

   • Have students use their first language to promote development/transfer as they acquire English.
   • Provide specific interventions for students to help them address areas where they may be struggling.
   • Capitalize on students strengths’ and make them language models for the class.

3. Academic (AC)

   • Build on prior academic experiences to support new learning in the classroom.
   • Promote active engagement in school activities, sports, and/or other programs.

4. Cognitive (COG)

   • Incorporate multiple learning styles.
   • Provide learning strategies to support students in and outside the classroom setting.

These are just a few ways you can apply the information learned from autobiographical narratives in the classroom.

Individually brainstorms some additional ways you might use the information from autobiographical narratives. Write down at least three ideas on a separate sheet of paper.

Beyond the extensive list of diverse elements above, as an educator, one will also be faced with the variations of ways in which students learn, feel about themselves as learners, and are motivated to learn. In future courses that you will take to prepare yourself for being the best possible teacher, you will learn much more about these factors, but for our purposes, let’s take a brief look at each of these.

4.2 Student Diversity

As you were reflecting at the beginning of this chapter, when you envision your future classroom full of students, you can ask again some questions such as: what does it look like? It may help to consider your past experiences in classrooms.  How does it sound? What do your students have in common? How do they differ? Reflecting on these questions is valuable. Hopefully, you will come to understand that you are not going to be teaching a class of students, as much as a collection of individuals, each with their own strengths, talents, weaknesses, personalities and needs. There are many ways in which your future students may differ. The following is a brief overview of some of the myriad factors that will make your students unique and, in some cases, challenging.

As defined by the National Education Association, diversity is “the sum of the ways that people are both alike and different” (para. 1). The NEA goes on to list a variety of dimensions that are included in diversity. Some of these are: “race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, religion, mental and physical ability, class and immigration status” (para. 1, www.nea.org, n.d.). It is such diversity that creates both richness and challenge within a classroom. The variety of students in one’s classroom provide many opportunities for learning and growth for everyone in that community. Concurrently, such diversity brings with it many related challenges such as the need for differentiated learning techniques to meet the needs of every student. Individual perspectives relating to diversity can provide the fuel for bullying and harassment of students. And these are just two potential issues; there are many more.

Another term we encounter often regarding today’s classrooms is multicultural. When you think of the word culture, what comes to mind? The word means different things to different people. Culture includes the many things that combine to make one community or group distinct from another, such as their values, clothing, religion, holidays, traditions, language, music, literature, beliefs and expectations (Alsubaie, 2015; Perso, 2012). If we understand culture that way, it is clear that everyone is coming from their own unique cultural experience, including students and teachers. The culture of the teacher and the students in one classroom will affect the education process found there (Alsubaie, 2015).

It is, therefore, very important to seek to understand both your own background and cultural beliefs and those of your students. As stated by Alsubaie (2015) “teachers who learn more about their students’ backgrounds, cultures and experiences will feel more capable and efficient in their work as teachers” (p. 88). The more aware you become of your own personal set of beliefs, values and expectations, and even of your own biases, the better able you will be to seek to understand your future students.  In addition to learning about student experiences and backgrounds, it is also important to address what drives students to seek knowledge and motivation.

4.3 Motivation

Motivation to learn is very complex, and includes cultural background, our own developmental level, beliefs in the value of learning (in general or something in particular) and the belief in our ability to be successful (academic-self-concept comes into play here). In future classes, you will study educational psychology. One definition from that discipline for motivation is as follows:

“Motivation is an internal state that activates, guides and sustains behavior. Educational psychology research on motivation is concerned with the volition or will that students bring to a task, their level of interest and intrinsic motivation, the personally held goals that guide their behavior, and their belief about the causes of their success or failure.”

As a teacher, you are tasked with helping to motivate your students to learn. As you just learned with the autobiography narratives, it is best to begin by knowing about yourself first so that you can enhance a student’s unique talents and skills to the classroom. You need to learn about their histories, background and culture in order to understand what motivates them.

One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a teacher is learning how to motivate your students. Some educators and even researchers state that students who lack that intrinsic motivation will not learn effectively. They won’t retain information; they won’t participate; and, some of them may even become disruptive. However, in her book Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad states: “For one, I have never met an unmotivated child in my years working with youth. I have, however, “met” unmotivating curriculum and instruction.” (p.65). Therefore, as educators, it is our responsibility to start including students, and a diverse workforce that includes people of color when re-writing the curriculum.

Thus far, we have addressed the multiplicity of ways students are unique.  Another way to enhance learning involves the awareness of learning styles.

4.4 Learning Styles

Everyone has a way in which they feel that they learn best. It can be through listening, watching, touching or doing, or a combination of any of them. This can also affect what tools best help a student in the classroom. Some will do well just reading the textbook, some may need hands-on experiments, or charts and graphic organizers. There is no one size fits all approach to learning, which is one of the great challenges that teachers face and one of the reasons why observation and relationships should be at the core of teaching.

There are certainly many types of learning styles. Here are three theories theories that explain different learning styles: Multiple Intelligence Theory, The VARK Approach, and The Equity Framework.

Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory recognizes that different people have different ways, or combinations of ways, of relating to the world. Gardner explains eight different types of intelligence:

1. Verbal (prefers words)
2. Logical (prefers math and logical problem solving)
3. Visual (prefers images and spatial relationships)
4. Kinesthetic (prefers body movements and doing)
5. Rhythmic (prefers music, rhymes)
6. Interpersonal (prefers group work)
7. Intrapersonal (prefers introspection and independence)
8. Naturalist (prefers nature, natural categories)

Another approach to learning styles is called the VARK Approach, which focuses on learning through different senses (Visual, Aural, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic):

• Visual learners prefer images, charts, and the like.
• Aural learners learn better by listening.
• Reading/writing learners learn better through written language.
• Kinesthetic learners learn through doing, practicing, and acting.”

Another, and more current approach to learning is the Equity Framework from Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad, which focuses on reimagining the standards we set for teaching and learning. The four-layered equity framework includes the learning goals of:

1. Identity development
2. Skill development
3. Intellectual development
4. Criticality

Having an understanding that students come from different cultures, and learn differently based on their educational values, will lead you to seek out many teaching strategies as well as realizing the importance of observation and relationships. Taking the time to get to know your students and how they learn as well as having a large toolkit of strategies, will help you to accommodate your students’ needs. This can also be referred to as differentiated learning or differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction, according to Tomlinson (as cited by Ellis, Gable, Greg & Rock, 2008, p. 32) is the process of “ensuring that what a student learns, how he or she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he or she has learned is a match for that student’s readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning.” By the time you are ready to teach, you should be prepared to observe, develop strong relationships and differentiate your instruction and all of this will be based on your knowledge of your students and how they learn best.

At this point, we have discussed the diverse perspectives of students and talked about their cultural experiences, learning styles, motivation, and home settings.  In addition to these factors, some students arrive in the classroom with multiple ways of communicating; therefore, we are shifting our focus to bilingualism and the historical context of language acquisition in the U.S.

4.5 Bilingualism – Emergent Bilinguals

Bilingualism is not a rare phenomenon; in fact, there are approximately 33 million bilingual people worldwide, accounting for 43% of the population. – Pew Research Center, 2022.

Bilingual education is not an invention of the 1960s. Contrary to popular misconception, earlier waves of immigrants often enrolled their children in bilingual or non-English-language schools — public and private. In 1839, Ohio became the first state to adopt a bilingual education law, authorizing German-English instruction at parents’ request. Louisiana enacted an identical provision for French and English in 1847, and the New Mexico Territory did so for Spanish and English in 1850. By the end of the 19th century, about a dozen states had passed similar laws. Elsewhere, many localities provided bilingual instruction without state sanction, in languages as diverse as Norwegian, Italian, Polish, Czech, and Cherokee. Enrollment surveys at the turn of the 20th century reported that at least 600,000 primary school students (public and parochial) were receiving part or all of their instruction in the German language — about 4% of all American children in the elementary grades. That’s larger than the percentage of students enrolled in Spanish-English programs today. (Until recently, German was the dominant minority language.)

However, political winds shifted during the World War I era. Fears about the loyalty of non-English speakers in general, and of German Americans in particular, prompted a majority of states to enact English-only instruction laws designed to “Americanize” these groups. Some went so far as to ban the study of foreign languages in the early grades — a restriction that was struck down as unconstitutional in 1923. Nonetheless, by the mid-1920s, bilingual schooling was largely dismantled throughout the country. English-only instruction continued as the norm for LEP students until its failure could no longer be ignored. LEP students in English-only classrooms were falling behind in their academic studies and dropping out of school at alarming rates.

The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 — passed during an era of growing immigration and an energized civil rights movement — provided federal funding to encourage local school districts to try approaches incorporating native-language instruction. Most states followed the lead of the federal government, enacting bilingual education laws of their own or at least decriminalizing the use of other languages in the classroom. Soon after, the Supreme Court recognized that leaving LEP students to “sink or swim” in English-only classrooms made “a mockery of public education” — which must be equally available to all students. The court’s decision in the landmark Lau v. Nichols case required schools to take “affirmative steps” to overcome language barriers impeding children’s access to the curriculum. Congress immediately endorsed this principle in the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1974.

Neither the Bilingual Education Act nor the Lau decision requires any particular methodology for teaching LEP students. That is, there is no federal mandate for bilingual education (although a few states mandate it under certain circumstances). What civil rights laws do require are educational programs that offer equal opportunities for LEP children. To enforce this principle, the federal courts and the federal Office for Civil Rights apply a three-step test to ensure that schools provide: • Research-based programs that are viewed as theoretically sound by experts in the field; • Adequate resources — such as staff, training, and materials — to implement the program; and • Standards and procedures to evaluate the program and a continuing obligation to modify a program that fails to produce results. Politically inspired efforts to eliminate bilingual education, such as the Unz initiative in California, would have a hard time passing this test. States or school districts that persist in such civil rights violations could face severe sanctions, including the loss of all federal education funding. This information is based on an analysis by the National Association of Bilingual Education.

But what does it mean to be bilingual, and what are the terms that are used in the United States to refer to students who are learning another language? According to Oxford Dictionary (2022), bilingualism is the ability of an individual, or the members of a community, to use two languages effectively. In the United States, the term English Language Learner (ELL) has been used predominantly as a label to students who are developing their language proficiency in English. ELL is also the preferred term by state and federal agencies since it used to determine protected status for students who fall under this category.

However, the term ELL tends to devalue the language(s) in which these students are proficient. The term emergent bilingual has begun to replace the term ELL because it values the funds of knowledge (see video below) and language competencies the students already have while celebrating their identity as someone becoming bilingual. Bilingualism or the students’ emerging bilingualism is shown as an asset rather than a deficit.

Video 4.1

As educators, it is our duty to ensure students acquire the content standards that have been written for all students, as well as the academic language proficiency within all content areas for emergent bilinguals, while we ensure their heritage and culture are celebrated in the class.

While motivation, learning styles and bilingualism influence student learning, there is a growing body of research which suggests that intellectual abilities can be developed and are not fixed.  In this next section, consider how one’s presence of mind affects knowledge acquisition.

4.6 Growth Mindset or Fixed Mind-set?

Students’ mindsets indicate how well and how much they are able to learn. Psychologist Carol Dweck, (2008) defines a growth mindset as the increase in ability to learn when a learner accepts that they may improve, and this improvement will lead to increased ability to learn more. Effort is valued because effort and self-efficacy lead to knowing more and therefore having more ability to learn. Individuals with a growth mindset also ask for help when needed and respond well to constructive feedback. In contrast, individuals with a fixed mindset assume that some people naturally have more ability than others and nothing can be done to change that. Individuals with a fixed mindset often view effort in opposition to ability (“Smart people don’t have to study”) and so do not try as hard and are less likely to ask for help since they believe that asking questions indicates that they are not smart. There are individual differences in students’ beliefs about their views of intelligence. However, teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices influence these students’ perceptions, behaviors, and willingness to adopt a growth mindset.

Teachers with a growth mindset believe that the goal of learning is mastering the material and figuring things out. Assessment is used by these teachers to understand what students know so they can decide whether to move to the next topic, re-teach the entire class, or provide remediation for a few students. Assessment also helps students understand their own learning and demonstrate their competence. Teachers with these views say things like, “We are going to practice over and over again. That’s how you get good. And you’re going to make mistakes. That’s how you learn” (Patrick, Anderman, Ryan, Edelin, & Midgley, 2001, p. 45).

In contrast, teachers with a fixed mindset are more likely to believe that the goal of learning is doing well on tests – and especially outperforming others. These teachers are more likely to say things that imply fixed abilities such as, “This test will determine what your math abilities are,” or stress the importance of interpersonal competition, “We will have speech competition and the top person will compete against all the other district schools and last year the winner got a big award and their photo in the paper.” When teachers stress competition some students will be motivated; however, there can only be a few winners so there are many more students who believe they have no chance of winning. Another problem with competition as an assessment is that the focus can become winning rather than understanding the material.

Teachers who view assessment as promoting and developing learning rather than as a means of ranking students, or awarding prizes to those who did very well, or catching those who did not pay attention, are likely to enhance student willingness to identify and correct gaps in learning and understanding.

When thinking about what drives each individual student, it’s essential to also think about a set of basic human needs.  One theory to consider is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

We will learn more in depth about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs in a later chapter. However, it is appropriate here to add a brief overview of his research and findings as it relates to student’s motivation.  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is represented below. At the base of the pyramid are all of the physiological needs that are necessary for survival. These are followed by basic needs for security and safety, the need to be loved and to have a sense of belonging, and the need to have self-worth and confidence.

According to Maslow’s theory, humans have several innate needs and those needs are ranked in terms of a hierarchy. If one of these needs is not achieved, it will rule the individual’s life. If we are talking about our diverse students, we need to understand different cultures and their unique values. For instance, countries such as the United States whose culture looks for a significant set of rules and guidelines in their lives, might have safety as the top of their pyramids. On the other hand, Latin American countries, well known for their nurturing characteristics, might have social needs at the top of their pyramid.

Among the plethora of distinct values across cultures, we are going to highlight research from Zaretta Hammond and Geert Hofstede.

The research of Zaretta Hammond (2015) addresses the difference between collectivistic vs individualistic cultures and its impact on motivation. “Collectivistic societies emphasize relationships, interdependence within a community, and cooperative learning. Individualistic societies emphasize individual achievement and independence” (Hammond, 2015, p. 25).

Features of Individualist and Collectivist Cultures

In addition to individualist and collectivist communities noted above, students bridge home and school cultures as they walk into the classroom each day.  In fact, upon entering any U.S. public school today, you will likely see evidence that our schools have become very diverse and that students from diverse cultures are present in our educational system. However, we need to ask if all our students are included in our learning. We can think of different learning styles and motivation, but have we ever thought about different cultures and how these impact our teaching and learning?

Think about how you might approach each child, while learning and respecting their culture and values, in order to improve your interactions with them. An easy or flexible child will not need much extra attention unless you want to find out whether they are having difficulties that have gone unmentioned. A slow to warm up child may need to be given advance warning if new people or situations are going to be introduced. Some students might be perceived as unmotivated or feisty; therefore, we may need to give them extra attention and make them feel welcome. Rather than believing that discipline alone will bring about improvements in children’s behavior, our knowledge of our students, their cultures, along with the curriculum we use, may help a teacher and all the educators to gain insight to work more effectively with a child.

4.7 Childhood Trauma

Earlier, we mentioned how a student’s environment, including characteristics and situations present in their home setting also impact students. You can now see how many factors combine to create each unique student that you will teach, as well as how challenging it can be to meet the needs of such a variety of learners. Another external issue which new teachers should be aware of is that of childhood trauma. While there is enough information on this topic to fill its own textbook, having a brief overview of the information will be beneficial to your understanding of a diverse array of students.

What is Trauma?

The brain responds to many different stimuli. Using the metaphor of a house, we can imagine that the brain has an upstairs section and a downstairs section. The upstairs part of the brain is called the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC).  This part of the brain controls many of the academic skills teachers expect of students such as planning, impulse control, executive functioning and organization.  The downstairs portion of the brain consists of the Limbic system including our Amygdala.  The Amygdala is involved in the brain’s fight or flight response.  Over time, we were conditioned to be in survival mode.  When the body experiences a traumatic event, such as abuse, or another highly stressful event, the upstairs portion or Prefrontal cortex shuts down and the body depends on the downstairs brain.  When this happens, the executive functioning, planning and decision making portion of the brain becomes inoperable.  Of course, smaller doses of stress, such as the ability to focus under pressure while playing sports or performing a musical piece can be beneficial because the brain is able to release cortisol and this can actually aid in our performance.  However, higher levels of stress can be poisonous for our bodies.

According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway (2014), trauma is “an emotional response to an intense event that threatens or causes harm. This harm can be physical or emotional, real or perceived, and it can threaten a child or someone close to him or her. Trauma can be a result of a single event, or it can result from exposure to multiple events over time” (p. 2). There are many events that might possibly cause trauma.

These include, but are not limited to physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, effects of poverty, being separated from your loved ones, bullying, domestic or community violence through which harm to a loved one or pet has been witnessed, accidents, natural disasters, and behavior that is unpredictable dur to addiction or mental illness (Child Information Gateway, 2014, p. 2). A traumatic experience is very often overwhelming to the individual, extremely painful or frightening, and includes a loss of control and the inability to regulate one’s emotions. It is vital to remember that a traumatic experience overwhelms one’s ability to cope and that this can be different for each person. Therefore, due to a variety of factors (such as resilience) what might be traumatic to one student might not be to another. Again, this is not a “one size fits all” scenario. Each student is an individual.  In fact, students may be supported by other forms of external guidance.  Examples of structural support can come from extended family members, mentors, peers, counselors, and school staff members.

How Trauma Affects the Brain

There is no shortage of information regarding how trauma affects brain development, but very basically, “when a stressful experience (such as being abused, neglected, or bullied) overwhelms the child’s natural ability to cope” this can cause a “fight, flight or freeze” response. This response results in changes in the body, including an accelerated heart rate and higher blood pressure. This also results in changes in how the brain “perceives and responds to the world”. The result of this can be that the “trauma interferes with normal development and can have long lasting effects” (above information from Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2014, p. 2).

How Trauma Affects Learning and Classroom Environment

There are many different types of trauma.  It is estimated that by the age of 16, approximately 2 out of every 3 children will experience a traumatic event, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  At least 1 in 7 children experienced child abuse or neglect, and these statistics are underreported, so this figure is likely to be higher.  As a result, students who enter the classroom may have feelings of anxiety and may be triggered to get into fight or flight mode.

A variety of learning related tasks are affected by trauma. Students who have experienced trauma may have difficulty regulating emotions. They may have impaired cognitive functions. The ability to organize material sequentially may be difficult. Transitions may be problematic. Problem solving might be hard. They may be self-protective, easily frustrated, and have inconsistent moods. This is just a brief non-inclusive list of some of the ways in which your classroom could be impacted by students with a background of child trauma.

Trauma Informed Practice-Trauma Informed Care

Educators can begin to understand how to address issues of trauma when interacting with students.  The first step is to build and foster a strong relationship with students.  Developing a caring atmosphere allows students to feel safe.  When you notice changes in student behavior, you can begin to assess the situation and employ strategies to help students. While this list is not meant to be exhaustive, here are some factors educators can look for.

There are many different signs of trauma in students:

• Overreactions to everyday challenges
• Negative outbursts or aggression
• Frequent stomach aches or headaches
• Appearing very sad
• Inappropriate social interactions
• Trouble with executive functions like focus, organization, and self-regulation
• Falling behind with classwork

Trauma Informed Care is a term used with patients in a clinical setting  which includes the desire to have a complete understanding of a patient’s situation and life history.  While the classroom is not a clinical setting, having an awareness of the characteristics, behaviors, and family life of a student can greatly help to inform educator decision making in the classroom.

Some students can exhibit difficult behaviors because of their backgrounds while some will not. All students need to be understood and supported. According to the Substance Abuse for Mental Health Administration (2014), the components of trauma-informed care consist of the creation of a safe environment, supporting and teaching emotional regulation and building relationships and connectedness. Knowing your student is vital. Trying to understand your students’ trigger points is also of key importance. “An emotional trigger point is an event, thing, experience, potentially even an individual who cause the mind and body to react” (Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital). Keep in mind that students sometimes have strong reactions to external stimuli and that they are not trying to push your buttons (We Are Teachers Staff, 2018). Student behaviors are often the result of being triggered by something (such as a loud noise or yelling) that may not startle another student. The primary function of the triggered response is to help the child achieve safety in the face of perceived danger. Seek first to understand the child’s behavior and change your thinking from “what is wrong with this student?” to “what has this student been through?” (Bashant, 2016).

If relationship building, support, understanding and the creation of a safe environment (which all are unique to the needs of each child) are key to working with your students, what doesn’t work is equally apparent. Sadly, it is often the first thing educators turn to when these behaviors appear. The research is clear that punishment of this behavior not only does not work, it is highly detrimental to the student. According to NEA Today (2016), because traumatic experiences directly shape your students’ brains, the disruptive behavior that is witnessed and often punished isn’t willful disobedience or defiance, but a subconscious effort to self-protect. Students whose behavior is perceived as disruptive may be acting out because their brains are screaming: Flight! Flee! Freeze! Their goal is to be safe. Respond in ways that help to make your students feel connected and safe first, and then revisit possible consequences for any broken rules.

There are numerous videos, books, and articles regarding trauma informed best practices. At the end of this chapter, there is a link to the National Child Traumatic Stress Networks Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators. This free and easy to download resource has numerous tips and suggestions for teachers.

In addition to implementing elements of trauma-informed practice into teaching, educators must also recognize and reflect upon their own cultural and racial biases when interacting with marginalized students.  For example, when we conceptualize the idea of trauma, we sometimes do not consider the ways in which the historical and socioeconomic disparities have impacted specific groups of students for generations.  For example, Native American students may have experienced school settings which have forced them into schools where they had to assimilate into federally mandated boarding schools.  For many Native American students, attending a school where they had to be isolated from their families is, in fact, a traumatic event.  The effects of these historical events continue to impact Native American communities.  According to the Suicide Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminstration, the rate of suicide is nearly four times higher for Native Americans between the ages of 15-24 than that of their white counterparts.

Video 4.3

Although trauma-informed care continues to be promoted in some schools, educators must think carefully about the communities they serve when implementing these practices in schools.

For example, using aspects of trauma-informed care, educators must attend to the values of Native American students and integrate the “cultural traditions of valuing reciprocal relationships with all living things” into their practice.  Teachers must develop an understanding of the experiences of Native students in school and how families approach the tradition of schooling in America.  Instead of focusing on the traumatic experiences of communities, continue to view the assets students bring with them into the classroom.

The following video gives an overview of mindset/asset framing and motivation. It also integrates structural realities of how schools cause trauma and undermine motivation.

Relationship Building

Over the course of your journey to become a teacher you will most likely learn a lot about the value of forming positive relationships with your students. It may seem like a “no-brainer”, but its importance cannot be overstated. According to the Room 241 Team (Concordia University Portland, 2018), “…for children who have been affected by trauma, strong connections are vital. Rich relationships with teachers help children form the foundations of resilience” (para. 3). Venet (2018) echoed the value of relationship building as part of the delicate balancing act of working with trauma-affected students. The author stated that “…students who have experienced trauma, start by flipping the traditional classroom paradigm: Relationships have to come before content…” (para. 6). The more you know and understand your students, the better equipped they will be to face the challenges of learning.

In consideration of teacher-student relationships, be sure to always remember the importance of listening. So many students are not listened to at home. People are distracted. Do your best to have your students feel heard and valued. It can make all the difference in the world.

Video 4.5

Conclusion

Every year teachers will meet new groups of students. Every class consists of a unique combination of individuals. They will vary by many factors related to diversity. Some will have experienced many childhood traumas, while some will have experienced few or none. Their experience and maturity in relation to social emotional learning will differ as well. However, one thing will remain constant. Your students will do best in a positive environment where mutual respect is fostered. Strong teacher-student relationships are the cornerstone of these classrooms. Having knowledge about yourself, child development and differentiated instruction will help you to have a greater understanding of your students. You will be learning this as you move forward in your education. What you cannot be taught is to care about forging these relationships in the first place. That must already be a part of who you are.

References

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Images

4.1 – “Prismatic Holding Hands” by Sun of Japan is in the Public Domain

4.2 – “Multicultural” by Nick Youngson is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.3 – “MaslowHierarchy” by Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.4 – “National School Walkout against gun violence” by Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.5 – “Stevens Elementary School during COVID epidemic” by Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Videos

4.1 – “Explanation of Funds of Knowledge” by Learning for Justice is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.2 – “Hip hop, grit, and academic success: Bettina Love at TEDxUGA” by Bettina Love, TedxUGA is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.3 – “What is Trauma-Informed Care?” by Center for Health Care Strategies is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.4 – “Voices from the Field: Asset Framing in Practice” by MIT Teaching Systems Lab is licensed under CC BY 4.0

4.5 – “Don’t Quit on Me: Mini Documentary” by America’s Promise Alliance is licensed under CC BY 4.0

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