Trauma-Informed Practices in School: Teaching & Self-Care Resources

Scary Statistics About Adverse Childhood Trauma

• The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) reports that nearly 50 percent of the children in the United States have experienced “at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma.”
• Nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S. annually. An estimated 683,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2015 (unique incidents).
• 1 in 4 children were the victim of robbery, vandalism, or theft during the previous year.
• Among 536 elementary and middle school children surveyed in an inner-city community, 30% had witnessed a stabbing and 26% had witnessed a shooting.
• (Sources: The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County, National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, JAMA Pediatrics, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina)

Many of the challenging behavior seen inside classrooms stem from stress or trauma in students’ lives outside of school. Trauma, both physical and emotional, can alter a young person’s brain functions, which impacts learning and behavior. Students don’t need to stumble through emotional minefields. Let’s give them a map using trauma-informed tools.

It’s not only students dealing with stress – teachers feel the burden too. Heavy workloads, challenging behavior, and lack of support are just some of the issues today’s teachers handle daily. It’s very difficult for teachers to unplug but it’s so important that they do. Long-term elevation of stress leads to mood killers and health issues. Educators can overcome burnout but they need the right tools.

Here’s a collection of trauma-informed resources for managing stress at school. Learn about long-term self-care and ways to tackle challenging behavior caused by trauma.