Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1175948
Trauma-informed practices are s o i m p o r t a n t t o th e Ja m e st ow n community, they're included in the district's Local Control and Account- ability Plan (LCAP). All educators and education support professionals are provided with trauma-informed professional development. Addition- ally, the district's family resource center provides wraparound ser- vices to the Jamestown community, including a recent series of family engagement events funded in part by a grant from CTA's Institute for Teaching. District Superintendent Tessa Pelfrey says being a trauma- informed school is not a destination, but a constant effort to best support their students and each other. " Yo u h av e t o b e g i n w i t h t h e w hy. Everyone needs to know why you're tak- ing a trauma-informed approach," says Pelfrey, previously a Jamestown class- room teacher for 21 years. "That's how you create a cohesive strategy focused on a safe, respectful learning community." Their mission accelerated four years ago when Mark Dyken, director of the Ja m e stow n Fa mi ly R e s o u rc e C ent er, t o o k a t e a m of e d u c a t o r s i n c l u d i n g Bennett and Miotti to a conference in Los Angeles on trauma- informed prac- tices. Ser ving a community w here 20 percent of families live below the poverty line, 76 percent qualify for free or reduced- price lunch, and a staggering 20 percent are homeless, the Jamestown team was ready t o c h a n g e t h e w a y t h e y worked with their students. " We n e e d e d t o c h a n g e th e lens so it 's not ' W hat 's wrong with this child?' but ' W h a t h a p p e n e d t o t h i s child?' As we've come to understand , the vast majority of these behaviors have some trauma behind them," Dyken says, emphasizing that this trauma includes the poverty that affects one-fourth of all children in California. "Poverty charges interest. It compounds daily on itself, and it only gets worse. The way we deal with that cost is to address the source of it, which I believe is trauma." Many ways to help "Does anyone have a question for Felix?" asks sixth grade teacher Adrian Nickols, prompting numerous hands to rise. "Do you still play football?" Rigo asks his classmate. " N o , b e c a u s e w e h a d t o d r i v e t o S a n Jo s e t o p l ay a n d i t w a s t o o f a r," Feli x re sp ond s. "I didn't know that about you , so I re al ly li ke th at y o u sh a re d t h i s ," N i c k o l s t e l l s Fe l i x , w h o s m i l e s . " I t 's a l w a y s f a s c i n a t i n g t o l e a r n a b o u t our classmates." Th e morning m eeting in Nickols' class sets the tone for the day and allows students to connect with each other, Nickols and the school. This helps build a community of respect, where students feel safe and supported. There are many ways to be trauma- sensitive, and Jamestown classrooms are filled with different practices meant to lower students' stress and anxiety, as well as help them learn the skills to do it on their own. Miotti's classroom has a "Peace Corner" — a small area, screened off from the rest of the class, containing manipulatives, a glitter jar, books and a timer — available for any student who needs a couple of minutes to themself. She uses color-based emotional scaling to t each h er stud ents to b e aware of their feelings, how to identify when they don't feel quite right, and what they can do to get back to a place where they feel ready to learn. "ey know they're not in trouble for how they're feeling," Miotti says. "I try to model it while I teach, too, by telling them when I'm feeling a bit off." In addition to environmental trauma- informed practices, like using dimmers to soften harsh classroom lights and essential oils to freshen classroom atmo- spheres, Jamestown takes a deliberately 22 cta.org Mark Dyken "It's all about the connections with the kids. If we don't have connections, we can't work together. Helping students means supporting them in all aspects of their lives." —Melissa Miotti, Jamestown Teachers Association feature