{"id":2176,"date":"2019-04-24T18:13:10","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T22:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=2176"},"modified":"2019-04-24T18:14:28","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T22:14:28","slug":"creating-an-environment-in-which-resiliency-can-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2019\/04\/creating-an-environment-in-which-resiliency-can-thrive\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating an Environment in Which Resiliency Can Thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As teachers, our students come from all walks of life. Though it\u2019s a lot easier to pretend everyone learns the same way or experiences life in the same way, we cannot treat our students all the same and assume they all learn the same. Each student brings with them their own experiences, and more relevantly to this blog post, their own traumas. Souers gives us a list of five items that we need to acknowledge as be attempt to understand our students\u2019 traumas on page ten of her book Fostering Resilient Learners<\/em>:<\/p>\n

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  1. Trauma is real.<\/li>\n
  2. Trauma is prevalent. In fact, it is likely much more common than we care to admit.<\/li>\n
  3. Trauma is toxic to the brain and can affect development and learning in a multitude of ways.<\/li>\n
  4. In our schools, we need to be prepared to support students who have experienced trauma, even if we don\u2019t know exactly who they are.<\/li>\n
  5. Children are resilient, and within positive learning environments they can grow, learn, and succeed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    We cannot, though, get caught up on those traumas themselves, but instead we have to focus more on how those traumas effect our students. The culmination of traumatic events in our lives can be summed up in an ACE score, with higher scores being \u201cworse\u201d than lower ones.<\/p>\n

    To help students navigate through their young lives and through their learning, we need to focus on our own availability to them. Souers defines availability in this context as \u201cour emotional investment, our nurturing and encouragement, and our willingness to engage, empathize, and be there for students as the maneuver through life\u2019s many stressors and disappointments,\u201d (p. 43). But like any middle schooler could tell you, you can\u2019t love someone else if you can\u2019t love yourself. We have to take care of ourselves first and foremost before we can be effectively available <\/em>for our students.<\/p>\n

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    But how can we take care of ourselves with such a busy, hectic life with so little respite? Man of use admit we don’t really know how to do it (p. 192). It\u2019s not as difficult as it sounds. It\u2019s not complicated or big things that help us find peace within ourselves, it can be as simple as going outside for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

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    • Go outside<\/li>\n
    • Take a nap<\/li>\n
    • Go for a walk<\/li>\n
    • Exercise<\/li>\n
    • Engage in a hobby you love<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n