Using trauma informed practices in education, means that you are mindful of what could

be occurring in students lives outside of school. This has been an easy process for me to adopt
into my teaching identify because I have been able to have a great role model in this area. My
Teacher Associate is a fantastic representative of what it means to use a trauma informed
approach with students. When there is any sort of out of the ordinary behaviour from a student,
the first question my TA asks is “What is happening at home that we do not know about?” This
question was always used to make sure our scope stayed mindful of the fact that we are only able
to see what students bring into school and not what is occurring outside of the school.

Using this scope has been able to change my perception of teachers and students. School
and the community within it, is such a huge role in students lives. Often, all their friends go to
school with them, the teammates they play sports with are also classmates. The intersection of
school and their community is what helps students feel safe, but also what can make it hard for
students to explain their feelings or the things happening outside of the building. This can cause
them to lash out, or shut down, when things are not going in ways that they can control. That is
why ensuring that we as educators use a trauma informed approach is so important, so that we
can recognize students shutting down or lashing out as a coping mechanism or strategy to regain
control.

Teaching student’s ways to name and describe their feelings can help implement a trauma
informed approach within the classroom. The ways in which I have started the conversation
about feelings with my students, is first ensuring that it is okay to have feelings, especially big
feelings. This has become a regular part of my teaching that happens when students have become
overwhelmed with large feelings, we work through grounding breathing exercises together so
that they know that they are not alone in their feelings, and I give students time and space to
decompress and lower their stimulation if necessary. As well, as making discussions about
feelings a regular part of our day. This has become a big part of my teaching identity, as I have
regularly talked to my students as a class about my feelings and what type of day I am having.
This has been a small change in my approach that has made a large difference in my students.
They have begun openly telling me if they are having good days or bad days, and what we can
do together to help them on any given day. This normalization of emotions and feelings has
made a difference to my students and has helped me build relationships with my students.
 Adopting a trauma informed approach and asking myself “What do they have going on
outside of school?” has truly changed my approach and understanding of education. As part of
my teaching philosophy is to provide a safe place for students, these are tactics I will be carrying
with me through the rest of my career in education.