I need to take the online Training for Transforming Childhood Trauma so I can help my students move and breathe to allow their bodies to move past trauma to learn.
I have been fortunate to teach professionally for 14 years at over six schools and over 12 grade levels. I have had an equal number of challenges and successes with my profession. I work full time with students with special needs. Almost every school I have taught at, the population has been diverse learners, but many are challenged with poverty and little available resources to help be successful. Regardless; the number of students coming to school each day who have experienced some form of trauma continues to increase.
I am truly happy and lucky to work with these diverse and unique students every day.
My learners are proud of their accomplishments, but also struggle with their weaknesses. This school year, I want my students to learn to regulate their bodies and minds so they can move past the trauma to maximize learning.
I have used a technique called Yoga Calm for the past two years and have seen some amazing results. Students look forward to breathing and stretching and it helps not only individually but behavior management in a large group as well. Test scores go up and students are able to maximize their learning potential.
My Project
Funding of this project would allow me to learn a strength‐based approach for working with childhood trauma in schools and therapeutic settings that engages the whole child, including their physical, mental and emotional resources to promote healing, develop resilience and support growth.
The goal of this course is to teach me the latest findings in neurobiology as it relates to stress, trauma and developmental trauma, how stress and trauma uniquely manifest in children, what's missing in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) rating scale, effects of trauma on the developing brain and identifed resliency factors.
It will also teach me how to build resilience “toolkits” and create lesson/treatment plans that help youth identify their individual, family and cultural strengths, support systems, and daily practices to promote resilience and growth. This course will empower me with targeted interventions to safely de-escalate fight, flight or freeze responses gleened from the instructors’ 30+ years of experience in school, clinic and home settings.
I am asking for tuition costs to pay for this online training. The goal of this project is to build a tool-kit that I can use with my students and also teach other teachers in our district as we continue to teach a gaining population of students who come to school from have experienced or are living in trauma situations.
Great teachers never stop learning. Our students need more help dealing with their social/emotional issues so they can learn to regulate their bodies and focus on learning. As I learn from this class, I hope to reach ALL the students in our building and collaboratively contribute to their success as learners and resilient and productive citizens.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Smith and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
