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Welcome back to the Calm Classroom. Today we delve into Trauma-Informed Teaching.

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I'm your host, Ellie Laird, and in today's episode titled Trauma-Informed Teaching,

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the Six Step Greeting Routine and Building Trust Using the Calm Classroom Approach,

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we'll explore crucial strategies for building trust and supporting students who have experienced

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trauma while also fostering inclusivity and acceptance for students with disabilities.

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And as always, we focus on the science behind these methods to back up while we do what we do.

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Our journey begins first thing in the morning. One powerful way to establish connections and

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build trust is to be present. So often in the past, I have been busy prepping the classroom,

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cleaning up or finishing one last task while my students were piling into the classroom in the

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morning to start their day. Often on these days, I would call my mom after school and vent about my

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day feeling off. The Calm Classroom Approach includes a powerful six-step greeting routine that helps

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teachers practice being present first thing in the morning. Though these steps may be small,

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they are powerful tools. Create this routine and keep it up. Even on those days, you just want to

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sit at your desk and wave them into your room while you drink your morning coffee. Fight that urge.

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All we're asking is for you to spend 15 seconds with each child at the door before inviting them

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into your classroom. And that's what? Like seven minutes out of your day? Here's an overview of

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the six-step greeting routine we practice in the Calm Classroom. Number one, greet them at the door.

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Number two, make eye contact. Number three, say their name within your greeting.

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Number four, provide a physical touch option or a personal space option.

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Number five, have them point to a color. And finally, number six, whisper the secret word.

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Let's get into the nitty-gritty of each step and why they are important.

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Why should we greet them at the door? First of all, it promotes a sense of belonging. This is

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especially important for students who have experienced trauma in their lives. Sometimes that trauma

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leads them to feel like they are out of place in this world. Maybe they have been constantly

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shuffled from one place to the next. They may live in an environment that doesn't provide them with

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the attention they need. By being there at the door first thing in the morning and providing a small

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amount of focused time for each student, you're sending a powerful message. In fact, there was a

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study conducted by the Hamel Institute of Disabilities and it proved that greeting students at the

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door increased engagement throughout the day and reduced disruptive behavior. Next up, why make eye

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contact? Well, eye contact is one of the most important nonverbal communication tools we have

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as humans. It can convey love, sympathy, and even a clear and silent warning. Eye contact in our

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greeting needs to be inviting and accompanied with a smile for best results. This isn't your time to

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warn your toughest students to not be naughty today because this isn't a check-in check-out

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situation. This is your time to tell that student that you're going to start off by trusting them

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today. There was a study published by Frontiers in Psychology that explored the relationship

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between eye contact and conversation and people's ability to control themselves in social situations.

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It proved that eye contact effectively helps them understand and follow social norms. We use the human

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gaze to communicate and understand the intentions of others as well as their mental state. In another

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study published by the National Library of Medicine, researchers clarified that the eyes of humans have a

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unique design different from other primates that allow more subtle communication to occur. Our eyes

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have a larger white sclera offsetting our dark iris which allows us to pick up subtle micro

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expressions and differentiate between a slightly averted gaze and direct eye contact. Of course,

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different cultures interpret eye contact differently. Japanese and Eastern cultures tend to take the

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view that direct eye contact is inherently disrespectful and I'm not here to dissuade an

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entire culture. So let's move on to part three of the six step greeting routine.

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Saying the student's name is an integral part of the calm classroom greeting routine. You could

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simply say good morning but it hits differently than if you say good morning Sarah while making

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eye contact. I want you to go inward for a second. When someone greets you by name, what emotions do

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you experience? When you hear your name in a positive way, it actually evokes an intense

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psychological response. In a published study conducted by Carmody and Lewis in 2007, they concluded

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that the left hemisphere of the brain was activated, particularly the middle frontal cortex,

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superior temporal cortex and the cuneus when one heard their name in a positive way. The

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middle frontal cortex plays a huge role in regulation of emotions, motivation and sociability.

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When the temporal cortex is activated, it helps to regulate attention and turn on specific programs

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in the brain geared to complete tasks appropriately. When the cuneus, which is part of the occipital

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lobe, is activated, it's been proven to increase a person's inhibitory response to stimuli.

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Ultimately meaning you are more prepared to be less impulsive when the cuneus is activated.

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Wow, did you know that hearing your name could have such a huge effect?

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Step four is to provide a physical touch or personal space option. When we provide a physical touch

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option or a personal space option, we're meeting the needs of those who are sensory seeking and

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also those who are sensory avoiders. What does this look like? My options are always the same

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and they're hung outside of my classroom. Before entering the classroom, each child points to tell

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me what they need each morning. My poster is divided in half down the center. This provides

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students with a clear and consistent topography. On the left, I have physical touch options,

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handshake, high five, hug, elbow bump, or fist bump. And on the right, I have personal space options,

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three second dance off, air hug, finger wave, and salute. Sensory issues in children are a huge

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topic that we'll be spending a lot of time on in subsequent episodes. So I'll just briefly touch

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on it here. There are a variety of sensory processing issues a child might have that can

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affect his or her time in a school setting. One of them is being under sensitive to stimuli.

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These are the students that seek out rough housing, spinning, bumping, and the need to

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feel pressure in order to feel regulated. These are the students that will more often than not

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choose a physical touch greeting on the left side of the poster. On the other hand, we have students

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who are overly sensitive to stimuli and often become dysregulated in situations that would

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require physical touch or loud interactions. These are the students who will more often than

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not choose a personal space option for a morning greeting. Like I said before, we will dive deep

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into this topic later. So I'll leave it at that. Now, when I mentioned pointing to a color in the

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six step greeting routine, you may have wondered, what's that all about? Color theory is a huge

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part of the calm classroom approach. We believe that color and each color's unique energy and

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wavelength have the power to change one's mood and help humans communicate or express their

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emotions in a more abstract and meaningful way. This theory is taken from the artist and poet

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Johann Wolfgang Gotte and also from the wavelength theory and science behind the spectrum of colors

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in our world. No color is stationary, much like the human consciousness and the emotions we

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experience on a daily basis. Therefore, using color as a tool to help express that emotion is a

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more accurate representation rather than simply stating an emotion using a word label. The process

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of associating an emotion with a place on the color spectrum needs to be modeled clearly several

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times before having the students do this independently. First of all, you will need a way for students to

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view color on a spectrum. This can be printed and laminated and hung from your classroom door so that

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students can point to a color as they walk in. Let's talk color theory for a bit. When one sees the

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color blue, they often feel tranquility, which is why we suggest having calming elements of muted

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blues in your classroom. But when it comes to expressing emotion, we often associate blue with

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sadness and loneliness. This type of melancholy blue is often a darker shade than what I would

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recommend as classroom decor. It's also interesting because children will often have this

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interpretation without even being explicitly taught this. When students walk into the classroom and

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point to a dark melancholy blue color, it is your cue to understand that this child is feeling a level

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of sadness. However, it's not your duty to ask any follow-up questions right then and there.

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Remember, you're only spending 10 to 15 seconds with each child as they walk into the room. This is

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not to say that you should not follow up later with a sticky note that says, want to talk about it?

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With a checkbox next to two options, yes or no? Which is generally my go-to method when I notice

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a student who is having a rough morning. Oftentimes they'll say no and that's okay, don't pry.

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Okay, back to color theory. If a child points to a red hue, continue this same follow-up routine

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because it generally means they're feeling anger or aggression. As you know, that red is also a

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color that has been proven to stimulate appetite and hunger, which is why we don't suggest decorating

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your classroom with this color. It can be very distracting. Once again, I digress. Now, if a child

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points to a yellow or even a bright orange color, they are typically feeling euphoric or happiness.

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Finally, our favorite color on the spectrum when it comes to education, green. When you have elements

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of green in your classroom, it stimulates a feeling of harmony and peaceful focus.

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We call this the ready to learn color. It's also another reason why we believe plants are such an

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integral piece of calm classrooms. Last but not least, and this is my favorite part of the greeting,

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is whispering the secret word to the student. Each day I choose a secret word. It needs to be

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something that can stand out but isn't so outlandish that students may recognize it right off the bat.

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For instance, if we're doing a lesson on South America later in the day, I might whisper the

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word armadillo into each student's ear. They aren't allowed to repeat the secret word or

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tell other students what the secret word is. When I say the word in my lesson nonchalantly,

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students who hear it get up and start doing jumping jacks or sit-ups or dance. I choose a

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movement and write it on the board before students enter for the day. Every time you say the secret

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word in your lecture, the students have to get up and do whatever movement you have written on the

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board. It makes for a really fun brain break but it also helps with long-term working memory and

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listening skills. Don't expect to start the six-part greeting routine in the morning and have it be

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perfected right off the bat. Remember, practice makes progress, so practice this routine every day

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and eventually it will become like second nature to you and your students.

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It's important to acknowledge that creating an emotionally safe classroom goes beyond physical

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spaces and practices. It's about cultivating a culture of empathy, acceptance, and mutual support.

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There are decisions you will have to make as a trauma-informed teacher

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that some administrators might question. For example, I taught at a very trendy school a

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few years ago that encouraged all teachers to embrace purely flexible seating in each classroom.

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I pushed back on this immediately and ultimately needed to leave this school

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because it didn't align with my beliefs. When it comes to trauma-informed teaching,

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it's essential to provide students with a designated spot in the classroom.

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While flexible seating can be beneficial for many students, those who have experienced trauma

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often find comfort and security in having a consistent and predictable space they can call

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their own. Furthermore, starting a trauma-exposed students day with a choice instead of a well

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practiced routine first thing in the morning can lead to anxiety. This designated spot serves as a

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safe retreat where students can regulate their emotions, process challenging experiences,

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and engage in self-soothing activities when needed. When trauma-exposed children walk into a

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classroom with purely flexible seating, meaning no assigned seating arrangements,

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they start their day off in fight, flight, or freeze mode. The same thinking goes for

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room transformations. It sounds so fun and such a great way to get students involved and immersed

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in learning. And it is. But think about the student who experienced a time in their lives

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with inconsistent living spaces. Maybe they didn't have a stable place to call home.

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Maybe they were passed around from relative to relative or foster home to foster home.

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Room transformations can cause anxiety for these children because what they crave is stability and

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predictability. They want to know what type of situation they're walking into without having

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to guess or dwell on it. I've had teachers push back on this regularly saying, well, they deserve

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fun too. Remember, your first responsibility as a teacher is providing a safe environment.

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If a predictable environment is safe for trauma-exposed children, then you must provide that.

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Furthermore, trauma-informed teaching doesn't just mean being knowledgeable about teaching

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practices that lend to a positive environment for students who have experienced trauma. It also

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refers to being prepared for the way these students express themselves and the typical

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behaviors that might arise throughout the course of the year. Being a trauma-informed teacher

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doesn't mean you will eliminate these behaviors either. It means you will be prepared for how to

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support the student displaying them. Throughout the next part of this episode, I've sought the

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help of several professionals who have seen the effects of trauma firsthand in the school setting.

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So how does trauma embody behavior in the school setting? It could look like emotional or reactive

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outbursts. The child might experience chronic anxiety, which manifests in stomach and digestive

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issues. Horting of food or supplies could become an issue. Students who have experienced neglect

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or even a shortage of food or essentials in their life may start to hoard inconsequential materials.

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In my time as a teacher, I've experienced three incidents of student hoarding. One of them was

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with food. This was the most severe case. When you notice a student starting to hoard food, it may

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not be because they have a shortage of food in their lives right now, but in the past they have

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experienced the anxiety related to not having enough to eat and that latent trauma is eking out into

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their present. It's important to have open communication with guardians about this to decipher

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if this is a response to a current or a past trigger. Children may exhibit dissociation. Children who

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have experienced trauma in their lives may dissociate during triggering events. Dissociation

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occurs on a spectrum. It can be as simple as zoning out or it can feel as if you're having an out-of-body

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experience. It affects working memory, attention and focus, and relationships with others. When

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children continually use dissociation as a coping mechanism, they often do not learn how to regulate

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their emotions during a crucial stage of development and this can have a negative effect on them later

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on in life. Students who dissociate may often be described as having a flat affect.

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Children who are in foster care or have been adopted may develop attachment disorders,

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especially if their first two years of life were met with hardship, adversity or disruption.

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This is a crucial time for children when they're learning how to form secure and healthy bonds.

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What does an attachment disorder look like in the classroom? Students who have an attachment

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disorder may form unhealthy bonds with their teachers and peers. They could be overly trusting

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and loving or it could go the opposite way and they could be distrusting and unable to form

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emotional bonds with anyone. Due to not forming appropriate bonds at a crucial age, they may

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not know how to interact appropriately with staff and or peers, which may lead to conflict in school.

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Furthermore, students who have experienced trauma may be delayed academically,

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developmentally or socially. Complex early trauma may lead to deficients and

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abstract reasoning skills or even language delays. Many students with these issues also have poor

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executive functioning skills and require help with multi-step directions. A few other examples may be

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acting out, speaking out of turn, not following instructions, trying to be the center of attention

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and boundary issues, such as students being overly aggressive or affectionate.

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What are some trauma-informed teaching practices I have in place in my class?

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Number one, I always ask before giving a hug, handshake or high five and I never look sad or

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defeated if they tell you they don't want to be touched. Smile and wave and tell them you value

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their boundaries. Think back to our six-step greeting. I greet them in the morning and they

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choose their greeting style. I always provide a personal space option. Number two, I provide a

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mailbox called what I wish my teacher knew so that students can write to me and receive responses

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rather than telling me things face to face. Many people aren't aware of this, but students who

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have experienced repeated or chronic trauma from someone they see on a daily basis are typically

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extra perceptive to micro expressions. They use this special talent to decipher the mood and

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responses of the individuals they are around as a survival mechanism. The what I wish my teacher

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new mailbox gives students a way to communicate about hard topics without the fear of in-the-moment

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judgment. To sum it all up, here are some key trauma-informed teaching practices. Keeping a safe

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and predictable environment. Establishing a physical environment that feels safe and predictable is

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crucial. This includes having consistent routines, clear expectations, and structured classroom

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spaces. Providing students with a designated spot where they feel secure can also be beneficial.

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Building trusting relationships. Developing trusting relationships with students is foundational.

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This involves showing empathy, being sensitive to students' emotions and fostering positive

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connections through active listening and understanding. Understanding trauma triggers.

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Educators should be aware of common trauma triggers and understand how they can impact

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students' behavior and emotions. By recognizing triggers, educators can respond with sensitivity

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and provide appropriate support when needed. Practicing mindfulness and self-regulation.

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Teaching mindfulness techniques and self-regulation strategies can help students manage stress,

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anxiety, and overwhelming emotions. This includes breathing exercises, guided meditation,

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and sensory-based calming techniques. Providing choices and empowerment.

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Offering students choices and opportunities for autonomy can empower them and enhance their

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sense of control. This can involve allowing students to choose activities, seating preferences

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occasionally, or how they demonstrate their learning. Using trauma-informed language.

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Using supportive and non-judgmental language is essential in a trauma-informed approach.

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Avoiding triggering language, providing encouragement, and reframing challenges as

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opportunities for growth can positively impact students' self-esteem and motivation.

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One example of this is using the word adult instead of mom or dad.

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For example, please tell your adult about the homework assignment due tomorrow.

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Remember, not all students have a mom or a dad.

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Collaborating with support services. Collaborating with school counselors,

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psychologists, and other support services is key in addressing students' emotional and behavioral

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needs. These professionals can provide additional resources, strategies, and interventions

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to support students who have experienced trauma. By incorporating trauma-informed teaching practices,

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educators can create a learning environment that acknowledges and supports students' emotional

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well-being, promotes resilience, and enhances overall academic success. Join us as we embark

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on a transformative journey of empathy, connection, and resilience in the classroom.

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Together, we can create a learning environment where students not only excel academically,

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but also develop essential social-emotional skills that will serve them for a lifetime.

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Stay tuned for an enlightening and inspiring chat in our next episode of the Calm Classroom.

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Until then, continue teaching with compassion and patience.

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This is Ellie Laird, signing off. Take care and stay calm.