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The Supportive Classroom: Trauma-Sensitive Strategies for Fostering Resilience and Creating a Safe, Compassionate Environment for All Students
Build a mindful, trauma-aware classroom today with this practical, easy-to-use book. Designed specifically for busy teachers, it is full of strategies and tools for understanding trauma and building empathy.
One in four children have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event that can affect behavior and learning. But school can be a safe, stress-free environment that can actually reduce bad behavior, foster resilience, and heal trauma. The Supportive Classroom shows teachers and educators how they can provide the different types of trauma-aware support that each student needs.
Written by two experienced school psychologists, The Supportive Classroom offers an easy-to-understand overview of trauma, empathy, and self-care paired with proactive and reactive tools that can be implemented in the classroom right away. These practical ideas include:
- Suggestions for classroom setup
- Proactive behavioral supports
- Checklists for identifying triggers
- Examples of trauma-aware support from real-life students and teachers
- Strategies for recognizing trauma exposure
Every teacher brings their own unique culture, style, and passion into the classroom. This book offers a blueprint for creating a safe, welcoming classroom based in trauma-sensitive practice that can be adapted to your unique classroom.
One in four children have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event that can affect behavior and learning. But school can be a safe, stress-free environment that can actually reduce bad behavior, foster resilience, and heal trauma. The Supportive Classroom shows teachers and educators how they can provide the different types of trauma-aware support that each student needs.
Written by two experienced school psychologists, The Supportive Classroom offers an easy-to-understand overview of trauma, empathy, and self-care paired with proactive and reactive tools that can be implemented in the classroom right away. These practical ideas include:
- Suggestions for classroom setup
- Proactive behavioral supports
- Checklists for identifying triggers
- Examples of trauma-aware support from real-life students and teachers
- Strategies for recognizing trauma exposure
Every teacher brings their own unique culture, style, and passion into the classroom. This book offers a blueprint for creating a safe, welcoming classroom based in trauma-sensitive practice that can be adapted to your unique classroom.
224 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2020
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 1, 2025
I first began this book in August 2022, then my dog ate part of the cover which resulted in me buying it from the library. Fast forward a few years, this book is carrying me through my education.
September 28, 2020
A fast, but informative read with lots of practical tips and examples for creating a safer space for students.
February 24, 2024
A really great book! Especially for the world we are experiencing now. It is more important than ever to understand how we can create a safe environment for our children to learn. The world is a crazy place filled with all levels of trauma and originating from multiple sources.
This book really helps identify where trauma might play a part in behavior and learning and what you can do to understand it, and stay calm. Providing a way for educators to find their "calm" is crucial in order for them to deescalate situations. The Supportive Classroom not only helps them find their calm, but gives great tools for them to help the child find their "calm".
If a child feels safe, cared for, and understood, they will become better learners. This book focuses on easy to use methods of understanding trauma, developing empathy for the students situation, and creating a safe environment. And written by people who have "been there"!
As a parent I wish all educators would read this book
This book really helps identify where trauma might play a part in behavior and learning and what you can do to understand it, and stay calm. Providing a way for educators to find their "calm" is crucial in order for them to deescalate situations. The Supportive Classroom not only helps them find their calm, but gives great tools for them to help the child find their "calm".
If a child feels safe, cared for, and understood, they will become better learners. This book focuses on easy to use methods of understanding trauma, developing empathy for the students situation, and creating a safe environment. And written by people who have "been there"!
As a parent I wish all educators would read this book
November 7, 2020
A must-have for educators. Rarely is a book so chock-full of information and strategies that you can find something useful in every section. This book was easy to read and comprehend, and it was well worth the time invested. The prompts for moments of reflection included throughout were helpful for considering application within your own classroom/site.
I highly recommend The Supportive Classroom for new teachers and support staff as well as seasoned ones. The whole thing was great, but my favorite section was Part 2 of the book where the authors discuss how a “supportive classroom is one in which the adults are supported first and foremost.” YES. I’ve read multiple books related to trauma-sensitive schools, but this one has the most and best strategies for immediate application within the classroom/school setting. Good stuff.
I highly recommend The Supportive Classroom for new teachers and support staff as well as seasoned ones. The whole thing was great, but my favorite section was Part 2 of the book where the authors discuss how a “supportive classroom is one in which the adults are supported first and foremost.” YES. I’ve read multiple books related to trauma-sensitive schools, but this one has the most and best strategies for immediate application within the classroom/school setting. Good stuff.
December 7, 2020
If you are a teacher, work with kids, or have kids in your life (heck, if you interact with humans at all), you NEED to read this book! I honestly wish they would put this into the teacher education curriculum because it's that transformative. It's one of those books that has you interacting with it, reflecting on your own practice, and thinking "that makes so much sense, why didn't I think of that?!" all at the same time. I read it once it was released (which was pretty early on during the COVID shut down) so I read and re-read chapter 5 (about building your own calm) probably 10 times. 10/10 would (and do) recommend to everyone!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews