Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom

by Pete Hall, Kristin Souers

In this galvanizing book for all educators, Kristin Souers and Pete Hall explore an urgent and growing issue—childhood trauma—and its profound effect on learning and teaching.

Grounded in research and the authors' experience working with trauma-affected students and their teachers, Fostering Resilient Learners will help you cultivate a trauma-sensitive learning environment for students across all content areas, grade levels, and educational settings. The authors—a mental health therapist and a veteran principal—provide proven, reliable strategies to help

● Understand what trauma is and how it hinders the learning, motivation, and success of all students in the classroom.

● Build strong relationships and create a safe space to enable students to learn at high levels.

● Adopt a strengths-based approach that leads you to recalibrate how you view destructive student behaviors and to perceive what students need to break negative cycles.

● Head off frustration and burnout with essential self-care techniques that will help you and your students flourish.

Genres: Education

1 pages, Audio CD

Published March 1, 2021

Reviews

[Elizabeth Jorgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed like common sense to me. I really was hoping for a more academic or more citations throughout the book. It was a VERY easy read and I had higher expectations.

My biggest takeaway from parts 1-3 of the book:
“High-quality relationships are essential” pg. x
“Hope and growth” p. Xi
“Every bit of advice applies to educators and learners alike” pg. 3
“Self-awareness, relationship, belief, live, laugh love; “every student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged”
Here is the worksheet. (password: souers116014)
“The home environment was more predictive of students success than was schooling” pg 14
“It is much more helpful for me to monitor the effect of the event on each individual, not to preoccupy myself with the details of the event itself.” page 16
Reflection on implications for your profession from parts 1-3 of the book: pages 9-123
“Our goal is to get [students’ into the higher-functioning part of their brain—the prefrontal cortex—which enables them to think, reason and maintain flexibility.” page 31
“We cannot separate our lives from our work, so how can we expect those less developmentally advanced to do so?” page 33
“The overall goal for [teachers] is to act with integrity, to be consistent and reliable, to remain logical and regulated in times of stress and—when facing disruptive, defiant and disrespectful behavior—to stay in our upstairs brain.” page 36
“The adult is necessarily in charge of the setting and tone of the space.” page 41
“Create our own personal mission statement” page 48
“Often, constructing a tornado is just a learned tactic of avoiding the truth” page 57
“When in doubt, shut your mouth and just breathe” page 66
“Listen. Reassure. Validate. Respond. Repair. Resolve” page 79
“We need to find a way to cultivate strong, meaningful connections with our students” page 93
“Availability and accountability” page 104
“Discipline and control is not the right solution” page 115

My biggest takeaway from parts 4-5 of the book: pages 133-192
“Fear is a choice” page 134
“Hold all students to a high standard of behavior, attitude, and achievement” page 134
“Acknowledging successes increases the likelihood that they will recur” page 142
“...a trauma-sensitive learning environment begins with us” page 145
“It’s okay to not be okay” page 148
“We must strive for a balance between taking the time to mourn the losses associated with traumatic experiences and finding ways to manage life’s everyday expectations.” page 153
“Having a safe person is an essential component of fostering resilience.” Page 155
“It doesn’t pay to get discouraged” page 170
“Grace can be life-altering” page 174
“If they don’t have cookies in the cookie jar, they can’t eat cookies” page 183
“Introduce the notion of self acknowledgement to your students, and incorporate regular practices that encourage them to give themselves a cookie.” page 190

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed the way I see everyone but esp my students!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book to read, especially fresh off the heels of COVID. I appreciate that it also talks about teacher trauma and being aware of our own trauma. I love the reminder to think outside the box for solutions.

[Racheal Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read which was a great way to reflect on how to better support students in the classroom. I enjoyed hearing the anecdotal stories and answering the questions. This would be a great book to read in a book study with a PLC.