In 2017, ATN released an audio summit containing interviews of leading educators nationwide. Julie Beem, ATN’s Executive Director interviewed Jen Alexander, an experienced trauma-informed educator, school counselor, expert on developmental trauma, global speaker, and consultant. Jen is also the author of Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools and Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19. Her passion is helping others help kids. To learn more, visit her website, MsJenAlexander.com.
Jen lays out for us the framework for how we, as educators, can move toward creating a school-wide trauma-sensitive climate. Listen to learn the specific steps a school or district can take to be on the path to becoming a truly trauma sensitive school.
This interview has been broken down into four parts: Why do we need trauma sensitive schools?, What is Complex Trauma?, What should educators do to make their schools trauma sensitive?, and What about the kids who need more?
Part three of this series focuses on what educators can do to make their school more trauma sensitive. Jen lays out four tasks – help students feel safe, help students be connected, help students get regulated, and help students use their brains for executive functioning. Jen gives practical advice on how to achieve these four tasks in the classroom by building them into each day. She says, “It’s a dance of attunement between teachers and students.”
