Paving the Way for the Hard Work of Trauma-Informed Education

THE INTERRUPTER | Your Write to Education | June 2018

Paving the Path for the Hard Work of Trauma-Informed Education

Roads that have been damaged or not properly maintained are not conducive to bearing the weight of heavy loads.  This is a picture of the current situation we find ourselves in education.  Rather than abandon the operation or resort to irrational or unsafe measures for transporting the valuables, what if we repair the road.

One way to repair the road, as I shared at the National Title I Conference, is through building a culture of reciprocity.  In my presentation, Lead from the End: Leveraging the Power of Reciprocity for Educational Success, I shared 12 Principles of Reciprocal Leadership.

Leaders MUSTprepare and foster a ready place for this work to happen and it requires heart.  This sometimes will mean that doing the hard work of trauma-informed education will require an individual doing their own internal hard work. It is the only way. It is impossible to create a space for things to grow when the things required for nurture are absent.  If you would like to learn more about creating an integrative and customized, district- or school-wide plan, reach out at support@everychildwhole.com.

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Childhood trauma expert Dr. Ivy Bonk is Educational Psychologist/Consultant with IMAGINAL Education Group, Founder/President of ReThink Learning, Inc.  She is NME-Certified Trainer with the Child Trauma Academy.  In addition, she is the author and organizer of the course, The Day Trauma Came to Class;  architect of The Lost Child Theory; and Lead Bridge Builder and Collaborator in the Cause at My Trauma Informed School.