Philadelphia: "Trauma-informed" teachers ask misbehaving student, 'what happened to you' (at home)

Jan 3, 2018, Philadelphia Public School, The Notebook: The science behind trauma-informed education http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/01/03/the-science-behind-trauma-informed-education Trauma-informed care “shifts the way you look at human problems from ‘what’s wrong with you?’ to ‘what happened to you?’ and ‘how can we help?’” says Sandra L. Bloom, an associate professor of public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Much of the research into trauma is based on the landmark 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study. Adverse childhood experiences can range from experiencing sexual abuse and violence to witnessing violence or living with someone who is a substance abuser or mentally ill. In a school, childhood trauma can often be a factor in poor academic performance and/or behavior problems and a lack of self-control. … As explained by Josh MacNeill, Lakeside's director of the NeuroLogic Initiative, a student who’s suffering from long-term or recent trauma may be operating mostly from his or her limbic system. For learning to take place, the student needs to be calmly guided into using the cortex.