Education Week - November 27, 2019 - 19

10
Simple

Steps for
Reducing
Toxic Stress
In the
Classroom
Getty

Brain science has
evolved; teaching
must, too

e all know that
when children
aren't well, they're
less likely to learn.
More and more
teachers recognize
that children who
can't sit still in class, act out, or have asthma may
be showing warning signs of a toxic exposure to
childhood trauma.
More than two decades ago, landmark research
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and Kaiser Permanente found that exposure to
adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs-ranging
from parental addiction to abuse, neglect, or
divorce-can have
By Jim Hickman
lasting effects on
& Kathy Higgins
children's health.
These ACEs can lead to
HICKMAN is the CEO
abnormal levels of stress
of the Center for Youth
hormones-a condition
Wellness. HIGGINS is the
known by doctors as
CEO of the Alliance for a
toxic stress, which
Healthier Generation.
increases kids' risk of
serious illnesses including asthma and diabetes-as
well as long-term problems, including heart disease
and cancer later in life.
But the science also tells us that two things are
clear: Early intervention improves outcomes, and
safe, stable, nurturing relationships can be healing
for children. With nearly 35 million children across
the country at risk for toxic stress, what if the person
giving the biggest daily dose of healing treatment for
toxic stress isn't a doctor or a therapist, but a teacher?
As education researchers have found, stress can
change brain architecture, making it more difficult
for children to focus and learn. When a child's fight
or flight response is constantly triggered by adverse
experiences such as abuse or neglect, the child's
nervous systems can become dysregulated, which
can also affect thinking, decisionmaking, emotional
control, and learning. This makes it more likely
that children will experience negative academic
outcomes such as poor grades, an increased risk of
suspensions, or dropping out of school all together.
Although scientists used to think the brain

circuitry was "set" around age 6, they have recently
found the brain is malleable well into the 20s. As
such, the brains of students who've experienced
trauma can also be "rewired" for greater
connection and feelings of security. To do so, it's
essential to design an education system that takes
into account our new knowledge of the developing
brain. One of the most important findings is that
for students who've experienced trauma and
adversity, caring, secure relationships, and trust
can restore their ability to learn.
How might schools incorporate these important
findings? Teachers want to offer social-emotional
learning, but many are unsure how to do so. Here
are 10 practical, low- or no-cost strategies for
turning things around:
1. Immerse your school in trauma-informed
approaches. Such approaches focus on infusing
the values of safety, trust, collaboration, choice,
empowerment, and equity into all learning
environments. Trauma-informed teaching is less
about following a checklist than adopting a new
way of doing business as a school.
2. Create a positive school climate that offers
long-term, secure relationships between
teachers and students. These relationships
support academic, physical, cognitive, and socialemotional development-an approach known as
whole-child education-that can help children
overcome trauma and toxic stress.
3. Incorporate practices that address
belonging and safety. Neuroscientists have found
kids need a feeling of safety and connection in
order to thrive. As a recent Edutopia video series on
how learning happens demonstrates, something as
simple as greeting children at the door each day with
a hug, high-five, or handshake can help develop an
atmosphere of trust, safety, and caring.
4. Implement one-on-one time with the
teacher. Giving children a few moments of private
time each day will help students feel cared about and
soothed, experts say.
5. Create "safe" corners in the classroom.
Children should have space if they need to take
a break and regroup. This respite is particularly
important if children are suffering from trauma or
toxic stress.
6. Be predictable. As the Houston-based
psychiatrist and trauma expert Bruce Perry writes, "If
a schedule is consistent, but the teacher is not, there
is no predictability for the child." Your smile and the
calm rhythm of your voice can make a child feel safe,
he explains.

7. Make sure your students are eating
nutritious food and have time to move
and play at school. Study after study shows
that healthy students perform better on tests,
attend school more often, and behave better in
class. With this in mind, schools should ensure
that students have nutritious meals and snacks
(including during celebrations, where it can
be easy to default to less-nutritious foods like
birthday cake) as well as regular opportunities to
be physically active.
8. Hang up reminders to use "talk moves"
for classroom discussions. Taping helpful
conversational formulas to the wall for kids
to refer to-"What do you think?" or "I heard
you say X-could you explain that?"-can help
children get into a classroom discussion and feel
more connected socially. This is especially helpful
in getting shy students to join the conversation.
9. Boost engagement with phrases like
"I wonder" and "I notice." Encouraging
students to use these phrases in conversation can
clue in teachers about what and how children are
learning. This can make it easier to pinpoint gaps
and reach out to students who need help, which
may reduce their anxiety about learning.
10. Teach and model social-emotional
learning. Showing kids how to calm themselves,
work out conflicts, and name emotions helps
everyone in the classroom better focus on learning
and promotes academic and social development.
While sleep, exercise, nutrition, and
mindfulness are critical to help children heal the
impact of toxic stress, research suggests it is the
cumulative dose of positive student and teacher
interactions that makes the biggest difference.
Of course, these suggestions are just one piece
of a bigger puzzle for mitigating the impact of
toxic stress. Children who experience more severe
or frequent ACEs, such as abuse or household
instability, will likely need more interventions
beyond those that even a caring, nurturing
teacher can provide, and referrals to counseling
and community resources are likely the next step.
But using the above strategies can do wonders for
easing toxic stress in the classroom.
What's especially gratifying is that most of these
science-based teaching practices are simple ones.
They don't need expensive technology. They don't
require specialists or extra rooms. And they can be
easily incorporated into almost any school. Even
a daily hug or high five from a caring teacher can
help kids thrive. n

It's essential
to design an
education
system that
takes into
account
our new
knowledge
of the
developing
brain."

EDUCATION WEEK | November 27, 2019 | www.edweek.org/go/opinion | 19

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Education Week - November 27, 2019

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