COMING BACK TOGETHER critical care physician , another whose parent lost the food service or home health aide job that was paying the rent , one who struggled to connect with peers before schools closed , an Asian-American student who is harassed every morning on her walk to school with racial slurs and references to the “ Kung Flu .”
Depending on temperament , internal or environmental resources , and maturity level , students ’ emotional responses to their circumstances span an extensive continuum . This crisis has been catastrophic for some students and families ; while for others , it ’ s been , as one school trustee noted apologetically from his second home during a Zoom meeting this spring , “ a minor inconvenience .” These disparities in “ impact ” make discussing the crisis among students , as well as among faculty and staff , a complicated and delicate endeavor . The joint publication of the National Association of School
Depending on temperament , internal or environmental resources , and maturity level , students ’ emotional responses to their circumstances span an extensive continuum .
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Psychologists ( NASP ) and the American School Counselor Association ( ASCA ) “ School Reentry Considerations : Supporting Student Social Emotional Learning ( SEL ) and Mental Behavioral Health ( MBH ) Amidst COVID-19 ” ( https :// www . nasponline . org / assets / Documents / Resources % 20and % 20Publications / Resources / Crisis / School % 20Reentry . pdf ) is a treasure trove of guidance ( and worth a read ). One of their first recommendations is that schools acknowledge trauma from this crisis and underscore that “... everyone has had different experiences during pandemic , e . g . some are scared , others had fun , some are disappointed , etc .” Speaking of group interaction , they also emphasize that schools should
establish intentional focus on social and emotional skill building , mental health and self-regulatory capacity . ( Assume most students have regressed on this front due to lack of social interaction . Don ’ t assume deterioration in social skills represents intentional , deliberate disregard or purposeful insubordination .)
In other words , because we ’ ve been apart for so long , we ’ re all a little rusty .
Trauma-Informed Schools
What do we mean when we talk about “ trauma-informed schools ?”
In a trauma-informed school , the adults in the school community are prepared to recognize and respond to those who
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CSEE Connections Fall 2020 Page 7