EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM ROUTINE THAT HELPS STUDENTS WITH TRAUMA

ROMALISA Y. BALUYUT

Some of our students may be classified as young carers. A young carer is a child or an adolescent who provides emotional and physical support to his/ her younger siblings or even his/ her parents who needed the same support. The young carer embraces household responsibilities while he/ she also looking after his/her own need. The young carer most of the time misses out significant stages in his/her own life and in worst cases, the young carer is the victim of trauma. Trauma is caused by experiences that lead to feelings of isolation, rejection and mistrust which in longer terms may create a feeling of fear. Among youth, the fear can be seen through depression, anxiety or sometime aggressive behavior. According to studies, past trauma can be retriggered by memories, flashbacks, visual images or even the sound of a voice or anything that is a reminder of that trauma. When this occurs during class hours, the immediate adult inside the classroom, the best approach is to acknowledge the negative feelings and give the student a safe place for a few minutes to allow his/ her brain and body to calm down. The teacher should create an emotionally safe environment that provides the child the opportunity to feel connected and understood. The teacher has to make the child feel that the trauma is already in the past and the current situation is already safe. The following are some strategies for all students who come into the classroom carrying negative emotions.

1. Deep breathing exercises

Take a minute to begin and end each class with deep breathing. Allow the students to undergo three deep inhales and exhales to bring an oxygenated glucose blood flow to their frontal lobes which instantly calms the emotional brain and begins to release the anxiety and fear acquired in the past trauma.

2. Emotional box

Put an emotional box inside the classroom, preferably at the entrance. The emotional box is a container where the students can leave notes or drawings of their feelings. Give the children an option whether they share the feelings with you or not.

3. Good Feelings box

Just like the emotional box, the Good Feelings box should be put inside the corner, this time it is preferably at the exit of the room. The Good Feelings box is a container where the students can leave notes or drawings of their good feelings or learnings for the day which they have acquired during their learning activities. Allow the students to encourage one another to help fill their good feelings box.

4. Hand Massage

Before the official start of the teaching learning process, the teacher must use at least 90 seconds of the period to allow the students to massage each other’s hands to help clean their negative emotions. The teacher must go around offering each student a drop of lotion so they can perform the relaxation process.

5. Trigger List

The Trigger List is a list of triggers that can block learning and relationships Allow the students to make a list of those sounds, sights and experiences that spark negative emotions. This will be a great way for the teacher to better understand the student and build relationship with the students.

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The author is Teacher II at Northville High School, City of San Fernando