In addition, educators should consider that given the high rates of childhood trauma in our society, it is likely they might uncover their own unresolved traumatic experiences in dealing with their students’ trauma, which is also known as retraumatization . Educators should seek professional counseling if they experience ongoing signs of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or retraumatization .

It is easy for a caring educator to become overly engaged with a learner who has experienced trauma . However, trauma-informed educators must balance the appropriate display of empathy with strong emotional boundaries . If an educator begins to overly identify with a student by experiencing the student’s pain as his or her own, the educator’s effectiveness in the student’s life is significantly decreased, which can harm both individuals . Paying attention to the balance between healthy empathy and over-identification is essential not only for the student but also for the health and well-being of the educator, and self-care and

When educators encounter an obstacle or setback, they can keep in mind the following suggestions from Hoch et al . (2015):•Students are the expert on their own life and feelings . •Do not expect instant trust . •Be absolutely trustworthy and reliable . •Normalize and validate feelings that come from experiencing trauma . •Ask students what will help them feel more comfortable and how you can best work with them .•Realize and accept that difficult behaviors have probably served students well and may be hard to give up . •Maintain appropriate boundaries (this is always important but is even more so with traumatized learners, as it contributes to

Empower students. By offering choices for participation and encouraging their sense of agency, educators help students feel some control over their lives . In addition, when students make positive choices and educators praise th

Watch for signs in the other person. These may include irrational actions, a flushed face, intense emotions, or disjointed sentences.

. A trauma-informed educator never forgets that students bring their entire lives into the classroom every day, and that on some days, students will be actively responding to trauma (Perkins & Graham-Bermann, 2012) . Opinions about the use of “trigger warnings” before introducing sensitive material are mixed; in fact, some students may find even the word “trigger” objectionable because it implies something out of their control, preferring the term “activate” instead (DiMarco, 2017) . In addition to verbal sensitivity, trauma-informed educators maintain a consisten

Use student theater troupes to portray realistic scenarios and offer valuable feedback

. Additionally, educators and student support staff members should provide an atmosphere of openness, inclusion, and affirmation with students of all genders and sexual orientations

Current and former foster youth

. For example, trauma-exposed African American female students are more likely to leave college before the end of their second year, and the effect of trauma exposure on leaving college is higher for African American students at predominantly white institutions and for African American students entering college with lower GPAs (Boyraz, Horne, Owens, & Armstrong, 2013) .

Additionally, trauma affects one’s ability (or willingness) to form relationships with others . Individuals who have experienced childhood trauma may be distrustful or suspicious of others

Education Northwest | Trauma-Informed Practices for Postsecondary Education: A Guide 6The impact of trauma on learning and developmentThere is nothing new about the presence of learners with histories of trauma in our K–12 schools and postsecondary education institutions; often without realizing it, educators have been responding to trauma’s impact for generations . What is new is that trauma researchers can now explain the hidden story behind many difficulties that hamper our education systems—and research from developmental and cognitive psychologists, as well as advancements in neuroscience, show that educators can moderate the effects of trauma . The impacts of childhood trauma into adulthoodTrauma can occur at all stages of life, and learners of any age may come from a background of trauma . Traumatic events in childhood are often referred to as toxic stress, risk factors, child maltreatment, and ACEs . And according to research, because brain development largely occurs when the brain is most “plastic”—that is, during a child’s early months and years—traumatic experiences (such as poverty, abuse, neglect, and violence) during childhood can profoundly impact and limit brain development . Physiological changes to the developing brain in response to trauma cause cognitive losses and delays in physical, emotional, and social development, and they provoke emotional and behavioral responses that interfere with children’s learning (Burke, Hellman, Scott, Weems, & Carrion, 2011), sensory processing (Streeck-Fischer & van der Kolk, 2000), social relationships (van der Kolk, 2003), and engagement in school (Harvard University, 2007) . Young children who are exposed to five or more significant adverse experiences in their first three years are 76 percent more likely to have at least one delay in their language, emotional, or brain development (U .S . Department of Health and Human Services, 2011) .Individuals who have experienced childhood trauma are also more likely to have a history of chronic absenteeism, behavioral issues, grade repetition, or placement in special education (Shonk & Cicchetti, 2001) .

Young children who are exposed to five or more significant adverse experiences in their first three years are 76 percent more likely to have at least one delay in their language, emotional, or brain development (U .S . Department of Health and Human Services, 2011) .

. All students face challenges as they transition into college, but it can be all the more difficult for those who arrive on campus with a history of trauma

“Are there any potential concerns you have about the classroom space? For example, are you distracted by sounds, movement, open window blinds, music, loud conversations, buzzing lights, bright lights, etc? Feel free to expand on these examples or write ‘no’ in the blank below.” But I also asked things like: “What do you prefer to be called?” and “What are you interested in studying (not necessarily just your major) at Plymouth State?” I don’t think students expected me to take this survey seriously because on the second day of class, one student expressed surprise that I called him by his preferred name, asking me how I knew that is what he liked to be called.

And we can partner with community agencies and other public service providers to strengthen an integrated safety net so that our students will know that their college or university understands the full breadth of challenges -- from food and housing insecurity to childcare pressure to the need for transportation -- that they face as they try to persist in college.

What we’ve been doing for the last eight weeks is coping. What we are starting to do now feels more like planning.

instructors can create more flexible deadlines for all learners as we expect them to face trauma or uncertainty,

I have never felt more emotionally and mentally defeated than I have in the last 79 days. I struggle to understand the “we’re in this together and will get through it together” perspective when there has been little attempt to recognize or understand what the “it” actually means and when the “we” seems to be awfully monochromatic. In the midst of institutional failures to acknowledge this status quo, that work has been left largely to Black faculty members, such as Brandy Monk-Payton and Hakeem Jefferson.

And I’m disappointed with and disheartened by the institutional expectation that pressing forward with little interruption while trying to process all this heartbreak is healthy, particularly from my home institution that consistently proclaims allyship via its stated commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Humans are terrible at voluntary activities that are good for us (our gym is based on a business model of 80% of annual, paid members not showing up after Feb 1).

So are we.