What's Hot

    Chris DelGuercio, Educator and Fiction Writer

    December 1, 2023

    Central New York Holiday Guide

    December 1, 2023

    Explore CNY: Rome offers year-round activities for all to enjoy

    December 1, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Chris DelGuercio, Educator and Fiction Writer
    • Central New York Holiday Guide
    • Explore CNY: Rome offers year-round activities for all to enjoy
    • Holiday Savvy: Survive the season with your finances intact
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • 315 Bulletin
    • Treat Yourself: The Festival of Trees & Light has been an annual tradition for more than three decades
    • Best Toddler and Kids Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Family TimesFamily Times
    • Community Guide
    • Things to Do in CNY
      1. Central New York Events
      2. Activities
      3. Treat Yourself
      Featured

      Central New York Holiday Guide

      By Family TimesDecember 1, 20230
      Recent

      Central New York Holiday Guide

      December 1, 2023

      Explore CNY: Rome offers year-round activities for all to enjoy

      December 1, 2023

      Treat Yourself: The Festival of Trees & Light has been an annual tradition for more than three decades

      December 1, 2023
    • Parenting
      1. Pregnancy
      2. Babies
      3. Kids
      4. Preschoolers/Toddlers
      5. Special Needs
      6. Teens
      7. Pets
      8. View All

      The Power to Save a Life: Cord blood is being used to treat more than 80 diseases

      January 30, 2020

      It’s Not What It Looks Like: Reflections on motherhood’s changes, outside and inside

      July 29, 2019

      In Search of Sleep: 8 Strategies for coping with wakeful babies

      July 29, 2019

      A Surgical Birth: Many pregnant women are likely to deliver by cesarean

      July 29, 2019

      Strangers Bearing Advice: New babies bring out the expert in everyone

      August 1, 2021

      Hand to Mouth: How to help babies start to sample solid food

      August 1, 2020

      315 Bulletin

      August 1, 2020

      Name, Please? Expectant parents face another momentous decision

      August 1, 2020

      Prep Work: Keep your family’s food safe this summer

      June 1, 2022

      A Blooming Craft: These homemade flowers make a great centerpiece

      March 1, 2021

      Rainbow Snowflakes: A colorful craft even little ones can make

      November 24, 2020

      DIY Critter Magnets: Make cute clips for hanging reminders and more

      September 1, 2020

      DIY Critter Magnets: Make cute clips for hanging reminders and more

      September 1, 2020

      Allergy Adjustments: Parents can support their food allergic child

      September 3, 2019

      Calming Commotion: How to deal with car sickness and more

      June 27, 2019

      Introducing Riff Rockit: Kindie artist to play jingles at Leon Fest

      June 1, 2017

      A History of Inclusion: The Jowonio School marked 50 years in 2019

      March 30, 2020

      Reaching a Milestone: Now the largest chapter in the country, Special Olympics New York is celebrating 50 years

      March 30, 2020

      Come Out and Play: Move Along offers adaptive sports for youth, adults

      March 30, 2020

      Let’s Get Together: Remaking classrooms so all students are included

      September 3, 2019

      Prep Work: Keep your family’s food safe this summer

      June 1, 2022

      A Little Jolt: Caffeine’s risks for kids and teens

      March 1, 2021

      A Blooming Craft: These homemade flowers make a great centerpiece

      March 1, 2021

      Environmental Club: Auburn Junior High School

      January 30, 2020

      Furry Friends: What it takes to adopt a pet for the first time

      July 1, 2020

      Tail Wagging Fun: Lights on the Lake Dog Walk 2019

      November 14, 2019

      Uncommon Companions: Local pet store sticks to its niche

      May 30, 2019

      Dog Food for Thought: Trying to keep your pet from your plate

      May 30, 2019

      How to Create Thankful Kids

      November 1, 2023

      Elevate Your Thanksgiving Table with These Plates and Dinnerware Sets

      October 31, 2023

      Kids Halloween Costumes for 2023

      September 29, 2023

      Homework Habits: How to Motivate Kids

      September 1, 2023
    • Health
      1. Child Development
      2. Food
      3. Nutrition
      4. The “Recipe Doctor”
      5. View All

      Financial Literacy for Families: How parents can teach children, teens about money management

      April 1, 2022

      Strangers Bearing Advice: New babies bring out the expert in everyone

      August 1, 2021

      Choosing a Daycare: Learn As You Grow’s Joshua LaGrow offers some tips for finding the right fit

      August 1, 2021

      A Little Jolt: Caffeine’s risks for kids and teens

      March 1, 2021

      Easy Friendsgiving Recipes

      November 1, 2023

      Berries and Cream Croissant Breakfast Casserole

      June 1, 2023

      Prep Work: Keep your family’s food safe this summer

      June 1, 2022

      Nutrition in No Time: Are you always on the go? These tips will help you stay on track.

      January 1, 2022

      Nutrition in No Time: Are you always on the go? These tips will help you stay on track.

      January 1, 2022

      Liking Lunch: Best bets for serving kids a delicious, nutritious meal

      September 1, 2021

      A Little Jolt: Caffeine’s risks for kids and teens

      March 1, 2021

      Better Choices: How about a resolution to eat vegetables and other nutritious foods?

      January 1, 2021

      Best Friend’s Treats: Bake up some special dog biscuits

      June 1, 2018

      Colorful Soup in a Jar: Give the gift of winter comfort

      December 1, 2015

      Berry Good! Use a summer favorite in this ice cream

      July 1, 2015

      Flapjack Fever: Even pancakes can be a healthy breakfast

      June 1, 2015

      315 Bulletin

      December 1, 2023

      Treat Yourself: The Festival of Trees & Light has been an annual tradition for more than three decades

      December 1, 2023

      Easy Friendsgiving Recipes

      November 1, 2023

      Treat Yourself: Dickens Christmas returns to Skaneateles for 30th year

      November 1, 2023
    • Travel
    • Education
      1. Educator of the Month
      2. Class of the Month
      3. Education News
      4. Reading
      5. Teaching
      Featured

      Chris DelGuercio, Educator and Fiction Writer

      By Janelle DavisDecember 1, 20230
      Recent

      Chris DelGuercio, Educator and Fiction Writer

      December 1, 2023

      Wendy Tracy, Speech Therapist at the North Syracuse Early Education Program

      November 1, 2023

      Tanya Reese, Program Coordinator for the Cancer Services Program

      September 28, 2023
    • Crafts & DIY
      • Create
      • Holiday Crafts
    Family TimesFamily Times
    Home»Health»Child Development»Transforming Tragedies: An effort to build resilience to trauma in school
    Child Development

    Transforming Tragedies: An effort to build resilience to trauma in school

    Samantha PierceBy Samantha PierceSeptember 3, 2019No Comments5 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Everyone experiences distressing events in their lives. You’ve probably heard about trauma, the emotional response to these events. Our emotional reactions to these events can have long term effects on the way we think, make decisions and relate to others. Developing resilience—our ability to cope with stress—makes responding to adversity easier.

    I’ve had my share of traumatic and resilience-building experiences, which continue to shape me into the person I am. My experiences shaped me into the kind of person who could recognize the interplay between these factors in the school setting. They also made me the type of person who would insist that my children’s district, the Syracuse City School District, take up the task of intentionally addressing trauma by creating nurturing learning and work environments for students, families, and employees.

    I asked Superintendent Jaime Alicea why he found the message about the need to address trauma compelling. He said the loss of people, especially students, couldn’t be ignored. “Syracuse is a small town,” he said as we chatted in his office in July. “Everything is connected.”

    Advertisement

    What makes an experience traumatic?

    A traumatic experience has a few different components. These include: being overwhelming, painful and scary to the person; triggering of the fight, flight or freeze response; threatening the person’s physical or psychological safety; and creating a feeling of loss of control.

    I’ve had experiences like this in my life. Moving to a new country at an early age, adapting to a new culture, and going to school were traumatic at times. It’s an experience shared by many students in Syracuse.

    One of the most significant events in my life was the death of my sister Sanchia on a sunny August afternoon in 2017. Making the phone calls from the hospital to share that news was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Students in Syracuse have also experienced the sudden loss of family members and friends, often without adequate support to help them learn to live with such dramatic changes.

    The death of a close family member or friend is an obvious source of trauma. As an adult who has access to information and support, I nonetheless still struggle with the impact of my sister’s loss. Children have the same struggles with different types of traumatic events. ACEs—adverse childhood experiences—include abuse, household challenges, and neglect, which can trigger the body’s trauma response, as identified by the CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study (which can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/violence
    prevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/about.html). I’ve had experiences that fall into each of these categories. Most people in the United States have had at least one before reaching adulthood.

    What makes stress toxic?

    It shouldn’t be surprising that we experience events that trigger trauma responses. Life never goes as planned. Our bodies are designed to respond to stressful environments to keep us alive. That’s a good thing.

    When we are forced to remain in a state of activated trauma response, it becomes detrimental to physical and mental health. The phenomenon goes by many names: chronic stress, toxic stress, complex trauma, post-traumatic stress. Each describes aspects of the over-activation of a neurobiological system designed to function for brief periods—long enough to escape the threat, to keep us alive.

    Several years ago, I heard a homeless veteran explain how he experienced post-traumatic stress: trouble sleeping, always alert to danger, intense startle responses to certain noises, thinking about crisis scenarios, forgetfulness, loss of interest in regular activities. I’ve experienced all of these. The veteran could point to his service in combat zones as a source of his responses.

    Meanwhile, the origins of my own stressors at that time were diffuse: worrying about getting the parenting right for both my autistic children and my typically developing children. Concerns about their futures. Slogging through red tape and unresponsive systems of care. Feelings of being cut off from meaningful support. Each of these played a role in activating my body’s stress response systems. As my body burned through physical and emotional energy, I didn’t have much left to spend on other things.

    Chronic childhood experiences of this level of stress leave fewer resources for healthy growth and development. Just like adults, children and teens exposed to stressful environments can experience a diminished capacity to learn, make decisions, manage their own emotions, and form healthy relationships with others. It often manifests as problem behavior in the school setting.

    What role does resilience play?

    It would be a bleak story if it ended here. However, we are built to restore ourselves to a state of healthy functioning. The human capacity to do so is known as resilience. Some of us are better at healing and relearning how to control our trauma response systems, but we all can do it. I learned to recognize and address the effects of my over-active trauma response by relying on and nurturing my capacity to be resilient.

    Safe, stable, nurturing relationships can protect children and adults. Growing up, I had my siblings, parents and critical friendships. The sudden loss of one of those protective relationships has tested my capacity to be resilient. I’ve formed new connections and relationships that are helping me navigate the experience.

    Four months after losing my sister, a fellow Syracuse parent said to me, “We really need to be addressing trauma.” At that point, I was ready for the message. The school environment tends to magnify the challenges in a community. Overactive trauma response manifests in the classroom as problem behavior in students, weary staff, low graduation rates, and punitive policies and practices.

    Superintendent Alicea appreciated the message as well. In January 2019 he created SCSD’s Trauma and Resilience Advocacy Committee, tasking us with overseeing and coordinating the shift to create nurturing learning and work environments for employees, students and families. The process will take years, but the staff in the district are already expressing hope for the coming school year. As Superintendent Alicea says, “Every kid counts,” even when we’ve grown to adulthood.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Samantha Pierce
    • Website

    Samantha Pierce is a consultant and lives in Syracuse with her husband and five children.

    Related Posts

    Chris DelGuercio, Educator and Fiction Writer

    December 1, 2023

    315 Bulletin

    December 1, 2023

    Treat Yourself: The Festival of Trees & Light has been an annual tradition for more than three decades

    December 1, 2023
    Flip Through Our Latest Issue!
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    Top Posts

    Fall Fun in October 2019

    September 30, 2019163 Views

    Summer Activities Guide

    June 1, 2023150 Views

    DIY: Make your own vibrant, paper fans in only a few easy steps

    July 1, 2020139 Views

    Volunteer in CNY

    November 1, 202299 Views
    Recent Posts
    • Chris DelGuercio, Educator and Fiction Writer
    • Central New York Holiday Guide
    • Explore CNY: Rome offers year-round activities for all to enjoy
    • Holiday Savvy: Survive the season with your finances intact
    • Holiday Gift Guide

    Family Times Magazine publishes a digital magazine highlighting events, businesses, and content to inform and entertain families here in Central New York. Sign up for our twice monthly newsletter to have the magazine and other featured content.
    ____

    Email Us: [email protected]
    Contact: 1.315.422.7011

    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS
    Our Picks
    Most Popular

    Fall Fun in October 2019

    September 30, 2019163 Views

    Summer Activities Guide

    June 1, 2023150 Views

    DIY: Make your own vibrant, paper fans in only a few easy steps

    July 1, 2020139 Views
    © 2023 Family Times, CNY. Designed by Crossroads Marketing.
    • Our Authors
    • Archives
    • Things to do around Syracuse and CNY: Local Events Calendar
    • Advertising

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Go to mobile version