Dear Kiantha: Teachers can offer a safe space for students experiencing trauma

Dear Kiantha,

As a teacher, September has always been an exciting time of the year for me. Knowing that I will see my students and hear of their summer adventures brings me great joy. I always have a healthy dose of jitters knowing that once again my colleagues and I have young malleable minds looking to us to shape their education and I find comfort in knowing that we are prepared and take that responsibility very seriously.

This year as my summer began to wind down, I noticed that my excitement was also met with feelings of anxiety or strong concern. Oddly, the concern is around how I can better support my students who are dealing with trauma in their homes. We know through data that trauma impacts their ability to learn and retain information, but what can we do about the impact trauma has to their hearts in real time? I love my students and know that they are highly capable, and I also know the reality of what many of them deal with when they are not in the walls of our school building.

Dear Friend,

If only everyone could understand that everything is connected to the heart, our world would be a better place. Thank you for caring about the hearts of your students. Understanding the realities they face outside of school is how we better understand how to serve them when they are in the building.

As an adult with an ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) score of 10 out of 10, during my childhood, my life was literally saved by caring teachers just like you. Educators who understood that although I walked in the school building to receive an education, that learning was often met head on with a broken heart caused by the trauma I was experiencing before and after school.

It was educators like you who allowed themselves to see me with their hearts and understand that I was dealing with so much trauma that only tenderness could cut. That tenderness came in many forms, like taking an extra moment to be with me assuring that I felt seen.

Another special teacher who knew what I was dealing with at home would immediately notice my frustration or withdrawn demeanor and would offer me supplies to artistically express myself even in the middle of a noncreative class time. Again, she had the emotional intelligence to know that at that young age, I had a broken heart and a broken spirit due to trauma.

Your influence in the lives of your students will last longer than you can imagine. For as long as you teach, never stop being concerned about their hearts and their trauma. Your concern might just be their lifesaver.

Soul to soul,

Kiantha

Dear Kiantha can be read Fridays in The Spokesman-Review. To read this column in Spanish, visit www.spokesman.com. To submit a question, email DearKiantha@gmail.com.