Strategies for School Reopening

Recent history confirms what educators have long believed: for children to learn and thrive, schools must, first and foremost, be places of physical safety and emotional support. This guide provides four key values around which schools can develop a supportive environment for learning and well-being.

To take these values on the go, print or download our brochure.

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Strategy One: Build Relationships

As we begin to plan for reopening school and how best to engage our students, it would be helpful to recall the words of Bruce Perry, noted child psychiatrist and trauma expert: Never underestimate the therapeutic impact of a caring teacher…

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Strategy Two: Reframe Perspectives

As educators, we work hard to understand our students’ learning and behavior through several lenses, including child development, cognitive skill, multiple intelligences and cultural background, to name a few…

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Strategy Three: Reflect/Action Plan

Schools expend a good deal of energy implementing one size fits all programs and responding to the mandates and demands of outside groups in an effort to support student success. Trauma-Sensitive Schools (TSS) help…

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Strategy Four: Self-Care

Teaching is a highly stressful occupation, right alongside law enforcement and nursing. In addition to the dynamic nature of classrooms and students, educators also face the secondary trauma associated with having close relationships with their…

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