Kids are excited and may not be as focused. It is important
to remember that although this time of the year brings excitement, it also
brings some hard feelings for many other students. Parents may be stressed and
the kids are feeling this. Many of our kids have experienced trauma in Bismarck Schools, we are working closely with Trauma
experts and learning about what to “look for”. Many students have experienced
some type of trauma in their lives but this will not look the same for any individual.
Just as every child has an individual learning style, each child will be
affected differently by trauma. Children handle trauma in different ways. Some
will shut down. Some will act out. For some students, we may not even know they
are exposed to trauma because this is how they have lived their whole life.
According to an article “Stress
and Your Child” published in 2009 by the American Academy of Pediatrics “many
parents believe that their school-age children are unaware of the stresses around
them and are somehow immune to them. Yet children are very sensitive to the
changes around them.” As teachers, what can we look for? Behavior changes,
tiredness, heightened sensitivities, unusual changes such as not having a snack,
stomach aches, kids saying “I don’t feel good”, or issues with friends. As
parents, we may notice more irritability, more whining, difficulty sleeping and
even defiance. You may hear more “I wants” or “so and so gets to do this”.
To help manage stress during this time of the year, try to
keep things simple. Do not overschedule your family. It is important for us to stay consistent with
our kids. Stay with routines that kids know. Kids do well with routines. It is
important for us to keep as many things consistent as we can. Keep night time
routines consistent. Keep bedtimes consistent. Keep routines during the school
day consistent. We may be the only consistency that they have.
Let go of what is not needed. Keeping it simple can help
this season be successful.
Twitter Questions:
Q1: What have you let go this season?
Q2: What are signs you are noticing in students affected by
trauma?
Q3: How are you helping your students that are experiencing
trauma or stress?
Q4: What are effective ways to keep consistency in the
classroom?
Q5: How do you stay out of the “holiday trap” that society
has set?