Strategies for building a trauma-informed classroom community
People come into a classroom setting with incredibly different life experiences. Being trauma-informed means promoting a culture of safety, empowerment and healing in your classroom.
You can read about the principles of trauma-informed care here.
To get a sense of what that might look like, consider this case study.
In class, when your course material features themes related to sexual violence, a student suddenly leaves your class visibly upset and crying, leaving all of her belongings behind. A few other students see that and snicker.
Suggestions for immediate action:
- Acknowledge your own reactions and feelings (e.g., discomfort, surprise, desire to flee)
- Confront the snickering
- Follow up directly with the student impacted
- Reflect on how you might do this if you know the student. What might be an approach if you do not know the student?
- Reflect on how you might do this if you know the student. What might be an approach if you do not know the student?
- Connect with campus sexual violence support for advice
- Send a follow-up email to everyone in the class to address classroom expectations and offer resources (keep in mind that there may be more students who were impacted by the material)
Options for future planning:
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