Got to come home from work to this beauty!!! So exciting, and can’t wait to connect with educators that find it helpful! 😍😍😍 Thank you Free Spirit Publishing for making a dream come true!
Get yours here: https://www.freespirit.com/teaching-strategies-and-professional-development/responding-to-student-trauma-stephanie-filio#reviews
Check out my latest post with Free Spirit Publishing for a lesson you can use with your kids (or staff!) to combat trauma response and learn self-care! ❤️
Responding to Trauma in Students—and Yourself
I’m participating in my second linocut print exchange! This one is inspired by a student from a couple of years ago. The title is 8th Grader, and I drew an image of her that haunts my mind often.
She would sleep on my office couch during times when her home was particularly unsettled. She had more life experience than me and taught me a lot about struggles that had previously felt so far away from my world- intense familial drug use at young ages, assault, generational prostitution, addiction, abuse, and the many things a family will go through to get by. I have unfortunately had many students who live in crisis, but her situation was a different universe of normalized trauma. She never disclosed these circumstances as complaints, they were peppered throughout our everyday communication. It was no different from other students who stop in daily to tell me about their relationship.
She disappeared to Florida, had said she would be fine once she could secure a financial set-up like her mom and the trucker. I think about her almost daily still. I miss being able to put eyes on my students to see that they’re still safe, or still there.
I returned to work last week, ready to tackle the last semester of the year. The first day back is often lacking a little energy with everyone break hangover so it’s always a nice catch up day in the Counselor’s Office, save a couple of years from leaving estranged and divorced parent visits and rapid enrollments for a clean cut. Luckily for me, my teachers are awesome and open to classroom visits right when we return (my last holiday gift for them to return to a little hold). These 8th graders are now entering the realization that they will be moving on to High School and making the big transition.
Having been on the 8th grade hallway a couple of times now, I’ve noticed that 2nd semester has this veil of docility to it. The students are really spending more time processing what is about to happen in their lives than talking! The lull is a double-edged sword though. Even though they’ve grown a lot, the quiet doesn’t mean the kids are magically matured into silence, it typically is a sight that they are FREAKING OUT. In fact, that becomes my leading question- “you’re feeling out. What’s up with that?” And they just nod and sniffle. A lot.
This transition is one of my favorite parts about working in Middle School. It’s biologically a changing tough time, and we get to act as bumpers to get them to their next phase in High School. I try to give them as much information about what they can expect, but the biggest thing I can do is teach them to be open to experiencing change and let go of trying to fight what they wish was true and just roll through what is.
I try to incorporate this into all of my interactions with students. From class choices, to friendship squabbles, to parental relationships, I remind students that they are always changing. “What were you like in 6th grade? Are you different?” Is always a go-to for them to remember that as time keeps moving so do they, and it’s ok to change.
Hello hello! It is still feeling like Summer here, but the bags under my eyes are a giveaway for September! What a great year start it has been too. A new school, New challenges, new kids, New team- and I have loved every second. I’m still missing my lovely and homey old school, but the change has helped me get over the ABANDONMENT of my newly high schooled babies. They are thriving, of course, but I still look for them in the hallways.
Anywhoooo here is my latest blog post with Free Spirit!
My latest blog post with the Free Spirit Publishing Blog is out! In this one we tackle young women and depression. Such an extremely dense topic, right?! As a kid observer and feminist, this topic hit close to home and I have so many opinions on it (the poor editor probably had to have a night-cap after sifting through my ranting!). The big message I wanted to send on young women and feelings in the eyes of society was this: just because it’s accepted, doesn’t mean it’s right. Take a look and let me know what you think!
I am so in love with Twitter. Still. One of the things that have been my favorite part of joining is growing a professional network through Twitter chats! (Hmph. My Middle School self is rolling her eyes at my dorkyness. As per usual.)
I like to hop on and off of chats, and have made a small chart of chats I have participated in or have been recommended because my brain is on beginning-of-the-year overload and I can no longer think in linked strands of thought. <—that was a run-on sentence but I am too lazy to think through a restructure. See?
Twitter chats move quickly, but if you don’t get caught up in trying to keep up with every detail, it gets easier to participate. Questions are posted in sequence every 3-5 minutes, and you respond with the hashtag associated with the chat you are on. Check one out and get involved! Even if you can only answer a question here or there, I promise you will gain insight and ideas for your school!
I HAVE FOUR MORE DAYS OF SUMMER
Yep. Four more days. What a Summer it has been. We have had some serious changes this Summer in my family, some super sad and some exciting. It always seems to happen that way that the Summer is so seldom a slow burn. I can’t decide which way I like more. But I am ready to head back.
The crazyiness will begin soon, as I step into a new school. After my babies left for High School I’ve decided to take the leap and start a new adventure. As sad as I am to say goodbye to my old school, I am really excited to get my hands into a new place, new population, and forge new friendships. I get so much inspiration from the people around me, sometimes I think they get fatigued from my harassment! So now it’s time to give someone else a turn.
To prep for returning, I started reading The Balanced Teacher Path which has really helped me get into the mood to set my mind right, and remember to support the teachers on my hallway. It’s such an easy read, contains personal stories, and suggestions for the classroom and home. I seriously recommend it, and think it would be an amazing all-school read.
I also got to spend today in training with all of the secondary counseling peeps in VB. It was tough to wake up early, but it was so perfect to get me reignited and ready for the year. I am itching to get in, take care of scheduling conflicts, and get the year rolling. It feels so good to be in a profession that excites me enough to get my tail out of yoga pants and into business.
I’m telling you, these guys are magical! They take my humble thoughts and really refine them and know how to make it look shiny! My second post is about positive peer pressure. I was excited to write about this topic because it is truthfully the most fun part of my job.
Kids are cognitively very self-centered, working more outward as their world expands. But they have so much capacity for kindness, that even developmental psychology doesn’t stand in the way of their impact on each other!
Follow the link and feel free to ask questions or add comments!!
Guys! Guys, guys, guys. Guys! I am so excited! When we ask about our “dream jobs” we usually think about full time jobs that would take the place of all else. But this month I’ve started one of my “dream jobs”, and it happens to be a side, part-time job. My first post on Free Spirit Publishing Blog has gone up!
As I’ve discussed before, I’m in love with Free Spirit books. They are easy to follow for adults, and the kid ones are incredibly relevant and well-written for the age group.
I have practically the whole catalogue of Free Spirit books, so when I found out they have an Advisory Board I promptly applied. After doing that for a couple a years, an opportunity came open in the Counselor’s Corner of their blog, and I almost fell out of my chair!
Here is my first post, and I cannot wait for many more! To my luck, the staff and editors at Free Spirit are just as amazing as their books, and made the process so fun and easy! Hope you enjoy, leave a comment or question!
