Renay was having a private conversation with a parent she knows. “Twelve hours ago, it was an arm’s reach away personal and now it’s at my front door.” Twelve hours ago seems like a lifetime away. Twelve hours ago, Renay was still trying to deal with the fact she knows a student teacher who was working in the community that was affected by the latest school shooting in Northern California. And then something occurred within those twelve hours, which is a precursor to change the tone of this very post.
We had been looking at the necessity to address trauma. The trauma of students and adults. And how to make campuses safer and more welcoming to students who are potentially overlooked or can have bad days. But every day the news has something that can eat at an adult a little more. For example, this week it was a school shooting, today, it may have been a student is in the custody of the state and last week, it was a student was arrested. These things can pile up for a person. For an entire team of people who work with a specific student these worries can be taxing.
It is also a time to think about one’s gratitude for the world.
- We are grateful for school staff who brave every day as a new day with all students, no matter what happens.
- We are grateful for schools that provide havens for students who need havens.
- We are grateful for schools that endeavor to be safe for all students.
- We are grateful for staff members who work hard at keeping confidentiality
- We are grateful for staff who find unique ways to help students who have disabilities that impact their communication styles, health needs, or processing speeds.
- We are grateful for the care that all staff provides students in the face of trauma
School based threats seem to be a dime a dozen right now. School staff staying alert and caring for the students is the number one priority. Second priority is for all staff to get the support they need: from the community and from trained professionals who can help individuals manage the stresses that come with a school job. Adults on school campuses all have a responsibility to step in and help all students.
While we have you here…
We have some announcements. First of all, we would like to congratulate Nicole Eredics of the Inclusive Class for the pre-publication availability of her new book Inclusion in Action: Practical Strategies to Modify Your Curriculum. Pre-Order it now!
We have a guest blogger coming soon. We will happily introduce the guest blogger when their post is ready. And finally, ParaEducate will be off next week for the United States Thanksgiving. Blog posts will resume November 30.
Speaking of Shopping…
ParaEducate is a small business. On Saturday, November 25, it is #SmallbusinessSaturday. Supporting small businesses, like ParaEducate, help to ensure our products stay available.
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ParaEducate is on a vacation and will be back November 30. Do you have any comments about this week’s blog? Do you have a question for us? Would you like to be a guest blogger? Would you like to have an opportunity to pilot some materials at your campus? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here, here, and on our website. Paraeducate is a company interested in providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published weekly during the academic school year on Thursdays, unless a holiday. ParaEducate shares their findings at conferences, through their books, and their academic adaptations.
