Prospective from a Granite City teacher about the upcoming changes.Archived Message
Posted by Kristy on January 19, 2016, 12:41 am
"At the last Educational Development Day for GCSD9 faculty I attended a session presented by Chestnut Health Centers about being trauma-informed in schools.
The take home message was the importance of establishing bonds and trusting relationships. I cannot help but think that we are doing the opposite of what we should be doing by uprooting our children and ending some relationships they have with their teachers, friends, parapros, custodial staff, administrators, nurses, cafeteria workers, parent volunteers, scout groups and their leaders, and placing them in new buildings where they have to start over. For some it's going to cause tremendous emotional distress, just like being separated from a parent during divorce or incarceration. We're in a district of about 70% low income. Our students already have more struggles than we can provide services for, we really don't need to destroy the trusting relationships that they have with the caring people around them. I know they will make new friends and establish new relationships... just in time to be uprooted again and moving on to the next attendance center.
I'm quite certain those who can will leave, increasing our percentage of low income families. I teach in the community I live in because I love these kids very much and want to give them the best possible future. By adding more social and emotional stress in their lives we are impeding the educational process.Teachers will be spending most of our time building relationships and dealing with behaviour caused by the trauma of this move. Those who would be considered gifted if we had a gifted program are going to suffer. We do not have enough programs in place to help the kids who need it emotionally. When 30% of a student body lives in homes where daily they are witnessing or experiencing neglect, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, separation of siblings or parents, drug and alcohol addiction, terminal illness, death, murder (one of my former students witnessed his own father murder his younger brother) homelessness, my job becomes extremely challenging trying to manage the group to create an environment of respect and rapport so I can educate a class sizes of 30 or more.
I think the decision makers need to step back from the numbers and study the students. The only way you can collect data on the trauma in their lives is by establishing relationships, the kind where kids want to tell you about the pain they are experiencing. They try to tell you when they act out. Get to know them, become trauma-informed as stated in the staff development provided by the district. I can continue on that I'm sure you're tired of reading.
I don't think the community would be disappointed if the school board decided to retract their decision to move to attendance centers and come up with a different solution to what whatever problem they are trying to solve."
on January 19, 2016, 12:41 am