People are talking about the “new normal” and the return to a more typical school year. Many of you who are in the classroom on a daily basis may think that it’s nonsense: we can’t pretend that students starting new school years are going to exhibit normal behaviors. The regression that students have experienced—not only cognitively, but emotionally as well—means that we as educators need to be prepared to create an inclusive classroom.
We like to say, “ten people can experience a traumatic event and have ten different responses.” These traumatic responses also happened during the pandemic. Even if not everyone had a traumatic response to the pandemic, many experienced stress and everyone had to adjust. All our students were impacted by the past two years. Seniors missed crucial events, third graders were expected to learn in a minefield of uncertainties and constantly changing expectations.
The Center for Trauma Informed Practices offers a variety of online professional development courses for educators who want to improve their ability to connect with students and to understand where the students are coming from. Our content is set apart from other content, with a focus on system-based socioemotional learning. This means that we take an approach to human functioning which understands that our past influences our reactions in the present. It means that in the field of violence prevention we realize that no one truly “just snaps.” It means that trying to figure out why a previously good student is acting out: it can often be attributed to changes in their home life, or issues that they are having online which they don’t want to discuss.
All of our courses are online; you can work through them on your own time and from the learning environment of your choosing. Our courses are mobile-friendly, and even have an app that motivates you to learn. We offer a variety of learning courses: microlearnings, which offer fast bursts of content with interactive activities, longer online courses that take a deeper dive into a subject, and professional development offerings that both anticipate needs and respond to crucial events.
You earn digital credentials and certificates upon completion of courses: these can be shared on platforms like LinkedIn to show your successes and highlight your willingness to invest in lifelong learning.