Trauma brain. I don’t know if you have ever encountered it, but it is real, and it is vicious.
Where I teach, we approach every child with trauma-informed care, but that most often occurs in our discipline policy. Instead of detentions and pink slips, we have conversations about what is making the child unable to regulate his or her behavior. It is beautiful, and it makes my job a whole lot easier.
However, trauma brain as it affects academics presents a different picture.
Trauma brain in math looks like explaining the same problem 100 times, in 100 different ways, all to no avail.
Trauma brain in reading looks like well thought out verbal answers with advanced level thinking, but written answers barely resembling complete thoughts, let alone complete sentences.
Trauma brain in English sounds like a preposition, a subject, and a direct object walk into a bar and the bartender asks...wait, where was I? He distracted me again!
But then, one day, his face lightens with understanding.
After hearing “That makes no sense…” over and over and over, he simply states, “Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” What joy!
I doubt my teaching had anything to do with his understanding. I’m still learning about teaching kids who have experienced trauma, but I’m pretty sure my consistent effort to show him patience and love helped.
I have purchased a couple of books on teaching traumatized children. If you have any information that may help me, please let me know!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
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