When Behavior Doesn’t Match Expectations it can be easy to assume a student is unmotivated, inattentive, or even oppositional. Yet for many students, these behaviors may reflect something else entirely: the functional impacts of traumatic experiences on learning and development. Read on as Joe Ristuccia of the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity answers this important question and describes how to create equitable, inclusive, and trauma-sensitive learning environments where all students can succeed.

Walk into almost any classroom today, and you will find students carrying more than backpacks and notebooks. Many are also carrying the invisible weight of difficult life experiences (Terrasi & Galarce, 2017).

For educators who want to support both learning and well-being, understanding trauma is no longer optional—it is essential!

As an educator, why should I learn about traumatic experiences and their impacts on learning?  

Read on as Joe Ristuccia of the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity answers this important question, which is twofold

If traumatic experiences can shape how students engage with learning, relationships, and behavior, an important question follows: What can we do—right now, in our classrooms and schools—to better support them? Read on as Joe Ristuccia of the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity suggests beginning with a shift in perspective.