Help for Billy

Dear Teacher, 

After COVID-19, everyone of the students in our classroom will have faced trauma. They will have a piece of the puzzle that makes them whole missing. There will be some students with only one missing piece while others will be missing a lot. As we look forward toward the fall, I wanted to be ready to embark upon a journey to be better prepared to meet the social-emotional needs of my students. 

My local ROE is hosting a book study over the course of the next 8 weeks where we will be digging deep into how we can better serve students with trauma in our classrooms. Each week I will add my thoughts to this post. Who is ready to join me this summer? 

Who is Heather T. Forbes? 

Heather Forbes is the daughter of two alcoholic parents who survived childhood trauma but like so many of us, didn't understand how it shaped her until later on in life. When she became a mother of two adopted children, their trauma became the rulers of her home. Chaos ensued and she felt incapable of meeting their needs. She researched, studied, and found ways to help her children find their missing pieces. Now she helps parents and teachers by sharing the secrets that she has learned. You can learn more about Ms. Forbes on her website, Beyond Consequences. 
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​About the Book

 Comparisons and expectations surround us on a daily basis. It comes naturally to us. Often we find ourselves asking why someone (cough... Billy) just can't be normal. Then we set about to find ways to make Billy just like everyone else. We claim to embrace diversity but in actuality we have limits on how diverse one can be. This book will challenge you to dig deeper, look at your own expectations, and teach you how to stop trying to make people normal. Instead it asks you to learn to accept and work with those that are "not normal." 
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PART 1: CREATING A NEW UNDERSTANDING
Chapter 1: Ask The Experts (June 1-8)
Students as experts on their learning needs is a new concept to me but one that makes sense. When surveyed students stated they need 4 things: less stress, better teacher-student relationships, better peer relationships, and more fun to be successful. As a teacher I would agree wholeheartedly that these are what students need. The question becomes how can we give these to our students?

The first thing this author recommends is making a shift from focusing on academic needs to focusing on the other needs of the child? How do you see this working in your classroom? Is there a way we can meet the social-emotional needs of our students and still teach all of the required standards? 

Chapter 2: Regulation and Dysregulation (June 1-8)
Blah Blah
Chapter 3: Anatomy of Learning (June 9-12)
Blah Blah
Chapter 4: Developmental Deficits (June 9-12)
Blah Blah
Chapter 5: Belief System (June 13-19)
Blah Blah
Chapter 6: Ask the Right Questions (June 13-19)
Blah Blah

PART 2: THE BEYOND CONSEQUENCES CLASSROOM
Chapter 7: Motivation (June 20-26)
Blah Blah
Chapter 8: Transitioning (June 20-26)
Blah Blah
Chapter 9: Teachers (June 27 - July 3) 
Blah Blah
Chapter 10: Homework (June 27 - July 3)
Blah Blah
Chapter 11: Social and Emotional Issues (July 4-10)
Blah Blah
Chapter 12: A Program for Billy (July 4-10)
Blah Blah

Final Thoughts

Talk at You Soon!
Misty