Session 2. De-Stressing Our Schools [1 hour/8 minutes]
Contents and Brief Description
- Goal 1– Relationships
- Goal 2– Responsibilities
- Goal 3– Routines
- Goal 4– Reassurance
Session 2 describes the four essential areas that schools need to consider—through planning, implementation, and evaluation—when developing Stress-Informed and Stress-Sensitive schools.
Significantly, none of these areas involve “another thing” for schools to do as they are all equally-essential in establishing and sustaining positive and safe school and classroom climates and interactions, effective classroom instruction and management, and engaged and socially and academically successful students. But, in the context of this class, these areas help schools to prevent or minimize student stress, and help staff and students learn how to effectively respond to the stresses that still exist in their school and out-of-school lives.
To this end, the presentation discusses—at a pragmatic and function level—the science-to-practice elements and activities needed to (a) establish positive and proactive relationships—from staff to staff, staff to students, students to students, and staff and students to parents and community; (b) describe, define, and teach the social, emotional, and behavioral responsibilities for students in their classrooms—across a continuum that also identifies specific intensities of inappropriate classroom behavior, and how teachers and administrators will respond to still hold students accountable; (c) describe, operationalize, and teach the classroom and common school area routines and interactions that keep these settings predictable, organized, and safe; and (d) help teachers and other school staff to effectively interact with and reassure students—especially when they encounter stressful situations or are demonstrating elevated levels of stress.
Feature Presentation
Handout
2 2 Stress Course Session 2 Handout 1 2021.pdf
Audio Only
Quiz
Quiz Answers
3 2 Session 2 Quiz Answers.pdf
Resources
Center on Great Teachers & Leaders. (2020, July). Building trust and well-being through stress-reduction activities at school. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
4 2 1 Pandemic Educators Self and Student Stress Assessments AIR.pdf
Lesley University Center for Special Education. (Undated). Trauma-sensitive school checklist. Cambridge, MA: Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School.
4 2 2 Trauma-Sensitive-School-Checklist.pdf
Homework. Please read the following article in preparation for the next session:
July 25, 2020 Blog (Knoff, H.M.): “Identifying Students with Back-to-School Social,
Emotional, and Behavioral Needs: How to Screen Without Screening”
5 2 Homework Screening Students with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs.pdf