“And so we have students, I would say around that 50 to 60 percentage range, that have ACEs, some of them having three or more ACEs that they exhibited even before the pandemic,” said Greg Frederick, principal at U.S. Grant. “So, having a plan in place for us to be able to deal with that is really important. Even before we had a reopening plan, we had conversations with our counselors about what that’s going to look like whenever they return.” For Elliott the need for proactivity in the face of what could be a challenging school year was paramount. The message on U.S. Grant’s website is only the beginning of a larger plan to have not just teachers and parents be vigilant but for students to look after one another. “There is a screening tool that we’re looking at implementing that would tell us what percentage of students are experiencing some sort of dysregulation because of their experiences,” Elliott said. “We don’t have a formal one in place, but having the social emotional curriculum in place for high school, we’re going to start something called Friend A Friend, which is an intervention program, which helps students identify and support other students.” But it is not only students, of course, who need support in these times. Elliott said the school system is also prepared for a growing number of teachers to face compassion fatigue in the coming school year, a condition in which teachers find themselves no longer able to give of themselves in the way they are accustomed. While burnout is always a concern for teachers, compassion fatigue can overwhelm educators at a time when their services are so desperately needed. “People experience large amounts of compassion fatigue or higher incidences of divorce, in general, with the general helping
professions,” Elliott said. “Same thing with infidelity, family dysfunction, overuse of alcohol or drugs as a way to cope. It’s almost like one’s spirit is harmed, almost like there’s an existential crisis. They say, ‘I thought this is what I wanted to be. This is my calling, but I’m miserable, I’m not effective. I don’t feel good about my interactions with kids.’ And then I think that unresolved period time can lead to burnout. And burnout is really insidious. It does affect both personal and professional life.” For Nelson, it was important for her to make ACEs and childhood trauma a plank of her platform as 2020 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. Helping students and fellow teachers through a challenging period of their lives was a deeply felt personal need. “I grew up in a household that had a lot of major trauma, abuse and neglect,” Nelson said. “I was kind of passed around from family member to family member to raise, and back at home things were not good. And so public school was my safe haven.” Nelson’s hope is to provide a safe haven for her current students, who are facing difficulties that are unique to them in 2020. “We are a family,” Nelson said. “And so when we know that something has happened to one of our students, we talk and we figure out a way that we can advocate for that child.” Editor’s note: George Lang has worked in journalism for 25 years and has written or edited for The Oklahoman, Oklahoma Gazette and other area publications. He currently teaches at ACM@UCO and hosts “Spy 101” on KOSU/The Spy. He and his wife Laura, chief executive officer at Thrive, Inc., and their son Sam live, work and school in Oklahoma City.
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