Without fail, in all of my endeavors to teach social-emotional curricula to young people, there has been a student that, despite their best efforts, had outbursts during teaching time, wouldn’t connect to the material at all, or “shut down” when difficult topics came up. Amongst other factors to take into consideration when trying help these students, childhood trauma must also be considered.

In the United States, social-emotional learning (SEL) instruction often takes place in schools. Yet, 1 in 6 children enrolled in US schools have experienced potentially traumatizing events. While SEL programs can have a positive impact on most participants, those intended for schools are usually not designed for addressing childhood trauma and may create unexpected or puzzling situations for educators trying to implement them.

Childhood trauma occurs during a frightening or violent event where a child may feel a loss of control and safety. Traumatic events can lead to toxic stress, which can powerfully alter children’s brains and create shortcomings in emotional regulation and memory, making any learning difficult.

In recognition that the brain must be re-fortified before learning can take place, SEL programs that specifically target children living with trauma heavily focus on how to manage feelings and building strong relationships, which in turn help protect children from trauma’s negative effects. To mirror this, when implementing in-school SEL programs, educators may find success in prioritizing areas of self-management and relationship skills (such as in the CASEL SEL framework) in order to help students feel in control of their emotions and flourish through healthy and strong relationships with others. They may also benefit from adopting trauma-specific classroom protocols, such as strategies for when a student experiences overwhelming emotion (e.g., a “Cool Down Corner”), ample warning before transitions occur, and advocating for a positive and safe school environment. This way, students who need SEL the most can authentically benefit from SEL instruction.

By Despoina Lioliou, Project Coordinator at the Center for Social Development and Education.