Many universities began prioritizing efficiency over efficacy in the 1990s, contributing to educator and student exhaustion. Meanwhile, vocational awe paradigms have led faculty to sacrifice personal time and health to satisfy students. The Slow Academia movement offers a different approach. Bypassing quantifiable outcomes and metrics, it…

This inquiry investigates the effects of trauma on students by analyzing personal experiences and teaching methods. Through the lens of autoethnography, a nonfictional storytelling approach, I reflect on my learning journey to identify compassionate and mindful teaching practices, aiming to foster a trauma-sensitive classroom environment.…

Our paper is a collaborative autoethnography exploring the intersection of environmental crises, personal experiences, and education through the narratives of two educators, Maha Shoaib and Sarah Kistner. Reflecting on the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the 2021 Texas Freeze, we explore how systemic inequities and inadequate preparedness…

One in four children experience an adverse childhood stressor before reaching adulthood, and the prevalence of these stressors is even higher for children of color. Researchers have coined the terms "race-based traumatic stress" and "racial trauma" to specifically refer to the experiences of trauma associated with…

Drawing from our experiences facilitating an FYE faculty development program, we highlight how we have practiced elements of trauma-informed pedagogy to work with first-year students and faculty. We discuss how both students and faculty can benefit from a more complex process of cultivating relationships through mindfulness. Practices of…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the use of mindfulness strategies by four teachers in four separate public school settings in Oklahoma. Data were collected through interviews of each participant to better understand their experiences with implementing mindfulness strategies in their classroom. The Collaborative for…

Mindfulness is a practice that has the potential to help counseling students build a variety of skills that are necessary for clinical efficacy, including therapeutic presence, attunement, empathy, cognitive flexibility, and non-reactivity. However, mindfulness is rarely taught to students in mental health training programs, which makes it an…

In recent years, interest in the therapeutic potential of yoga for people recovering from trauma has flourished. To date, much of this research on yoga for trauma adopts a quantitative methodology that positions yoga as a medicalised intervention to understand if yoga is 'effective' for trauma recovery for adults. This paper seeks to contribute to…

Every day, millions of students in the United States go to school weighed down by interpersonal traumas, community traumas, and the traumatic effects of historical and contemporary race-based oppression. A wide range of adverse childhood events--including physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse; chronic bullying; community or domestic…

Test-Taking Anxiety (TTA) is a challenging experience for children of all ages. Childhood exposure to trauma and adverse experience has been increasing. Fortunately, trauma-informed practices, such as mindfulness activities have become more widespread in schools throughout the last few years. Existing school counseling literature offers limited…

This article argues that we are living in a climate where trauma is taxing students and teachers alike. In order to teach and learn in this moment, we recommend and explore a variety of contemplative practices to help teach awareness and kind attention. Some of these practices involve writing and others don't, as writing itself can be a source of…

Studies show that 46-75% of children experience trauma, often resulting in depression, anxiety, and challenging behavior as well as long-term physical and mental health issues. Today's educators, counselors, and clinicians need the right strategies to help. Written by experts with years of experience working with children and teens exposed to…

Children living in poverty face numerous challenges that negatively affect their wellbeing and thus their ability to learn. The consequences of poverty that interfere with students' learning include inattentiveness, demotivation, and feelings of powerlessness, shame, and anger. To reach these children, with the goal of helping them become healthy,…

Trauma-informed teaching begins with the understanding of how trauma can impact learning and behavior. The need for trauma-informed teaching practices has increased, particularly with the uncertainties of the ongoing COVID pandemic. Even with the mandate of social-emotional curriculums in schools, trauma-informed teaching practices are not…

Trauma, including abandonment, neglect, poverty, or abuse, affects students. Because of this, a classroom community is vulnerable to the sheer unpredictability of behaviors. Students who have experienced trauma need support in order to create a classroom community where they can thrive and learn. This study examines a Whole-Child Approach…