The three inmates sat closely together, stoic tears rolling down as they listened to each otherās testimonies. Their tears did not match the many salty streams of the visitorsā cheeks, however, because this wasnāt the pang of shocked heartbreak that caused them to fall, it was the sting of familiarity. Though their backgrounds and journeys were diverse, what these women shared was a life lived through trauma, of childhoods robbed and innocence stolen, a domino effect of dysfunction that led to the same dismal road block.
Over one hundred educators visited the prison that day. We kept our iPhones in our cars and removed our nice shoes before walking through security. Our designer purses waited in assigned lockers as we shuffled inside the visiting area, a flock of sheep ready to change the world. I for one was full of anticipation of how this day could shape my action plan at school. I hoped for concrete application tips for at-risk interventions and effective ways to prevent our students from falling into the school to prison pipeline. I was determined to find the formula that would save our kids.
But itās never that easy, is it? There is no magical recipe to follow when it comes to education. For one, what may work for one child could be totally ineffective for another. Providing free meals or clothes may meet the needs of one family, but what about the kids who need emotional support? It is a given that many factors are outside the schoolās locus of control, but while we may not always be able to change the outside circumstances for a child, there is never a reason to raise the white flag in surrender. Listening to the women speak about their school experiences was both affirming to what schools have begun to implement (PBIS, growth mindset, trauma informed care), and a call to rise and shake the ground more for the sake of school salvation. Their needs and personalities were unique, but these women craved three unfulfilled things from adults in their schools: to not give up on them, to notice the red flags, to show they care.
Now, I know some of you are already rolling your eyes, āThese are criminals! Why should anyone listen to their sob stories if theyāre guilty of murder or theft? Just because they had trauma in their lives, does not excuse them for their behavior!ā And yes, I understand the logic there, but for a moment we need to step back from our reactive impulses and analyze the bigger picture. If we know that early life trauma (adverse childhood experiences) literally alters the architecture of the brain and its ability to correctly develop the frontal lobe, leading to a prolonged state of āflight/fight/freezeā impulse and an increased likelihood of at-risk behaviors and health complications, why wouldnāt we want to best care for those children at an early age to proactively prevent a troubled adulthood rather than reactively deal with teens and adults who later break the law? From a selfish point of view, wouldnāt we support a trauma informed approach merely for the decrease in victims of these crimes? Or even more selfishly, to diminish the government assistance needed to care for adults unequipped for life, and the costs needed to care for prisoners? Just a thought.
Back to the prison. The staffed psychiatrist gave a lecture on trauma, depression, and suicide. He listed seven common ādominoesā that he sees in the vast majority of the prisoners, leading them to him. The dominoes are:
1. Undiagnosed ADD/ADHD, particularly inattentive, in young girls
2. Sexual abuse: molestation from a family member or violent rape
3. Substance abuse at a young age (to cope with sexual abuse)
4. Incorrect diagnosis of bipolar disorder (a result of untreated ADHD and the chemical effects of meth use)
5. Unhealthy male relationships that result in further trouble with the law
6. Attempted suicide (at least one)
7. Damage repair (once incarcerated)
Though there are many indicators for depression, Dr. Greenfield found that in his work with prisoners, the most common indicators are: genetic factors (the intergenerational effects of toxic stress and mental illness), lifeās stressors, and trauma. And while two people may have experienced the same types of trauma, even our ability to heal is genetically linked. Some people are more predispositioned for resiliency than others.
So what can educators do for kids who have experienced trauma, how can we diminish the school to prison pipeline? Again, thereās no magic formula, but these were my takeaways from the day:
Look for the clues that a child or family may need support from human services or law enforcement-advocate for not only the individual child, but the parents as well and as needed.
Donāt only focus on the students who exhibit externalizing behaviors, pay attention to withdrawn children or kids who seem too afraid to ask for help.
Be persistent in your support for a child-do not give up on them! A young prisoner became emotional speaking of the one teacher who was relentless in her love and care for her as a kid. If that one teacher had such an impact on this girl, imagine if she experienced that with every adult in the school every year?
Itās truly the little things. One woman wished any teacher, any adult, would just smile at her and say, āIām glad youāre at school today!ā This seems so natural to many of us, but for some kids it may be the only positive interaction they receive that day.
Be relentless with DHS and the police if you have reason to worry about the safety of a child.
Teach children coping skills so they donāt need to find unhealthy ones later on.
When helping a kid, focus on one first step, not your immediate ideal ending point. Again, consider and reflect on the bigger picture before becoming frustrated by small setbacks. Theyāre kids, theyāre going to mess up sometimes (we all do).
ADHD and anxiety often go together. When untreated, both of these can lead to depression later in life. Talk to your students about anxiety and ways to self soothe as early as possible.
It is possible to teach resiliency through the ARC model (this is learning from the University of Iowa last year): attachments, regulation, competence.
A final thought to close my experience at the prison is a personal one. I was not a traumatized child. In fact, I lived a comfortable life with two of the best parents around. But I was what Iād call ātrauma adjacent,ā in that many people in my extended family mirrored the prisoners I met yesterday. Listening to some of the women was like talking to a cousin who just lost custody of her children because of her life choices. There still needs to be accountability (all of which the female prisoners held themselves to), but as tears rolled down my cheek I wondered what early interventions could have done for my family-how all our lives could have benefited from the effects of trauma informed care in schools.
