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Collaboration is Calling YOU! BY MARY L. CRABTREE, PH.D.
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rauma…the word brings up so much emotion! As a teacher, I think about how it affects my students, the things from which they have suffered, and the baggage it has left behind. I recognize what it has done to the psyche, and how that then leads to classroom behavior, school performance, and relationship issues both in and out of school. And sometimes, I’ll be honest, I even feel a bit traumatized by the trauma of my students! Their lives are hard, their stories are devastating, and their recovery incomplete. It not only makes me sad, but I also feel a sense of suffering for them. The question is, how do I help myself so I can help them? Where do I find the resources I need to be “well,” while at the same time using resources that are available to help my students on their journey to wellness, and balance all of that with the idea that I’m supposed to be teaching content to these same students? The answer, maybe not surprisingly, is through collaboration. I do not think this is just something a teacher can do; I think it is applicable to administrators, too. One of the most important collaborators in my life is the co-teacher who works with me in our classroom. This person has provided many opportunities for me to watch how interactions with traumatized students can begin as contentious and end in a productive outcome for the student, without compromising on the basic principles of the teacher or disrupting classes. By modeling the idea that the student’s needs come first and reminding me that teacher “wants” are secondary, the co-teacher regularly shows how to deescalate a situation, creating a safe space for all students, a peaceful transition from a difficult situation, and a productive outcome in terms of learning. I can’t say enough about the idea of co-teaching as a model for collaboration, because it is through that collaboration that I have learned how to better support the students who have experienced trauma, how to understand and meet their needs, and how to teach content, all while still providing an emotionally supportive environment. Principals may not have co-teachers, but they have a variety of support staff around them. Some of them even have assistant principals. Support staff know the people and students who the principal must work with, and they often can offer insights to the
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principal navigator
principal to better assist with making and maintaining relationships. In a supportive, collaborative relationship, the principal can gain and use this information to provide the best support for staff, and more importantly, understand issues that might prevent them from doing their best work. Additionally, these support staff often have insights into student issues, are members of the community and have community knowledge that is useful, and are informed about a variety of issues that can highlight solutions that might not be considered if collaboration is not sought. Principals do not have to operate on their own. If they build collaborative relationships with the people who support them, they have a whole team to help support the work they do. Another important collaboration is my work with our guidance counselor. This person has a much more intimate view of our students and additional insight into their lives because of the kind of work she does with them. While I do have relationships with students, they tend to share more details with her, and this can be invaluable when they are experiencing difficult times that manifest themselves as behaviors in my classroom. During these times, my first call is always to our counselor, to determine if there are traumarelated issues that I need to understand, to gain better insight into the student’s life, to determine the best way to manage the behavior, and to make inroads toward positive behavior changes. The counselor, knowing that I want this information also keeps me informed when student issues arise, thus helping me to head off potential classroom problems even before they arise. I am sure every principal knows just how much of a collaboration asset a guidance counselor can be. From scheduling to discipline, from support to a parent and student advocate, the guidance counselor can be the principal’s best asset in managing student behavior, aiding staff in discipline decisions, and connecting and communicating with parents. Looking at the guidance counselor as a collaborator can provide a much-needed ally with even the most difficult student decisions that arise.
