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Hello, Trinity families!
Trinity staff and administration are fortunate to get yearly training and research updates by attending the International Dyslexia Conference. This year the conference was held in San Diego. We were fortunate enough to take three staff members in order to attend many different classes and hear many different speakers so we could bring back the information to share with the entire staff and of course parents.
The conference does not just talk about Dyslexia but also other learning differences like Dyscalculia, ADHD, and processing difficulties. This is a valuable resource to us at Trinity. One of the key speakers I was able to listen to and learn from was Dr. Shultz. He spoke on Dyslexia and stress but it also included other learning differences.
Chaos is in many homes and lives today. Because of our fast paced lives, it is difficult keep stress at bay. Stress can be good or toxic, the good tells us to get ready, but the toxic says get out of here. This is where you see fight or flight come in. The toxic is bad for us and may cause health issues. Students feel more stress today because of our faster paced lives. As parents, we should be saying pace yourself, not adding to a child's stress by expecting too much at a young age or by having too many activities, etc. Stress in a family trickles down quickly with the addition of troubled finances and health. Children with dyslexia or other learning issues have difficulty dealing with the stress that can be added by financial or health problems.
Because teachers in public schools are under a lot of pressure to teach kids to perform on tests there is too much emphasis on performance. This stress is then passed on to the students. We need to find oasis of tranquility for students. They need us to find places in their life to turn it down. If children are never taught to settle down how do we expect them to? They have to be taught to find the off switch. This is where we come in as educators and parents.
Students with Dyslexia and ADHD are vulnerable to stress because of poor academic performance and frustration. There is way too much attention on what kids can't do instead of what they can do. It is not an excuse for poor performance but a way to explain difficulties. In most cases no one sits down and explains the disability. Sometimes adults have unrealistic expectations. The students sometimes feel trapped with no way out of a stressful situation. Our society places too much emphasis on what kids create-the product and not on the process. I as an Intervention Specialist, reading therapist, teacher, and now an administrator could not agree more with that one line....it should be the process more than anything because that process is what we learn the most from.
There is a true lack of respect for alternative ways to demonstrate competence. For example, there is an overuse of high stakes testing. Parents and teachers are saying you can do this but sometimes a students can't do it because of limitations with IQ, physical handicaps, etc. We have to be careful not to expect too much while continuing to push for progress. Pushing for more in a program not set for a child's specific needs is a plan for disaster and added stress.
So what causes added stress in our students? One example would be after school activities. These activities should be for enjoyment, not causing more stress. When a child is involved in an activity that causes more stress, they will sometimes try to "save face." This happens when they are faced with a situation that scares them and feel they are out of control and cannot be successful. They then want to get away from it, find they can't, and that causes the stress. They may look for an exit and someone is in their way, the brain then goes into chronic stress. This is when students pull away from a task. They may make jokes, talk out, or get silly. Some destroy the paper and say this work is not important. Most kids that act in oppositional defiant ways are the ones that feel stuck and feel this extreme stress. Oppositional kids wake in a sneering way, go about their day with negative behavior while the others are stuck.
Under periods of extreme stress the executive functioning part of brain does not work because the fight or flight part of brain controls the executive functioning part as well. High stress causes the blood pressure, heart rate, breathing all to rise and then in some the body tells the legs to run. We also know that stress does shrink brain networks. Thankfully it is not permanent.
Students with extreme stress go into academic fight or flight. In their reality or perception- meaning what they believe not what you believe you will see them resist or avoid. There is a reason for everything. They challenge us or argue, they are the ones that go to bathroom all the time or leave room, get sent to time out at home or grounded to their room. Effective management of stress can reverse these behaviors.
The key here is to realize these students get scared way before we do when encountering difficult situation. Fear, stress, anxiety, all changes the brain but hope, love, kindness can too. What can we do to help? De stress!
Define
Educate
Speculate
Teach
Reduce the threat
Excessive
Success
Strategize
Understand why kids with learning differences are vulnerable to stress. Correctly interpret stress induced behaviors. You must provide these kids with emotional support. Try not to make things worse! Adding one more after school activity may be adding stress, high expectations on every test or assignment may not be the best way to see your child's progress. Remember it is the process that counts. Does this mean we should not do homework, forgo studying, or skip assignments that are tough? Of course not, what it does mean is that there are many different ways to check progress. There are some of us that need quiet time a few evenings a week or a couple hours each night. Pick and choose what lowers the stress at home in order to help your child be even more productive academically :)
Warm regards,
Jennifer Vaught, M.Ed., CALT
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Science Fair!
The Middle school science fair will be the afternoon of Friday the 5th. Parents are welcome to attend the awards ceremony after judging which will be around 3:00 p.m. in the gym.
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A Taste of Christmas
Trinity’s Christmas program will be held December 18th at 6:30 p.m. The lower and middle school students will be singing, and high school will perform Frosty the Snowman! It is sure to be an exciting evening, and we hope you will join us!
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NHS & NJHS Toy Drive
National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society will be collecting toys for The Children’s Hospital Operation ELF program from December 1st-12th!
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Important Dates
5th
- Middle School Science Fair
18th
- A Taste of Christmas Program 6:30 p.m.
19th
- Class Parties/Teachers’ Appreciation Luncheon
- Early Dismissal 12:00 pm
- End of Second Quarter (42 days)
December 22-January 2 - Christmas Break (No School)
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- 75 minutes of Lexia per week
- Upper grades without Lexia must complete reading log totaling 75 minutes.
- Families need 20 service hours per school year.
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Birthdays!
David V. 12/2
Sean W. 12/5
Sophia A. 12/7
Hope H. 12/12
Sara A. 12/26
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