School is getting ready to ramp up. Different parents have different strategies in inserting their children into a new school environment. With Children of Trauma this can be a curious process. Inherent in the school system is a setup for kids to have little continuity between teachers. This, for most children, isn't an issue. They accept that from grade 1 to 2 to 3 and upwards that they will have a different teacher in primary school. There are often tears at the end of the school year, but these are usually short-lived and many children look forward to the next school year where they will have a new teacher with new challenges.

With a Child of Trauma, there is a different dynamic. This may approach the end of the school year as another "let down" or circumstance where once again an adult hasn't remained in his or her life. This becomes more of a cycle each year when each autumn a new face appears and each summer that person is pretty much out of the picture. Teachers of Children of Trauma will usually have a "honey-moon" period much like fostadopt parents where the child is quite pliable, friendly, and charming. However, after a few months have passed - this child can begin to test the teacher. This can culminate in power struggles with the teacher which can be very disruptive to a classroom. These power struggles have to do with fear and anxiety in the child and have little to do with the teacher themselves or the classroom. These anxieties can be amplified by developmental delays that make it difficult for the Child of Trauma to concentrate on more than short tasks. Complicated tasks with multiple steps can prove nearly impossible. When a teacher is punitive, this increases the child's fear which increases the cycle.

Teachers deserve to know a little about the background of the kids in the classroom. However there are challenges inherent in discussing a Child of Trauma's situation with a new teacher. A parent needs to avoid giving the teacher a prejudiced view of the child.

One technique that can be quite effective is to let the child attend class for a couple of weeks and then ask for a parent teacher interview. That way, the teacher can get his or her own opinion of the child garnering a sense his/her strengths and weaknesses. After a few weeks of getting to know your child, request a parent-teacher conference where you talk - in generalities - about your child's situation. Your child's specific stories are his/hers and should be respected. A Child of Trauma should feel that he/she has control of those stories and shares them with only the people he/she wishes to share them with. Lending the teacher a book like The Explosive Child and directing him/her to online resources can help give the teacher a leg up on helping our kids.

What are your techniques for helping your child adjust to a new class?