Jim Walters, Ed.D
Jim’s Cover Letter:
In 2014, I found myself amidst the racial strife in St. Louis in what became known as Ferguson. As the Director of Professional Learning and Teacher Development of a large urban charter network, I knew we had to re-define our entire lens in addressing student behaviors after attending my first ACEs workshop. As the lead architect, it was my responsibility to synergize and bridge the mental health & trauma-informed research within the school environment. The urban school system I had been working in had around 200 students in transition (unhoused) with the majority of others impacted with high Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The District serviced a 100% free lunch population within zip codes of some of the most violent in the nation. Couple this with the racial division that plagued our city, redesigning our schools serving as community “villages” became our ultimate mission. See here for the video version of our journey:
My first step as a District leader was to empower the counselors, social workers, nurses, and students as the “experts” to lead this mindshift change. This proved to be the smartest move of my career!
The team was tasked to design & model mindfulness programs. This led to the creation of safe or brave spaces (some call these sensory centers) throughout our campuses. Our in-school suspension rooms transitioned into restorative spaces in what I called the “Bruce Perry’s Sequence of Engagement & Neurosequential Intervention Model Room” layout. In other words, these therapeutic spaces were re-designed and organized for three specific purposes: Regulate, Relate, & Reason. The intent of these therapeutic rooms was not only to service Tier 2/3 students, but also serve as a working professional development model for the rest of the teaching staff (universal practices).
Toby
Our newest member of the trauma-informed learning team (in-training).
Toby is a sweet labradoodle mix that was neglected by his previous owner. When I found him at a shelter he was all bones and seeking love. He loves to play with his toys as you can see in the picture. He also loves cuddles and fetching balls.
“Enacting Zero Tolerance Policies (at both ends) isn’t the solution to building healthier communities and can actually sabotage the trauma-informed school movement before it has a chance to take hold. One of the keys to successfully implementing a trauma-informed approach include teams working together developing levels of support that will benefit ALL stakeholders with intention given to teacher wellness.
~Jim Walters”