Helping children succeed in the classroom and life beyond school is the focus of a special conference taking place at Emporia State University on Saturday.
The second annual Trauma-Informed Educators Conference is designed to get teachers more well-versed in trauma-informed practices. Emporia State Elementary Education, Early Childhood and Special Education instructor Melissa Gerleman says trauma-informed practices are designed to build relationships instead of longstanding practices, which can be focused on just what happens in the classroom.
World-renowned educator Ruby Payne is the featured speaker, and Gerleman says Payne’s presence is important for those involved Saturday.
Representatives of ESSDACK will talk about understanding and building hope, both in the classroom and the community, as well as ways schools reduce the reliance on suspensions as a disciplinary method.
The conference Saturday at the ESU Memorial Union will focus on the social and emotional factors that impact student learning, as well as the impact of poverty on the student experience. There will also be a self-care discussion and a poverty simulator designed to let teachers have a better sense of what it’s like to be poor.
