Trauma-Informed Education. A Conversation with Alex Shevrin Venet

Trauma-informed education transforms learning environments to support all students, focusing on safety, relationships, and understanding stress responses rather than punishing kids who are struggling to behave or learn. Alex Shevrin Venet shares how educators can build unconditional positive regard that helps children feel valued regardless of behavior, improving their ability to regulate emotions and engage in learning.

• Trauma affects behavior by triggering stress responses that appear as choices but aren't really choices
• Strong relationships form the foundation for all trauma-informed practices
• Empowerment, predictability, and flexibility are key priorities for trauma-informed spaces
• Unconditional positive regard means showing children their value doesn't depend on behavior
• Co-regulation (calm adults helping dysregulated children) precedes self-regulation
• Restraint collapse explains why children often "fall apart" after holding it together at school
• Children behave better when they feel safe, not when they're punished or shamed
• Creating trauma-informed environments benefits all children, not just those with trauma histories
• Self-aware adults who can manage their own nervous systems are crucial for supporting children
• Small, intentional changes can begin transforming classrooms into healing spaces

More about our guest

Alex Shevrin Venet is an educator, author, and professional development facilitator based in Vermont. She teaches graduate teacher education at Vermont State University. Previously, she was a teacher and leader at an alternative therapeutic school, community college instructor, and after school teacher in the upper elementary grades. Alex works with educators around the country to strengthen their trauma-informed education practices, with a focus on empowering teachers to create systemic change. She is the author of the bestselling book Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education, which has been integrated into teacher education programs in several states and has been cited in education research more than 200 times. Her follow-up book, Becoming an Everyday Changemaker: Justice and Healing at School, provides teachers the tools to implement trauma-informed practices starting where they are.

Connect with Alex

Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education

Becoming an Everyday Changemaker

UnconditionalLearning.com

About the podcast
The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments.

Powered by Prenda Microschools, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being.

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