Hey everybody. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the teachers align podcast before we get started. I want to thank our sponsor anchor if you're thinking about starting a podcast with your students or just on your own anchors. Definitely the app that you need. If you haven't heard about anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast because it's free. There's creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer and anchors going to distribute your podcast for you so it can be heard on spot. Defy Apple podcasts and every other major podcast provider you can make money from your podcast to with no minimum listenership. It's everything you need to make a podcast in one place. I love anchor I use anchor and you should download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot. F m-- to get started. Hello and welcome to the teachers aligned podcast. This is episode number 15, and I am your host Todd sheol. We are very very close to Christmas. And I know a lot of you about to go on break. She'll be a welcome welcome time for you to recharge and renew and enjoy some time with your family and your friends and excited start 2020, which seems like a science-fiction number. I just cannot believe that we're just going to be 2020. That's that's crazy. I'm super excited to bring you our guest today. I watched a video that was on edge autopia that featured my guest and it was just a really really great video. We put it on the website and I reached out to him to see if he would come on the podcast and he happily he agreed to do that. He has dedicated a decade-and-a-half to education in his role as a teacher instructional coach teacher mentor and school administrator and it's through the collaborative team approach and building positive relationships. Then he's leading his school into success. He is currently in his fifth year as principal of fall Hamilton Elementary and internationally recognized Innovative model school for trauma informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school's work has been featured on NPR a local documentary PBS and Edge autopia. As I mentioned that video received over 7 million views. He's had the honor of presenting fall Hamilton's work. With the Tennessee State Legislature and the Senate education committees as well as the National Conference for state legislatures legislators. He's also met with the United States most influential Educators who serve on the national Commission of social emotional and academic development 2018. His work was featured in a monthly blog in education week. He is the founder of the trauma-informed Educators schools Network group on Facebook, which is connected thousands of Educators from all over the planet and in 2019. He launched the first annual trauma-informed Educators Network Conference, which was attended by a hundred fifty people from around the world in September this past September. He launched the trauma-informed Educators network podcast, and I will make sure that he shares that information with you so you can check out that podcast as well. Through the podcast to use the viewing Educators and practice practice practice nurse from around the globe in which they are sharing their own trauma informed Journeys. He holds a BS in elementary education and a master's in curriculum from Tennessee State University and completed his administration requirements from Trevecca Nazarene University without further Ado. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you. Mr. Matthew portal. Welcome Matthew. Thank you. I really appreciate you having me on I know that sometimes these early morning these dirty morning discussions can have our voices can arrest Bo who I learned that myself. So I'm really excited to be here. Yeah. So do you go do people call you Matt or Matthew? I always tell people they people call me Matt, but I introduced myself as Matthew and I don't get offended either one. Okay? Well Matt tell tell tell us a little bit more about you like We know you're an administrator. We know you're into trauma informed practices and that's really the connection that that you know made here, but tell us a little bit more about your background like where you grew up and you know, the things that kind of brought you into education. Yeah, so I'm originally from Illinois and a small town right outside of st. Louis Missouri on the Illinois side bordering state and got in originally into forestry. Wanted to be a park ranger and started. Added doing some research and realize that park rangers are only 70 in the state of Illinois, and they don't leave so that is a very lucrative job and bounced around did some things before I answered my focus of being an educator. I fought it off for several years graduated late actually in life and and was working and finally went back and finished at Tennessee State University and just have pursued this. Role of being a positive impact on the lives of kids and adults and education since then and have gone through many different Journeys. I started my career as a teacher of English Learners fourth grade classroom teacher and love that and unlike many people. I left the classroom not because I was pursuing or wanting something else it was because the district came and said we should apply for this instructional coach, which Which took me in to middle and high schools. So I was an elementary teacher who experienced Middle and High School classrooms, which was eye opening to me and I've learned a lot through that journey and I think what I learned the most was kids all want the same thing. They all want relationships connection and they want to be engaged and they want excited Educators in front of them. So that took me through that Journey became a literacy coach became a mentor and then ultimately became an administrator. I end I could never have imagined what being an administrator would be like and every day I leave school. I'm in all of first the amazing things. I see in classrooms being done by teachers and also the complexity of a school culture that branches out from a community culture and how we navigate that world in schools that it's just I tell people I get bored pretty easily but in the five years that I've been a principal there hasn't been a single day that I can say. I've been bored. It's a it's a very fast-paced important role with that your school is built on this model of of embedding trauma-informed practices. Was that something that you started from the start like iif, it says in your bio that you've been there for five years. Is that is that something you started from the beginning or did you learn about that somewhere along? away So I learned from our failures to be quite honest. I did not know anything about trauma-informed work or brain science or the physiological responses or the polyvagal theory. I didn't know anything about that when I started being a principal and be quite honest. I started off being a pretty awful principal. I was being a principal that I thought I was supposed to be and I quickly realized that it wasn't effective. We were physically restraining kids multiple times a week six seven eight times a week when they're escalations were getting out of hand. And I remember in January. I went to a lecture. It's called The Barber gave a lecture here and it's put on by Vanderbilt University and there was a brain scientist and there was an an assistant principal out of the DC area. They were talking about these things called a Aces and this thing called trauma and they started digging into the brain science behind it and the physiological responses and and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was asked by one of the people who organized this event if I wanted to sit in a small question and answer with these two presenters. There are probably 20 people and I remember becoming extremely overwhelmed with emotion of Standing that I was actually damaging kids that I was re-traumatizing them and I actually wept during this small group which people were probably thinking what is wrong with this guy but really it should have been what has happened to these kids because I quickly realized it was it was not good. And so that started the Journey of transitioning my school to become trauma-informed. It was one of those situations where we all have the opportunity when we receive information. Nation that we can either actor on it act upon it or accept it and I knew at that moment I had to act and it wasn't something I could just wait and for a year or two years. So I pretty adamantly went back to the school and started a plan a professional development plan that we ultimately launched in March with a basic Aces training and it just kind of rolled from there. So you Mentioned what like the suspensions or what? What else were you did you feel like you were doing that made you have such an emotional response and and then like how did that change? Like what how did you change that? So for like administrators or maybe some teachers who are listening and may not be aware of some of the things that they're doing that you found out about what were some of those things that you were doing that you you felt strongly about and then and how did you change them? Your suspensions was definitely one of them my goal when I came there were my school smocks 325 kids the year prior to my me taking on the principal shit, there were 52 suspensions. And so I was already kind of setting a goal not knowing about trauma and from work to kind of decrease that because as a kid who had been suspended when I was in school. It's not effective. But but I kept going with some suspensions. I think my first year I had 30-something suspensions and realizing that when kids came back they were just more Angry than before they left and so suspension would definitely one of them physical restraint was definitely one of them and ultimately what I realized is I was getting in power struggles with kids over things that I shouldn't have gotten in a power struggle over and then when I learned the brain science, I was realizing that kids were out. Rating out of that Primal part or what would prefer is the lizard part of their brain, their their lower brain of they were responding to this to the my my reaction and my reaction was trying to gain control as opposed to gain connection. And so that's where I knew that we had to change some things. Now you all Educators no changing system structures and mindsets take time. I'm and it has taken time and to be quite honest. We're stepping back in some levels to restart again because I've been teachers in my building. And so that's what I mean when when it was we weren't doing things properly and what I quickly also understood is this as an adult transition, it's not the kid transition. Yeah, we have to look at what we're doing and our skill set in our toolbox when we have kids who are bringing complex trauma with Them into our classrooms because ultimately controlling them and thinking we are going to assert our Authority upon them isn't an effective strategy when you're talking about kids who are operating from a from a toxic stress or trauma trauma impacted brain. And so what are some of the specific I know like in the video there were those check-ins and things of what are some can maybe you could talk about that and maybe some of the strategies that you started to implement with the adults in your building so that they could be more trauma-informed or certainly not create more trauma or some of those those strategies. Yeah, so the first the first one was to get the foundation of why what why do we need to change? So the first strategy was professional learning around the brain science and at that time Aces that were the acronym Aces wasn't in the mainstream people weren't talking about adverse childhood experiences. And so really getting that research in front of them from Kaiser Permanente in the CDC because it was was you know as profound and once we started that it was here's the basis of what is called trauma informed practices and it even at the time trauma-informed practices was just I mean, it was just coming out of being a thing in so having those conversations and and doing everything from praying playing the brain architecture game to talking about the brain science, too. Showing the Harvard University videos of the impact of trauma. We did this every month starting in March until the end of the school year. So we didn't actually do any implementation of practices. We started the next year and I tell people unapologetically half of my staff left after the first year because they they weren't necessarily comfortable and I'm telling you I I had they were amazing teacher. Some of them were absolutely remarkable. And I respected their stance of I don't know. I'm not comfortable with this. And so I actually helped them get to other schools. Some of them have become teachers of the year. That's cool. They're amazing people. But I knew I had to get the right staff in the building. So the second years when we started implementing practices. The first one we did was our peace corners and that is because we realize that elopement was a major issue in our school kids were running out of classrooms. Often and so that told us they needed a place when they felt overwhelmed. And so we started piece Corners. I did it voluntarily because I do believe in teacher voice and I do believe in teacher buy-in me dictating and saying you're going to put piece Corners isn't an effective strategy when you're first trying to transition model and so about 90% of the teachers actually volunteered we purchased all of the materials. We started seeing some really successful. Assess with that so that was the first we then realize that it was more than just a place where kids needed to deescalate. It was actually strategies. So we then layered in those mindfulness and D escalation strategies of take five deep breaths tighten and release go get a drink of water stop and work it out all of those type of strategies because initially we Kids go in and fill in that reflection sheets, but it really wasn't about reflection. It was about D escalation. And so we started that we then learn very quickly that teachers need the same support. So we did our tap in tap out system where when a teacher is feeling dysregulated and it isn't necessarily that the kids are it's that the teacher is feeling overwhelmed which for all of us, we know that happens and we know sometimes it happens often which was a system and In which teachers could request a tap out which is just a few minutes to kind of step out of the space. Do those D escalation mindfulness based practices get get back to calm and center and then be able to reintegrate back in the room. We've sent kind of adjusted even that and we use the group me app. Now it goes out to all staff somebody is going to respond whether it's a teacher on their planning whether it's me whether it's some of our trauma counselors. So that's a layer we then began check-in and check-out which was about relationship building with our kids and mentoring our tier 2 kids because we are trying to build out that true MTS s or multi-tiered system of support model for academics and social emotional learning. Of course, we have morning meetings and those things have always happen, but they didn't happen with the purpose in mindset around connecting kids or especially those kids who are operating in a dysregulated. I mean that quickly became our focus and then of course relief continue to try to innovate even with our SEL team that we eat every two weeks and we even now have to restorative practices assistance one's actually a trained 15-year veteran therapist intensive in-home therapist who serves as our restorative practices, but really there are trauma therapist over the grocery over the course of that time that you've been Ting these strategies what have you seen in terms of the shift as the has there been a shift in the school culture due to our teachers the teachers in general or warming up to all of it and feeling one more comfortable or are there still challenges? What what has it been like in terms of the shift? You've seen since you've started to do these things? So yes, yes, and yes. Yes, there's been a shift. Yes teachers are feeling more comfortable and yes, it is still difficult. And I think when I hear others talk about trauma-informed practices and to be quite honest, especially those that haven't actually done it in schools. It burns my chest because this is extremely hard work. It's extremely difficult stepping back from situations and Removing yourself or what? We call Q-tip quit taking it personal and really being there as a buffer for kids and a support system for kids when they're challenging and making our jobs what what we are produced is difficult. Right and I'm constant were constantly in conversations with our with my staff of yes. I understand that. This child is bringing difficulties in yes. I understand. It's negatively impacting the class. But here's the things that we're doing around a tier 2. Roach even just last week. We had what we call a productive dialogue circle with my staff where I have I have five new teachers in my building. We had five babies born last year, which respect my teachers for stepping in to the parent rolling out of the educator role while their children are growing and trying to have this conversation with a with the teachers who are just now coming in. Into this mindset, we've had to step back. And so this productive dialogue Circle was about consequences versus punishment teachers are frustrated a lot of teachers in my school were frustrated because they didn't feel that kids were being quote unquote punished. But what we do is consequence based thinking yeah, and that consequence based thinking comes in the restorative mindset. And so it still is continuing to manifest itself in our school culture of support. It isn't I don't well, I mean just to be quite Frank. I've had to step back after three months of really kind of being negative of I don't get why teachers don't get it. They're not understanding to in the last three weeks to going. Listen. It's about supporting the adults and standing in that space of vulnerability in front of my staff and having to apologize because I wasn't and haven't been in a good space the last couple months because I was projecting my ideas and my my knowledge onto to Educators that haven't had the experiences in the training that I've had. Yeah, and so it really is stepping up stepping back and re-evaluating constantly. I think that's such a good point though that you make which is that sometimes things are in theory sounds great and and so convinces his going to be great and then you put it into practice and it's can be much more challenging than the theorists present and And I think that's you know, you mentioned the teachers that left and I think that's one of the I think that sometimes things can make sense to us internally. But as we as we as it unfolds and reality, it just is a trickier thing. It's just a much more challenging thing because you're you're changing an entire mindset on how to approach maladaptive behaviors. And what's the what the students have traditionally been through and what the teachers have traditionally Done. It's all being changed. And I think that's it's really it's almost like pushing against the Stream So to a certain extent, but tell me like you mentioned these teachers leaving the once that stayed you mentioned, they went through training and so forth. But what what are they seeing in the classroom? That is specifically that is has been working. And what are they seeing? That's still a challenge? Yeah, so we know I know for a fact the teachers that are investing in relational strategies and connection are having the greatest success. Right and those teachers that can remove themselves from the situation as it's not about them. It's the kids aren't attacking them as teachers or even human beings tend to have the greatest results when it comes is to student the escalation students comfortability and even most recently what I've we've actually ran some data and our teachers who have the the most frequent communication with parents positive, right as well as those challenges are having better results with student behavior and academic success. And so I think a big piece of this trauma-informed work is not looking at parents in a negative way and thinking shame on them or they should know better. They need to be doing this as a parent or for those teachers that are embracing that relationship and connection to the parents. It's having a major positive effect on the kits and I think those are things that in this movement, there's not enough conversation in about out around that importance of the connection to the parent and the teacher what I also have seen are the teachers who have established the best structure and routine are having the best results. What we know about a traumatized brain is predictability is key. And so having explicit routines that are procedural everyday takes that anxiety out of kids and their stress when they Know what's going to happen next, you know, a lot of we see it at our school, you know during this time of year. There's all kinds of things that are changing whether it's whether it's winter celebrations, whether it's pajama day it throws our kids completely out of whack because we're breaking major routines for a lot of kids and I'm not saying all kids but there is a subset of kids who when those changes happen. It's difficult. So those teachers Those who keep it the routines have clear expectations and hold kids accountable and I think that one major thing and I've talked to Jim spoiler letter who has written. The Trump informal Educators guide book are trauma-informed schools educator at trauma-informed schools guidebook and was on the documentary Paper Tigers is we have to understand the balance between expectations and boundaries because What so many people think about trauma-informed his kids get to do whatever they want when they want because of what's happened to them. And that's simply that's a misnomer that is not true. We have to set clear expectations and boundaries and support kids to that boundary if they cross it there has to be consequences, but it has to make sense. And so those teachers who are being able to set that boundary and have those clear logical consequences are ending to have this greater impact when it comes to transitioning kids and supporting them. Do you think that that was like one of the reasons why some of the cheat teachers chose to leave is because I thought that maybe you were going that that you were removing consequences for kids and that they didn't feel like that that was going to work and I will be quite honest with you. I don't think any of the teachers left because of anything other than four of one of them had twins and she had a two-year-old son. Couldn't one of the teacher I can tell you the majority of the teachers left because they had babies and in Nashville, Tennessee. You can't afford child care and teaching which is a whole other podcast that I think you could go on to the cost of living is ridiculous and teachers are not compensated appropriately but one of the teachers did leave because of the intensity that he experienced with a specific student who was extremely aggressive physically violent. Violent and and we still have a great relationship and I understood and I told her I will help you get a job. I will help you get in a great school that you're going to thrive. I didn't take it personally just like I don't want my teachers to take it personally, but the student he had honestly been almost traumatized herself by the intensity of this child and this child has and still is in a very toxic. Situation and so she had to step out but the majority of them left because they met moved out of state or had children and they we still communicate so it isn't there. It wasn't a negative thing. You mentioned that about not taking a Q-tip not taking it personally, which I think is hard for any human being to do when someone you feel like someone's being aggressive with you or being disrespectful to you. Do you think that like that teachers having their own personal mindfulness practices or other means of addressing sort of internal stress is is something that is helpful. So in that capacity to not take it so personally to not necessarily maybe over react to some of these behaviors 100% And I think that not only those personal practices of mindfulness and I know most I don't know if most Is no but head space as an educator. You can get it for free. It's guided meditation. You can do three five or ten minute. I use it often and it is just kind of getting yourself back and I am not a woo type of person but I've blown away by the impact it has had on me personally just being able to be in that space of feeling what you feel understanding your body and its reaction to those emotions, but even more We as teachers have to have other teachers. They have to have them in the Moment Like I said we have tapping into about we have a card system for kids that if a teacher needs a break from a student not that the student has done anything or I have three boys. Sometimes they get on my nerves. Yeah, and it's being able to send a student to another room not because they're doing anything but it's hey, will you take this next door and the card indicates by the Of the card that the teacher just needs a minute from the student to make sure that they're staying and that's healthy space. There's also that the kid needs a break and so having a network or a support system within the school of other teachers is imperative. I mean, it is important and then the layer of that is also having a space to be able to be vulnerable and being open and honest so we use I'm not sure if you're if you're familiar with the Happy Teacher Revolution But it is a framework created by a teacher that was teaching in Boston. And she was a kindergarten teacher. She had 38 kids in our classroom. She is a mental health Advocate herself because she has suffered from some mental illness and she was raised by an alcoholic mother and went to AA meetings. And so she's basically formulated these Circles of support that are for teachers Guided by teachers where they're connecting to 12. Commitments are promises. So we use that every month at my school. I don't go it's ran by three teachers. So in that supportive space, I think those are layers that have to happen in a school for teachers to have a voice feel respected and connect to each other through vulnerable sharing and those were pieces that we use. What are your thoughts on this? Like, I've heard some teachers that I mean because teachers some lot of teachers have been through adverse childhood experiences. And are trying to manage and deal with their own trauma that they may have experienced and then we introduced Aces and trauma-informed practices to them and sometimes that can trigger some things that are challenging inside them. Have you seen any of that? And how do you kind of how do you build in sensitivity to that with the adults that you're bringing these Prime these this information to we always operate an even as a as an international speaker and presenter. I always place before I Anything that we are going to talk about things that could potentially have an adverse effect on you depending on your experiences. And if you need space and time, please take that and I'm going to give you a prime example this at the very beginning of the school year. We have an intern from one of the local universities and we were discussing the negative impact of active shooter drills on our kids and what we were going to do as an alternative to active shooter drills and I I saw her get up and walk out and at the end she came up to me and she said I really apologize but I was I was not personally harmed but I was a part of one of the mass shootings that occurred that was on the news over the last year and I just needed to step out and by all means we support that 100% And what I would say is no different than kids when we've experienced trauma as children or even as an adult it is That we take the Avenues of supporting care. And so we have like I said, we have a couple to actually we technically we have for therapists on staff. We have our school counselor who's a trained therapist. We have our two restorative practices assistance that are actually their best and we have a center Stone therapist. We encourage teachers to have those conversations whether with our team or outside of the building because healing takes time and it takes purpose. And and honestly just supporting the adults in those spaces is really important. I agree a hundred percent. It's teaching is a just a very stressful profession and you're trying to manage behaviors while also trying to you know, deliver a curriculum. It's just it's a very challenging process and it's and it can be physically and mentally very exhausting and really important that Let teachers know that their self-care is needs to be a priority and give them the time and space to do that. And because if we want them to manage these behaviors in a way that is positive without the emotional response without the over over reaction without the anger and that kind of thing that that might trigger the trauma and the student we've got to make sure that the teachers have the the resources to not get to manage their own. Own sort of inner lives as well. I wanted to you mentioned a term that I've heard of but I'm not super familiar with and I imagine some of my other listeners have the same sort of question mark kind of going there their head. You mentioned polyvagal Theory and I've read an article on that. Can you talk a little bit about what polyvagal theory is and how that relates to all the stuff we're talking about. So I will tell you I'm by no means a an expert in this and I'm actually going Be on my podcast talking to an actual expert of this but it is the way in which the brain is operating and specific situations of stress and how that we have to understand that some of the responses and things that are happening when kids are in this reactive State isn't by choice. Right and it is that they're going to a place in which they're not making direct connections to their R Behavior or responses? And so it is that part of the brain in which these things are occurring and I think that just understanding any brain Theory whether it's the polyvagal or whether it's understanding the the effects of of the amygdala and how that it manages the stress responses and how that is the kind of gatekeeper to how the neural connectivity happens. And we know that through these different processes that trauma is impacting our kids and so any of these theories and and need to be explored by Educators because for so many years we've done we've done research based practices, but we have disconnected from the brain science. And so the polyvagal what I would say is for people to really look into those that SS and I kind of gave a very minimal overview because I'm not an expert either right but even going down to just understanding the impacts of the limbic system as well and that's something I'm not an expert but how the body carries the stress within the limbic system but also even going down to recently the CDC. I think it was the CDC just experienced something about the body and the impact of stress. On bone density in the bone structures. So I mean this this work is trauma work is just flying out in the research world where it's really difficult to grasp it as fast as it's coming through and it's changing so quickly. Why don't the gun? Yeah, but I was gonna ask you why do you think this this kind of information hasn't been a part of the teacher education. Experience. Yeah, so I think because it's new I mean, you know, the the Asus study was done in the late 90s, but really started building the Resurgence in the last 8 years, so I think the research is new and as a it's like any research the more we know the deeper people go the The more we have to change what we do. I mean even coming down to the intergenerational transmission of trauma, you know how and we always have called it the cycle in education, but now we're having some actual research done around it and I think to that that that epigenetics and and I know I'm throwing a lot of Words, but that be genetic study around the impact of genetic makeup over time with with Generations that have experienced trauma is mind-boggling like we have to know that some kids over time based off generation or historical trauma, their genetic makeup is changing and so all of this research is newer research that as Educators we have to kind of put ourselves in that space of going wait. Our expectations are actually increasing right but the research is coming out is saying that our kids are kids are not the same kids that we had 50 years ago in the same type of experiences. They're having aren't the same that our parents have experienced or even to be quite honest myself in my in my education. What kids are learning in fourth grade. I learned in middle school and high school. And so I think stepping into the space of being being our own researchers and our own knowledge Getters of going we got to go out there and devour this information because it is flying out of the research of the research is flying out so quickly. We got to stay on top of it. Yeah, and I think that the information is so revolutionary in terms of how we approach public education how we approach just schooling in general that it's It's so essential that all Educators become informed on these practices on this information because I always liken it. Like if they change the cars like when they added computers to cars in the mechanics don't don't learn that and they just stay held a holding on to these old models of how engines used to be. They're not going to be an effective mechanic so they have to get that updated information to manage what we're what we know now our best. Cactuses and what we're for for an administrator who hears about these things, I think sometimes you know in you know, you've been in education long enough, you know, that things come along a people always say well think this is just a fad it's coming along will learn will go through all these trainings and we'll hold on to it for a couple of years and then it'll be the next thing. How do you set this apart from something like that in your opinion? Is this is this something is this something the And how is it different than maybe some of these other programs or ideas that have gone along and gone away. So to me trauma-informed isn't mindset right? It's not a box program that you're going to I mean there are box programs and they're going to continue to fly off the shelf because it is the I this topic is very at the Forefront of education. But to me trauma-informed is who I am and it's how I operate it's my system. And so it's to be quite honest. It's always been my sister. Um, it was my system when I was an ESL teacher and I had kids who are refugees who came in. I didn't know that's what it was but it was that wow, there's really amazing power in connection and and D escalation, but now that we have the research to base it. It's undeniable and to be quite honest to me. It is malpractice. If we are not utilizing This research to change what we're doing if we know for a fact that kids are coming in dysregulated and their In that that in that that lizard part of their brain and we're still doing what we've always done knowing that that isn't going to have a positive impact or outcome on them to me. It's now practice because we're continuing this cycle of what we know is the school to prison pipeline, especially for some students minority students. So, It isn't a it's not a fad. It's it is who we are as Educators who understand this and it's definitive research that's undeniable. And so I think it's going to continue to manifest and yes, I think that the pendulum can swing way too far one way and it's finding that balance between what you said earlier theoretical and and daily practice because it You to say it, but it's really difficult to do it every single day and I'll be honest and tell you as somebody who does speak on this often. It's hard for me everyday and Thursdays I make mistakes, but I think what Educators need to know is when you're in that space of mistake making just like we asked our kids you have to be in that space of apology. I apologize to kids often. I did this Sleek. I was escalated because of major situation in a kid. Came into the office and was really hyped up and I kind of became overwhelmed and yell and next thing. I know I'm like whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa, I am the I've got to step out. I'm very sorry. I apologize and that's how we have to interact. I think that's a really good metaphor that it's not like it's an app that you're going to put on your phone and then maybe delete some day because it's not useful that it's the entire operating system really? It's the way your phone phone is going to work from now on because it's so Deeply embedded in the all of your apps. Really I think that would be kind of an interesting metaphor. I don't know if that works. But I think that's that makes a lot of sense to me rather than looking at it. This is individual program. That is more an operating system. Tell us more about you've built you started this network. So I obviously you you implemented this at your school the the video on adjective adjective you blows up. Tell us about this network and how people can get connected to your network. So the network I started it was and late 2018 as a social media connection platform basically was I needed like-minded people to talk to because I was feeling discouraged some point. I didn't have a network of like-minded people that I could go and throw ideas out or ask for things or Share a positive story that that could impact people and so I just started a Facebook group called The trauma-informed Educators Network thinking. Oh, it would just be a small group will share it'll be really like minded and didn't realize that it would roll out so quickly and I think we just hit this last week to over 20,000 Educators and Professionals in a hundred five different countries connecting and what I've also learned that when you're getting a network that Big that perspectives are extremely different and when you're talking about cultural differences when you're talking about somebody who's in the Ukraine versus somebody who is in the UK versus somebody who is in Tennessee, there can be some conflict. And so even this last week I kind of had to do a poll. Do you feel like there's some negative responses and so adjusting even the network, but it is an amazing place to Your ideas get ideas. There's document shared all the time. There's structure shared all the time. There's opinions here. There's new science shared, but it is a great place to go to and get some information around this work. And so how does I'm connected to it. I think it's great. I get read a lot of the stuff that comes through is really very very helpful. What how does someone find that is it just Facebook and if so have they find it and so there's a trauma-informed educators. Network Facebook page then there's a group what I would say is join the group and that is that's the one that has the large population of 20,000 people also from that I just went on during when the group was only I think it was 6,000 people last year. I put down would anybody be interested in having basically a conference just let's get people from this network together and let's get like-minded people around the table and have Asians in professional learning so last year in July, we sold out a conference of only a hundred and fifty people and we we develop this conference and a trauma-informed way. So we really were about the the title was cultivating connections. So it was no vendors allowed. There's no tables. There's not people selling product. It was at a local University. We did an RFP which is actually now open for The 20/20 version of this same conference, but what we did was we built into after every other session we built what we call home groups and so the same group of Educators came together and process the information and created those connections just like we do in the classroom and people left with not only information knowledge and learning but they left with connections and I think that that is the power of this. Network and it's around connections but Facebook group is definitely the way to go and then obviously the conference that we're doing in July as a second version I would highly recommend and it's only 200 people and we did that on purpose. We're not doing this to blow up a giant conference. We're doing this to create a connection for the people who are there that's great. Yeah. I think it's so important these this networking because there are a lot of teachers I think out there who have become acquainted with this information. Formation, but maybe their Administration isn't on board or whatever reason there. They may be the only person in their building that's really, you know, implementing this work. And so for them to have a group of other Educators to network with and bounce ideas off of and talk about what's working. What's not working and continue to get the latest research has so so essential so I think that's a that's great. The great work that you're doing is going to be helpful to a lot of people and then you have Also have a podcast. Can you talk about the the podcast and how that got started in kind of what people can expect and where they can find it sure. So it again came out of the trauma informed schools Network as I was seeing all of these people sharing and the amazing work that's happening across the globe. So I just started a podcast called the trauma-informed Educators network podcast. It's can't see a thing. It's All about the trauma-informed Educators Network. And what I've done is just reached out to people all over the globe and and talking about their Journey. They can find it on Soundcloud right now A we just recorded and released the sixth episode and they can also get it on Google Play unfortunately iTunes is not playing very nicely with me right now, but hopefully it will be on iTunes very very soon, but I'm extremely excited in January to be interviewing doctor. Bruce Parry the author of the boy who was raised as a dog one of the top trauma researchers in the world and to get his his ideas of what his work is but also the misconceptions that are being drawn from the work he's done because I'm aware of a lot of them where people are using some some captures of the brain that are misused to try to represent things that aren't based in fact, so anyway, Way, but they can and I just spoke to two Educators out of Montgomery County Maryland who are educators of children who have experienced interruption in their formal education their ESL teachers all the way to gyms for letter. I had spoke to a trauma training facilitator in South Africa. So it's a widespread a very diverse group of people who are sharing their perspectives and Journeys. That's great for those who may be listening will be Or to put links to the network the group on Facebook and the podcast end and it like when you do have information on the conference, if you'll share that with me, I'll be sure to put that on our website and and then I'll put the other information in the show notes for this particular episode. I wanted to one last topic I wanted to do and I'm going to ask you about some some recommendations for books or resources as the last question, but before we get to that I've lately been reading a lot about what one of the things that I think happens with this kind of work a mine. My emphasis has been more on mindfulness. But as I learned more about restorative practices and trauma-informed practices is connecting this to systemic racism and oppression oppression, and and I think sometimes there's I've read a couple of articles. That like I'll just give you example with mindfulness I think was Alfie Kohn. I think it's I don't know if it's cone or con but he was criticizing mindfulness as just trying to get people who are oppressed to be comfortable with their oppression. And I think there is an understandable put like some there's an understandable impression that some people have that these these all this stuff is just trying to get people to be comfortable with their oppression and my my response to that has been no this is getting people to wake up to their oppression and giving them the resources and tools to to overcome comment to help manage their inner lives so that then they have the energy and strength to change their outer lives. What have you ever had has that been something you thought about or something you've experienced as an administrator? And so I'm I My school and I think that that's where beyond the ace study is where we have moved and I think it's really important and even my mentioning of the school-to-prison pipeline. Yeah. I mean it's imperative. We can't talk about trauma-informed work unless we're talking about the context of historical trauma even even the impact of local context of trauma. So what it means to be a Native American And the middle of Tennessee is much different than what it means to be an Oklahoma and I've lived in both spaces being an African-American and and Alabama is much different than the context of being an African-American in the middle of New York City. Right? So these contacts we must have an understanding on and I think what you said is what I agree with being mindful is about knowing where you are in your space in your life in your reactiveness and your experiences whether it's yours or A channel and knowing how to manage that in a with a voice because what I think oppression is is not having a voice full of mindfulness is being able to use your voice effect. And so we do have to have those conversations and even in my school, we've already gone through three sessions around implicit bias because it doesn't matter who you are as a white male principle of a predominantly Black and Hispanic school. I have to check my A bias at the door often and to be quite honest the reverse has the same a lot of parents. I drive a truck. I love to fish. I am not what I appear most of the time there could be all kinds of stereotypes. And what I've learned is it's about connection parents. Once they know me know my heart know what I'm addressing and how I stand in the space, it changes their perspective, but we have to have these conversations because for so long, you know schools are afraid to talk about Some schools are afraid to talk about these type of topics, but when you're talking about trauma, it's all interwoven. Right when you're talking about marginalized communities and people who have been oppressed and haven't had voice and even to this day are still trying to be quieted because it's disrupting the norm we have to be in that space as Educators and as wide Educators, we cannot just remain silent when we hear see and Feel implicit bias or racism we have to use our voices effectively because not only can we not be racist but we cannot be we have to be anti-racism where we have to speak against it as opposed to just remain quiet. Yeah. I think it's this is I think some people make the assumption that they have to be neutral but I think it's a school system is in pot. It's impossible to have a school system. That's neutral. It's either it's either continuing its facilitating the continuation of Oppression or it's helping bring an end to it. And like you said by by just ignoring it. We're we're making a decision. That's not neutral. I think that's brilliant. So before we wrap up are there any books websites? I know you mentioned your network and your podcast we're definitely going to link that but are there any Other books or resources that you'd like to share with the listeners. Yeah, so I I can kind of tell you from the beginning of my journey is idead wrap myself around the deepest well by Nadine Burke who's now the deserves the Surgeon General of California. Who is she she the Terran resilience in a various documentaries. She kind of isn't that Forefront of the pediatric medical side. So the basis of you just want to know the impact of trauma, that's a 8:1 as early on I did use Jim's four letters book the trauma-informed schools guidebook as a basis and I still connect to it often fostering resilient. Learners is an amazing book. It's a short book great for a faculty meeting are great for a faculty read because it's really thin man. There's so many books coming out right now. I think that I'm trying to think of the one the new Jim Crow is one that You want to read about racial disparity and the impact of trauma is really good. Why do the wide there's another book that I'm actually in the midst of reading my goodness. My brain just went it's about vicarious trauma. It's literally in my bag, but I think to making sure we understand how important self-care is. I cannot remember the name of it. I apologize in email me. At all. Yeah, email it to me at all. I'll add it for sure. But right now there's so many books and I can tell you that a friend of mine. Alex. Bennett is about to produce a it's going to come out in 2020 a book around race and how it impacts how the role of that needs to be happening in trauma and formwork. She's a writer for a dystopia as well. There's so much coming out right now. The people just need to grab On an internet Network that we talked about the trauma Portage caters Network go in there and say what are you reading? And you will get hundreds of responses of books that are that are really impactful. Yeah, you know, I think that's you mentioned self-care and that's such a critical component of all of this because it's really hard you mentioned earlier how incredibly difficult it is to do do this kind of work to be Be trauma-informed and to to keep continue being regulated yourself so that you can help students regulate and that when you are deregulated that you have the awareness to recognize it and acknowledge it and be like you said that vulnerability piece about being able to acknowledge. Yes. I'm you know, I'm right now, I'm not being my best self. I've got, you know, I'm feeling anger and and apologizing like you mentioned as well to students a lot of teachers. May not feel comfortable doing that. It's but that self-care piece is so important because it helps build that Reservoir inside you to give you the capacity to stay regulated and to and to have the awareness to know when you're not and so I appreciate you mentioning that and I appreciate your time today. Is there anything else that we haven't mentioned that you want to share trauma stewardship? That's the book and it's awesome. I'm reading it right now and to be quite honest, it's changed my mindset, I think. I think that to laughing a lot you all when we're talking Educators. We have to be laughing when there are situations that we could view as being detrimental to ourselves. Just seeing the humor in things. I've taken this approach to be quite honest over the last three weeks and my staff they're like, what have you been doing? You just seem completely different you seem like you kind of you seem like you've changed over the last couple weeks and it really is just looking at the humor and look, Net looking at the glass half full and it's so easy for us as Educators to view our jobs as so difficult that we get almost in a despair mindset, but when we really think about what we're doing and the impact we're having and the kids lives that they get to share with us. It's really hard to stay in that mindset. And what I would say is we got to stop being pressured about our tests and we've got to start being pressured about our connections when connections happen teachers give high quality instruction kids will learn but kids are not going to learn under a pressure cooker of us being stressed out and in there there was a study done where there was swab test done of students to check to see what their cortisol level. We were in correlation to a self-assessment of a teacher are the teachers who self assess their stress, and there was a direct correlation. In between increased cortisol levels of the students who were in the classrooms of teachers who responded as highly stressed. Well, so we know all of what we feel is transferred right to our kids so laugh with your colleagues look at the humor in things every day because you all funny things happen every single day in schools and try to stay in that positive mindset because our kids need us our colleagues need us and to be more importantly our families need us. And we can't pour from an empty cup. That's powerful. Thank you so much for your time today and for all the work that you're doing, you know, you're you know being just being an administrator alone. And then the father three boys. I mean you've got so much on your plate and then for you to take the time to launch this network and to do a podcast and to you know, continue to try to spread the word on these important topics is very admirable. So thank you for everything. Thing that you're doing, I appreciate that was Matthew portal. I will in the show notes link everything that you mentioned all the books and resources and his Network and his podcast so you can head on over there and check out his podcast. Of course, you can check our website. It's www.eatright.org. You can connect with us on Facebook there as well as facebook.com slash teachers aligned and thanks to Jordana Egan our new director of social media. She started an Instagram account and you can find that at teachers aligned. Network, so if you're an Instagram kind of person check out teachers aligned Network and you can follow us there thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the teachers align podcast. Have a great week.
Mathew Portell has dedicated a decade and a half to education in his role as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, and school administrator. It is through the collaborative team approach and building positive relationships that Portell is leading his school into success. He is currently in his fifth year as principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, an internationally recognized innovative model school for trauma-informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, the local documentary Enough, PBS, and Edutopia, one of the world’s top educational practices website funded by the George Lucas Foundation which resulted in over 7,000,000 views. He is the founder of the Trauma-Informed Educators Schools Network Group on Facebook which has connected over 20,000 educators in over 100 different countries! In July 2019, he launched the first annual Trauma Informed Educators Network conference which was attended by 150 people from around the world! In September of 2019, he launched the Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast. Through this podcast he is viewing educators and practitioners from around the globe in which they are sharing their own trauma-informed journeys. Mathew's Book/Resource Recommendations The Trauma-Informed Educators Network  The Trauma-Informed Educators Network Podcast The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke, MD The Trauma-Informed School: A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide for Administrators and School Personnel by Jim Sporleder and Heather T. Forbes Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook--What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalavitz Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky If you are interested in connecting and collaborating with Mathew, you can e-mail him at mathew@paradigmshifteducation.com. 