The Regulated Classroom

Throughout my seventeen years of teaching, I have set up multiple classrooms and learning spaces based on student population and need, trends and scientific research, and course content. In recent years, focusing on creating a classroom that feels safe, regulated and inclusive has trumped any previous attempt at creating enhanced learning, especially for those students who are survivors of trauma.

For those who don't have experience in a modern classroom, allow me to describe my experiences as I walked into a new and unaltered space. First, we must acknowledge the most important factor in feeling regulated in a new space- windows and access to natural light and visuals of nature. In the many classrooms I have called a second home since I became a teacher, only my current classroom has had windows. Right now, I can walk over the the two large windows and peer outside directly into the sky, see the weather, and watch the wind blow through the trees. In moments where I feel claustrophobic or dysregulated, I can use the windows as a form of visual grounding. My most recent classroom before this one? A sterile, windowless room with bright led lights, blank beige walls and enclosed spaces that did not allow for air flow. The tables were a surgical stainless steel and the doors were heavy and required a doorstop to prop open to move air or feel less enclosed. I remember walking into the space and immediately feeling my heart rate increasing. I worked over the first two weeks of my contract on adding touches that felt more personal, purchasing a large logo (it was the Advanced Culinary classroom) and placing it on the empty board, decorating with school colors, and arranging desks so that it was easier to collaborate in groups. I brought in fake plants and florals to mimic the outside world, and requested a hydroponic garden so that we had actual plant life in our classroom space. The change was immediate and impactful. Soon, teachers and students were asking to come hang out in the space during off periods and when work in other classes was complete. Most classrooms are given to educators in a similar state- hard immovable seating and desks, bright LED or fluorescent lighting, and beige brick walls with speckled carpet (easier to hide stains). For students who have experienced certain types of trauma, a clinical setting like the original classroom can be very unsettling and even triggering. In theory, a classroom should be full of warmth and color, not mimic the sterile atmosphere of a doctor's office.

When free public education made its debut in the 1800's, many of the facilities were created with a focus on students who were economically disadvantaged and were headed to work in factories when they came of age. Schools were structured around preparing students for working on strict schedules, training them to remain seated until the bell, move for lunches and breaks, and wait for the bell at the end of the day. School served a very basic purpose then- to keep children off the streets and prepare them for low wage work on a strict schedule. The format of public schooling was very focused on compliance and completion. As public school has evolved over the years, some districts have made huge changes to the environment of the classroom, while some still follow the factory-focused priorities. Some school districts switched from short forty five minute periods to blocked schedules to allow for deeper learning, and there has been a recent push for flexible seating and learning environments. I remember back when I was in school and desks were attached to chairs, in perfect rows facing forward to the board (where they still used chalk) and the teacher lectured for the majority of the instructional day. With the infusion of technology and the evolution of the working class, many students will go to pursue creative and innovative careers that require a flexible and safe learning environment. Essentially, the cookie cutter classroom just doesn't cut it anymore.

Infusing art and creativity is one method for promoting critical thinking and problem solving, and many creative tasks cannot be taught in a sterile and restricted environment. Gone are the days where students could only learn from the adult in the room, and now they have access to the broad expertise of the internet! Classrooms should look more like learning labs being facilitated by the instructor than a lecture hall, with creativity on every wall, every desk and students laughing and smiling. Art also has the ability to reduce stress, provide an outlet for expression, and supports teachers in building relationships with their students. A warm up task as simple as "draw spirals that match your mood today while we listen to music" or the use of mandala coloring sheets for focus and mindfulness can make a huge impact for students who may arrive at our doorsteps already dysregulated. Music is another form of expression that can impact students positively. In my classroom, students choose the music they listen to (school appropriate of course) during independent working time. It provides them with rhythms that help regulate their systems and breathing, as well as allows them privacy as they work in groups. Many of my students will complain of their classes, in complete silence as they attempt to complete their work. No one wants to raise their hand or ask for help when the room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Collaborating with peers can be messy, and silence in the room gives an audience to disagreements or misunderstandings that may embarrass students. In addition, students love listening to music while they work, and you can often learn a lot about them as you play songs from their childhood or yours. Many of my classes have asked for Friday karaoke as a way to blow off steam once they finish their work.

Even more importantly is the nervous system regulation of the teacher. Educators can experience secondary traumatic stress while working with children and families. As this stress builds and compounds, they can begin to suffer physical and emotional symptoms of burn out that directly impacts their nervous system function. When teachers are functioning in a state of survival, their body is prepped for fight or flight at the slightest potential threat. When a teacher is operating in survival mode, any quick movement, tense feeling or tone of voice can cause a disproportionate reaction as the amygdala sends warning messages. Any student who has experienced trauma or toxic stress will feel this shift and respond similarly. If one student becomes dysregulated, it is the responsibility of the adult, or teacher, in the room to model regulation, however, this is incredibly difficult to do if the educator is already experiencing secondary trauma compounding from year to year. Teacher burn-out is not an issue that can be controlled by the educators themselves, and as much as we appreciate the occasional jeans day or punny treat, what they really need is to someone to step in after a difficult encounter and give them time away from their classroom to re-regulate. Let's say for example a teacher is in a room with a student who is verbally assaulting them and cussing them out. After the offending student has been removed from the room, many administrators will expect the teacher to go right back into teaching with a body that has been surging with adrenaline and is ready to crash. Protecting the mental health of our teachers should be a top priority, and we need to make plans to help them regulate after difficult circumstances BEFORE they happen instead of responding after an incident has occurred. Many teachers are selfless and will push through the rest of the day, then go home and collapse into tears or physical symptoms of stress like lowered immunity and illness.

I work in the same hallway as the teachers in Special Education, and I can tell you that no one deserves a break more than they do. Teachers are bitten, hit, and the subject of thrown desks and chairs on a consistent basis. When one special education student becomes distressed, it is often a domino effect, creating chaos within the classroom that every student and adult must recover from. We have to begin to prioritize the health of our teachers and understand that when we don't give them (paid) time off to recover from traumatic stress, whether primary or secondary, that we are essentially condoning a dysregulated or dysfunctional classroom. We can prepare the room, the lighting, the soft chairs and flexible seating, but if we don't take care of the adult in the room, the students will continue to struggle to control their impulses, reduce their distress, and de-escalate. If we want students to feel safe in the classroom, we have to start by making the classroom authentically safe for the teachers who model for our students- both physically and mentally.