I believed that I was "trauma informed" and "responsive," until I had a child of my own who was trashing the classroom and eloping. Navigating my daughter's diagnosis, the pursuit of outside services, and working with school personnel on her behaviors has completely changed my perspective of struggling students and their families. I want to share the lessons I learned and how they affected my teaching practices so other teachers don't make the same well-meaning mistakes I did. Teachers will learn about the struggle to find outside resources, the feelings parents of struggling students experience, and how they can support families with compassion.
