CPS Teach Chicago Podcast

The CPS Teach Chicago Podcast is a window into the profession of teaching in Chicago Public Schools. Hosted by two CPS teacher leaders, each episode dives into a CPS initiative or district focus and processes it from the teacher’s perspective.

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CPS Teach Chicago Podcast

Trauma, Part 1

October 27, 2020 • Chicago Public Schools • Season 1 • Episode 2

The topic of Trauma has certainly been top of mind in 2020—so we’re taking some time on the show to acknowledge it. CPS behavior health specialist, Tynisha Jointer, joins Katie and Keisha in part one of this conversation to explain what Trauma is, frame the collective trauma of 2020, and provide some windows into how CPS teachers can better support their students and themselves.

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Featured School Bell: Thomas Kelly College Prep
Appreciation Ad Schools: Westinghouse College Prep, Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy, Mt. Vernon Elementary School

©Chicago Public Schools 2020

Tynisha Jointer: 0:00

I think this is more than just the collective trauma of everybody experiencing COVID-19. There is some generational trauma—some historical trauma. There's grief that's taken place, and I think the grief piece is probably the piece that we talk the least about.

Katie Arbuckle: 0:26

It's Katie.

Keisha Wheat: 0:27

It's Keisha.

Katie Arbuckle: 0:28

And this is the CPS Teach Chicago podcast.

Keisha Wheat: 0:31

As mentioned in the previous episode, this podcast project of ours was started last school year. We already had a few conversations recorded on a variety of topics. One of them was trauma. Now we know social and emotional learning is nothing new to the state of Illinois. We were the first state to adopt SEL into our academic standards back in 2004. But over the years, the SEL space has evolved in service of our students and this work around naming, addressing and supporting trauma for them, and us as teachers, is something we wanted to talk about as soon as we signed up...and then 2020.

Katie Arbuckle: 1:06

So we decided to start a new, reset, reconnect on the subject because trauma, as a topic of conversation today looks nothing like it did at the start of this year. Our guest for this episode is Tynisha Jointer, a behavior health specialist for the CPS Office of Social and Emotional Learning. She was amazing when we first met her and we're happy to reconnect with her now.

Keisha Wheat: 1:31

As a reminder, we encourage everyone to check out the many resources discussed in this episode, either within the show notes on your device or at cps.edu/tcpod.

Katie Arbuckle: 1:43

Let's get to it. Hi Tynisha. Hi Keisha. Welcome to the Google meets hangout. This is very different than when we first met. I feel like we should acknowledge, what a year 2020 has been. I feel like every day is a new, new adventure and new feelings had by all. So I think it's really important that we come back together and talk about trauma, social emotional supports, because not only do our students need it right now, our teachers and staff need it right now. Just everyone in general needs it right now.

Tynisha Jointer: 2:22

For sure. I am so happy to be with you guys and be a part of this conversation. So thank you guys so much for inviting me out again.

Katie Arbuckle: 2:30

Of course, we're glad you're here.

Keisha Wheat: 2:31

We are absolutely glad that you're here. When we begin to think about like all of the various traumas, right, of 2020. One of the biggest things we know on teacher's minds is COVID 19, right? Going through an entire pandemic has affected everybody differently from the teachers to students, to administrators, but it's people we've been affected. And so, you know, what would you like to say? Like just about the trauma related piece of COVID-19?

Tynisha Jointer: 2:58

So I want to make sure that we highlight that there are two things I think that are happening at play with COVID-19. We are experiencing COVID-19 in the midst of, you know, civil unrest, racial inequity, racial injustice, right? Things that have been happening all along and because we had"life," right? And things that allowed us to kind of turn away from it. We were able to,"Oh, that doesn't happen still." We were able to minimize the impact of it, but because we're experiencing this pandemic in this way, right? Well, we can't turn our heads, right? We cannot, you know, say,"Oh, that only happens to those people" or this small pocket we are experiencing. I think this is more than just the collective trauma everybody experiencing COVID-19 right? There's some collective trauma. There is some generational trauma—some historical trauma. There's grief that's taken place. And I think the grief piece is probably the piece that we talk the least about. That there's this separation between how we have kind of navigated the world on a day-to-day basis that we're not getting anymore. I've thought about the other day I was going to the grocery store. Right? And you know, usually you go to the grocery store, you got to reusable bags, you get out of the car and you go. Well, now it's like, crap. I gotta have my gloves and my wipes, and my mask and this, this, and I can't bring my bags. And so, you know, just that grief of just how we've navigated the world on a regular, like those things are happening. One thing that I think also happened is we took social distancing as this social disconnect and all of the things and the people that we used to be connected to, we are no longer connected to, because I got to be six foot away from you, or we can't be in the same space and blah, blah, blah. And so what I think happened with that was that's a traumatic experience in and of itself, right? To be oftentimes very isolated. And I'll be very honest and transparent with you guys. This was hard for me. It was really, really hard trying to navigate this COVID-19, the civil unrest, and then feeling so isolated. Like what I want everybody to understand is that it is absolutely okay not to be okay right now. Right? And even as we are turning a corner, Oh, we hope we're turning the corner of COVID-19 and the world has opened up in some way, right? We're still grieving. I'm an avid traveler. I mean, a traveler. And I didn't realize how much I was mourning my traveling. And I know that, you know, morning traveling and just being able to get up and go and move has no comparison to the lives that have been lost in COVID-19, but I just want us to realize that we all have experienced so much grief in this moment. And so I really want to encourage us all as adults and even thinking about our children, right? That there has been a ton of grief that has happened. That we will see that we can perhaps see some increase in anxiety just as adults, like really being really anxious. You know, some OCD, you know, the obsession compulsive disorder, like I have to continuously wash my hands and I'm, you know, hyper aroused. And we see that a lot in trauma. I don't know if you guys recall our first episode, we were talking about trauma and we were defining trauma as these three E's right. This Event, the Experience and the long-term Effects of it. And so let's take COVID-19 as a traumatic experience. Right? There's COVID-19, that was the event. Um, we all experienced it in very different ways. Uh, for some people they were extremely isolated for some people, you know, they appreciated that kind of time alone. For some folks, it was the lack of, of"normal" that, you know, there's disruption and all things that were normal, that is really the, um, the kind of kicker for them. But then as the long-term effects, right? And we think about the effects of social isolation. When we think about the effects of, you know, having to reshape this new"normal," absolutely COVID-19 is a collective traumatic experience. And I'm sorry if that was a super long answer, but I like it. There's so many like key things that I want to make sure that we kind of pull out when we think about COVID-19, civil unrest, and my God, as a woman of color, I will tell you that I think was maybe, yeah, that was difficult.

Katie Arbuckle: 7:06

No, I'm glad you're bringing up this idea of grief and anxiety and isolation, because those are all feelings that I know I have felt. And, you know, I saw two of my students, they were at a distance masked up when they were around the school and they hadn't socialized. They were like,"What, what do I do?" Like, do I, do I wave at you? Do I, what is this? It was just a really interesting observation of, oh, these kids haven't been in school. There might be a lot of things that we might have to really step back and realize, how do we go back to this one-on-one socialization? It's just so interesting to me.

Tynisha Jointer: 7:43

And let me be clear. There is no"might." There was no"might be," you will absolutely have to have that time to teach children. And then not event just children, but think about the adults, right? Like how many times have we sat in the teacher's lounge and we are sitting close and we are talking about this latest show, or we're at the water fountain, right? Filling a water bottles and we're talking about,"Oh, your kid's party" or whatever, right? We have to think about how do we do that? I work with a school this summer and the principal said, you know, Tynisha, I just really want to figure out how to connect to my staf. And to administrators who are listening to this, I wan t to encourage you to one, be human. We all know that you don't sleep in the basement of the school, right? We think you do, but we're pretty certain that you don't, right? And so taking that time to be vulnerable and acknowledge that you are just as scared as your teachers and for teachers to acknowledge to your students, like,"Hey, I'm just as scared. And I'm just as worried." And that we allow ourselves that space to really experience it, but acknowledge the experience of it. Um, and I think, especially when we're talking about traumas, and how we're navigating this world. That acknowledgement is huge. When teachers, when we are returning back to school and we are having conversations about racial justice. When we are having conversations, teaching those new socialization skills, because they will be new and different. We're not only teaching kids to say hello and be kind, but we're teaching them why is it important that you wear a mask. Why are we hand sanitizing so much? All of those things will have to be taught. But I think before we teach it to the students, we have to make sure that we, as the adults kind of have that, understanding. When we, as adults, come back together, how are we going to socialize with each other? How are we going to stay connected with each other as the school year goes on?

Keisha Wheat: 9:34

I think that acknowledging pieces is crucial, right? Because you have to acknowledge one's feelings and where they are. And knowing that everybody may not be at the same place, right? Everybody has experienced this very differently and so the effects of it are going to be different. And so even when we come back together as adults, or even with the students, having an awareness of how they've been affected by, you know, COVID-19 or the social unrest, all of that will help you to decide how do I respond, right? What does this child need? Like, what does this student need from me? What does my colleague need from me to feel safe, to feel secure, to feel like this is a place where I can come and be, and not be worried about what's going to happen next? And so I think that that acknowledgement piece is going to be one that will help bring us back together. Because if people are afraid to talk about it and I'm like, okay, well maybe this person knew someone who passed from COVID. And so they're like,"I don't want to be that close." And I can respect that if I understand the situation or this person is like,"Hey, my uncle's been arrested by the police." And now I feel some type of way. I now know that I need to respond differently. And so I think that that's so powerful to know that we have to acknowledge where everybody is at first, before we can even begin to respond to something else. And before we can reach students academically, I need to reach you emotionally. I need to know where you are or you can't even process what I'm trying to teach you from curriculum.

Tynisha Jointer: 11:04

The first thing that came to my mind as we've been talking about this idea of, acknowledgement is like, that's a SEL component—that self-awareness. Like, how aware am I of self? And so with that acknowledgement comes like, how do I show up? Uh, I did a training this summer and I was talking to a group of educators. And that was my charge to them. To be thinking about what side of history do you want to be on? When this is all over. Well, not over right. But let's hypothetical, right? When, when things are different, we've acknowledged everything that's going on in the world, what side of history do you want to be on? We have to think about how we're going to show up for our students and that does come with that acknowledgement. How am I going to show up? And not even just look here for school, but just even in the midst of it now, thinking through how am I experiencing this, right? Because it is not easy for a lot of us. And so again, to my first point, it is okay not to be okay.

Keisha Wheat: 12:00

I also think that this distanced learning brings about a piece of trauma too. Um, it's so new. Um, and even for me as a coach, it feels different. I can't just walk into the room and assist in the same way. And it's like, I'm assisting you through this computer screen and I have to rely on a text message for you to say,"I need you." And it feels different. And so for some teachers, that's not a safe place, right? Some teachers I've talked to some people, like some of the teachers on my team, who say that they feel like they begin work at seven o'clock in the morning and they work until nine 30 at night, even though they've taught for 20 plus years, because this is different. And so that's traumatic too, right? The students who are attempting to learn from home and in the background so much is happening, right? And so it's like before I came to school as my safe place. And so in the midst of everything else that is happening, I'm dealing with the fact that this is distance learning. And I can't see my teacher, I can't hug my teacher. I can't get those things that I need. And so trauma comes in with just the nature of how things are with learning too.

Tynisha Jointer: 13:08

When we do the training on trauma, we talk a lot about protective factors versus risk factors, right? And so protective factors, in the lens of trauma work and world, are what are those things that act as a buffer, right? That acts as a protective factor, these things that can save the course of some traumatic experience from being an actual trauma, right? And so, one of those key things we talk about is relationship, relationship, relationship. And relationships are so hard to capture in the remote world because relationship is so much about how we feel with each other. Relationship is about that look and feel of a classroom. Do I feel connected? Do I feel a sense of belonging? Do I feel welcomed? And the same thing for us as adults in the school, right? Am I in a school where I feel valued? Am I in a space where I feel this? And oftentimes for our students, like coming into that building is an escape from everything else that's going on in my world. And so to now be in a computer screen and not have that same escape, right? Like I think for us as adults giving our kids some grace and mercy. But again, going back to us as educators, giving ourselves some grace and mercy, because you're working from home. You are working from home while trying to play Mama while trying to make sure that everybody else is learning, or playing Dad, or cooking in the kitchen instead of going out to get lunch. So again, really for all of us to acknowledge where we are and be intentional about maintaining relationships, because I think it's through those connections and through those understandings and honestly, through just acknowledging right? That,"Hey, yo, I am struggling with juggling showing up to zoom meetings that are back to back to back to back." Right? Without bathroom breaks, without a lunch break, right? I'm struggling in that because that's true for so many people. Um, as we try to stay connected in what feels like a very disconnected world.

Katie Arbuckle: 15:06

I think we should all take a beat, let that one sink in for a bit and we'll be back after this break. You're listening to the CPS Teach Chicago Podcast.

Student 1: 15:29

This episode is brought to you by Ms. Kenealy at George Westinghouse College Prep. I appreciate Ms. Kenealy because she is very encouraging and she goes out of her way to make sure every last one of her students reach their full potential. She is very comical and super comfortable to be around. As soon as I walk into her classroom, my energy level for learning shoots up.

Student 2: 15:48

This episode is brought to you by Ms. Yolanda Pender-Bey at Mt. Vernon elementary school. I appreciate Ms. Pender-Bey because she was by my side, through my whole journey of developing the nature play space next to Mt. Vernon elementary school and now the upcoming Wildcat podcast. Also, I appreciate Ms. Pender-Bey because she put pressure on her class to make sure we will be successful in life.

Student 3: 16:05

This episode is brought to you by Ms. Becker at George Westinghouse College Prep. I appreciate Ms. Becker because of her continuous effort to create a conscientious and compassionate community inside, as well as outside the classroom, her consistent enthusiasm and excitement to teach is contagious.

Student 4: 16:36

I appreciate Ms. Bobo because I'm not that good at math, but I love it. So Ms. Bobo has helped me get better at all the math challenges that come my way and ever since I've gone to Mt. Vernon elementary school, I feel like I napped the top of the class becuase of her.

Katie Arbuckle: 17:01

As being a teacher being stuck on a computer screen all day, these are all feelings, I'm just like,"Yes. Yes. I feel all of these." Um, do you have any supports that you share with teachers or staff members that would be super helpful to address all of these concerns through, you know, remote learning?

Tynisha Jointer: 17:22

For sure OSEL did produce some guidance that should be on the webinar. I can definitely share the link with you guys as a resource. But beyond those links, I want to first say taking care of self is so key. Self-care is not selfish. And so the first thing I'm going to always recommend is our employee assistance program—the EAP. One of the things that I learned, cause again, I, I was struggling y'all. Is when you call the EAP, you can request, who do you want to talk to, right? You can have them book your appointments for you. So you don't have to call seven, eight, nine therapists trying to see if they're accepting people. You can actually ask them to do that legwork for you, because what we know is sometimes it's that extra barrier, that extra step, that will make us say,"you know what, forget it. I don't have time to call nine people trying to find a therapist."YRight? So my first and foremost thing is for us to also pour into ourselves and take care of ourselves. And so encouraging you and folks in your family to utilize those benefits that are afforded to us. So the Employee Assistance Program is first and foremost. When we think about what can teachers do in a classroom. I think taking that time to have that acknowledgement about how we're all experiencing this and allow yourself to feel. Don't run from the discomfort. Having those very honest conversations, and sometimes even sitting in that discomfort so that we can begin the rode to recovery and the road to healing. Other resources that I know are happening this year through the Healing Centered Project, and for those of you who are aware of the Healing Centered Project, it is a district wide initiative that is really hoping to transform our district to become a more trauma engaged, culturally responsive, school district. We noticed that there is a need for us to provide the support, but I think with COVID-19 and civil arrest, it became even more crystal clear for us that creating a space of healing, not only for our students, but for our staff, and the community at large, is absolutely necessary and timely. Well through that healing center project, one of the things that we're offering this year is Rainbows training to the entire district. So every school is allowed to have two people trained in Rainbows and Rainbows is a grief curriculum. Again, remembering that we are experiencing some grief here. And so really wanting to equip folks with the necessary skills to support the grief that's happening. Other things that I think teachers can do is create some systems and networks of support with each other. Don't be afraid to reach out to organizations that are doing supportive work for teachers and for educators just to build that sense of connectedness and that sense of belonging. So those are like my right off the top of my head, like things that people can do. When it comes to things that you can do in your class, again, acknowledging where your students are. Meeting them where they're at. I think creating, making time for these types of conversations and discussions, but also understanding that there may be different modes, right? If students are sharing devices and they may not be able to join in this discussion at this time, or they're in places that, you know, the background noise, doesn't allow them to engage in that way. Offering different modes of engagement for your students, I think is really important. So I know some folks use a Flipgrid and some people I am so tech challenged, so if I'm saying these wrong, don't nobody be mad at me. But like there are all these different systems and BlueJeans and Pear Deck and all these really cool resources that I think teachers can use to really engage their students. Making time for play and dance. You'd be surprised how important it is, have some music and have that kind of movement break, not only for your students, but for yourself as well. So I think just really being intentional, and this is obviously, you know, while we're still in the remote world, but to your point earlier, when we do return to school, really making that time to build community. And to teach those new skills and how we're going to socialize. The same hugging and, you know, eating lunch with friends, like all those things will be different. And so really discussing with students what that means and what that looks like and making the time and taking the time to teach those skills, but then also investing in the adults so that they have those skill sets as well.

Katie Arbuckle: 21:25

I really like how you started that with teachers needing to address their own trauma as well and their grief, because I think oftentimes I know that I just like,"What do I need to do for my students?" Like what can I do to support them? And then I turn the mirror on myself. I'm like, I am burned out and I have no fuel left in the tank. So I think it's like that saying like, you can't pour from an empty cup, you know? And so I know that's really, it's easier said than done as a teacher, when you have this endless to do list and you have, you know, that teacher guilt of like, I could be doing so much more. But you know, at the end of the day, if you burn out, you can't be there for your students. And so it's really critical to just take a moment and that's something I'm still learning to do.

Tynisha Jointer: 22:10

I struggle every day. You are not alone in that struggle. So we are all in a struggle, but I think it's really about like making the time. Um, I think it's about creating accountability. So if you have that, you know, teacher in this other grade band, and you can say,"Hey, listen, I need to make time for this. Can you be my accountability buddy?" Right? Like those are things that we can do to kind of help ourselves, um, to help hold ourselves accountable and making the time.

Katie Arbuckle: 22:36

And I also, I think it was great too. The idea of just making sure you reserve time in your day for discussions, for social interactions, you know, reserve that morning meeting time. Everyone gets greeted has a sharing activity, no matter the age, right? Preschool all the way to 12th grade, everyone needs to be heard. Everyone needs to be greeted. And just this idea of trying to bring whatever joy you can into the situation and just having a routine every day too, is so important for students.

Keisha Wheat: 23:08

I completely agree. I also think that one of the things that like we have made it a culture of in our school now, whenever we have meetings, we start with the staff check in. And it's not so much, you know, how are you Ms. Jointer? Or how are you Ms Arbuckle? Or how are you Ms. Wheat? How are you, Tynisha? Like, how are you, Katherine? How are you, Keisha? Like, because checking in on you as a person can be very different than checking in on you as the teacher. Checking in on you as the teacher says that I'm really just concerned about possibly what's going on with you students, but self-care, right? I think that what I think that, or hope everybody takes away from this is the statement that"self-care is not selfish." Right? And so taking that time to really say,"How are you?" Can help just teachers have that moment of release to say, this is where I am and, and to feel appreciated, and to know that someone cares, right? So in the same way that, you know, you should start your class period with a morning meeting and check in on students. I think that teachers need to know that they're cared about in the same way. So from administrators, or teacher leaders in the district, like it's really important that you don't just always jump right to the business of things like business as normal, because that's not what we're in right now. Right? And honestly, I hope that we, even, when things are semi-normal and we're back in person, that we take some of these things and we continue them because we are learning some valuable lessons in this space that we're in of, like you said, of connection, right? In these relationships. And we can hold on to that, to just build ourselves up. But I do think that carving that space out for teachers as well to just say,"Hey, let's do a check in on you. Like, how are you doing? What do you need? Are you okay?" Let's teachers know I'm cared for in the same way the students want to be here for too. Because we've acknowledged that trauma doesn't just affect students, but it affects teachers, administrators, you know, from the top down.

Tynisha Jointer: 24:59

As we were developing the Healing Centered Project, we started last year and we were very intentional with these things. And like, who do we want to identify as the stakeholders? And what does this look like? And blah, blah, blah. But as we continue to build the momentum of the Healing Centered Project and found ourselves in the space of COVID-19 and civil unrest, there were so many things that became just crystal clear, right? That we have to address teachers as just human beings, not what content you're teaching, not the administration, not that you're like just as human beings. And how do you show up and what is it that you need? So one of the asks that I have for you guys is just that, what is it that you need? What do you need to create a space and place of healing for yourself? What is it that you all need?

Keisha Wheat: 25:50

You saying that reminded me of a friend, like one of my really good friends, she's the counselor at Westcott. Right? And so we were talking one day and she was like, how I was like, I felt like I'm overwhelmed. I feel like I sit at my computer all day. You know, I have two kids. One is in seventh, one is a freshman in high school. There's a lot of adjustments with filling everybody else's bucket, right? Being everything that everybody else needs me to be. And I feel like I'm not getting what I need. And she said, listen, I need you to sit down and make a schedule for yourself. When you make the schedule for yourself, you need to put a lunch in for yourself. And you need to honor that lunch and walk away, like get up, walk away from your workspace and give yourself that time. You know, you started working out. So it's like what happened? I was like, I don't know, it got lost in the sauce of everything else. And she was like,"no, you have to put that time back in your day." And I didn't ask her, you know, she's a counselor, right. I didn't ask for this accountability partner, but still send random messages. Like,"Hey, I was watching you on that good Apple watch. I saw you worked out today. I'm proud of you." And so now I'm like,"Oh, she's watching on this good share, let me make sure I go and do this workout." Which has changed my mood. I feel better. I sleep better. Like, it's changed so much. And so I realized that I needed that time. Working out gives me an outlet for myself as taking some time for myself, right? Getting up and walking away for a lunch, says that I'm moving and I'm not stagnant. Because in the building, I would walk from the second floor to the first floor from the front of the building to the back of the building. And now I'm stationed in a chair in front of the computer. And so I've learned that I need an outlet, right? And I've used working out as an outlet and having that time. And so I do think with the parents, we could also pose that question and say, I want you to know we're here for you, like, what is it that you need, you know, during this time to also be able to connect with the parents.

Katie Arbuckle: 27:31

So I think a lot of times parents, at least our school, we're a very small school. And at drop-off pickup, you always have quick conversations with parents do quick check-ins and that's completely gone now. And so I feel our parents feel very disconnected. They don't have that touch point with their child's teacher anymore. So it's, how can we still be present to all of the parents? How can they still feel connected to us? So, one thing that I started to do was, um, I've awkwardly film myself, uh, reading or presenting the weekly email. So that way multi-modal parents can just watch me or listen to me as I share the updates for the class. And I feel like that's just one small example of how we can stay connected to parents at this time. I also want to go back to this idea of, Tynisha, what you were saying that, um,"What do teachers need to?" And I think a big thing that I think teachers need from like an administrative lens is to understand that or to acknowledge when we've kind of hit a wall. And when we might need a moment. And I definitely experienced that last week in my grade level meeting, I had hit a wall. It was a rough week—a rough day. And you know, my principal acknowledged and she was like,"did you ride your bike to school today? Do you want to just go and ride your bike around the block a couple of times and take a moment?" And just like, even though I didn't do that, just having that acknowledgement of like, I see you and I hear you and it's okay to just take a moment. Think that's something everyone needs right now.

Keisha Wheat: 29:02

To be seen and to be heard. That's good. I see you and I understand.

Katie Arbuckle: 29:07

It might be through a computer, but I see you.

Keisha Wheat: 29:10

And I think the teachers also in the space have to be okay and be transparent enough to let the administrator know I'm not okay, right? I'm struggling with this. Because everybody has so much on their plates right now that it's like, I wish you just knew, but people can't always read that, right? And so part of that says that we have to be willing to be open about where we are and say,"you know what, I'm struggling with this right now. Like, this is, this has been a rough week or this has been a rough day. You know, I planned perfect lesson and the internet went out and this happened and that happened. And, and I'm falling apart because these things happen." And be okay with saying it so that someone can say,"I understand," right?"I see you." I recognize where you are and maybe offer some bit of advice to say how you can come back from that. And so I think that across the board, we have to do better with that communication piece of saying, this is what we are, because we hold it inside, right? You were hitting that wall and you probably was like,"This is my wall. And I don't want to project my wall over here on somebody else." And you, you know, it's a good thing that your principal could see that, but what if she couldn't? Right? And so we have to be okay with saying,"You know what? I just need a moment. I just need, I need a moment. This, this place that I'm in right now, I need a moment to take care of me." And so transparency becomes very important in this space.

Tynisha Jointer: 30:31

You know, guys, you brought up, you know, that sense of acknowledgement, right? Just us acknowledging where we are in acknowledging what we need. That's again, that self-awareness, um, some social awareness of us being able to be, um, vigilant of things that are going on and things that are happening around us with other people. Um, but two key things that I think that, that kind of came out of this is this idea of vulnerability that I think being vulnerable comes when we have relationship and trust. When I feel that I can trust you enough to share my vulnerability, right? And again, all of these things are built upon the relationship and this sense of connectedness and a sense of belonging. And again, when we go back to the trauma world, those things are, again, our protective factors. These are the things that allow us to experience these traumatic events. And they may show up as more stress than an actual trauma that we carry, right? Then this actual scar that we continue to try to exist in our navigate. We are taking and making the time to heal from that trauma, right? When we are acknowledging, when we are creating a space of trust, when we are being vulnerable about,"Hey, this is how I'm showing up. This is how I experienced this world in this space." And what happens when we do that, what happens when we acknowledge, we oftentimes we'll find that we're far more connected to each other than we thought. And again, this gets us back to that same wrap around space of building community. Building a sense of connectedness. Building a sense of belonging.

Keisha Wheat: 32:06

Take one more break, and we'll be back to set up part two of our trauma conversations. On the other side, you're listening to the CPS, Teach Chicago podcast.

Ellen: 32:24

Hi, I'm Ellen and I work in the CPS Talent Office. It's my job to help teacher candidates find a job in Chicago Public Schools. I'm here to tell you about the hiring experience in CPS, but I'm not a copywriter. So I thought we could try something else. Hey Jordan.

Jordan: 32:48

Hey Ellen.

Ellen: 32:48

So I'm trying to share what getting a job in CPS is like for prospective teachers out there. And I figure, you know, better than anybody since you were recently hired. I was wondering if you would be so kind to share your experiences with us.

Jordan: 33:05

Definitely. So around this time, actually last year, I first received an email from you because you saw my resume and things online. And you thought that I would be a great fit for Opportunity Schools. I had never heard of it. So I looked it up further from my conversation, and I thought it'd be a great fit. I'm sure I got on your nerves. I emailed you all the time with questions and you always responded very quickly. You always assured me that I could reach out at any time. You always called, even over the summer when I was having questions or next steps. I never felt like I was at a point where I don't know what's going on, or I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing because you always jumped in.

Ellen: 33:46

So where are you teaching now?

Jordan: 33:49

I am currently at Avalon Park on the South Side of Chicago, and I teach fourth and fifth grade literacy.

Ellen: 33:55

And how's it going?

Jordan: 33:57

It's great. I was nervous at first, but I had never taught fourth and fifth grade. I've always taught middle school. So I was nervous to go to that upper primary level, but I love it. I love my school. I love my principal. I love my kids. It honestly was a perfect fit.

Ellen: 34:13

I am so glad it is going so well for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today.

Jordan: 34:19

No problem. And thank you for everything that you did for me.

Ellen: 34:23

Interested in teaching for Chicago Public Schools? Real people, like me, are standing by to find the right school for you. Visit teach.cps.edu to learn more.

Keisha Wheat: 34:40

So just before we finish this episode, you brought up something earlier about EAP and the fact that if you call, you know, they can schedule appointments for you. And so I was just wondering, um, even from a personal space, if I was to call, are they able to filter out who I'm connected to? Like, you know, in an example of social unrest, you know, as African-American women, if I wanted to speak to an African-American therapist, what they'be able to do that? Like, what are those filters if they actually exist in a system?

Tynisha Jointer: 35:11

I think that's a great question. One, yes. You can ask for filters. You can request a filter for the person who was doing your intake. From just some conversations that I've had with other colleagues who have utilized the system, right? They found that sometimes even in that intake conversation, just not, you know, always feeling connected or understood. And so I think, you know, even in that space, just having this intake conversation, you can stop the person and say,"Hey, I want to make sure that I do this intake with a person who fits X, Y, and Z, kind of filters or categories that you're looking for. Two, I think it's important to know when you call and you give them your zip code. They're only going to give you about nine to ten folks, right? Nine or ten clinicians to refer to that doesn't mean that it's just nine or ten people in your neighborhood. Chicago is a huge city and so in an effort to not overwhelm you with having to call so many people, they give you this, you know, smaller Kind of pool to start with. Three, you can absolutely request this hyper person that you want to speak to. Me as a woman of color, I knew that I wanted to talk to a woman of color, and that does not mean that I don't think other folks can provide theropy services—I absolutely know that to be true. But it was something about wanting to work with a person of color that I think is beneficial for me. I want to encourage you all to think about what are those filters, if there are specific topics or things that you know that you want to talk about, you can ask for someone who is certified as a marriage counselor, or therapist. You can ask for a person who maybe specializes in LGBTQ plus, right? You can ask for those types of specialties, if that's what you're looking for. So don't be afraid to ask those questions because you want to make sure that as you start this journey, that you are making sure that again, your needs are being met. And the last thing that I want to say about the EAP benefits is that they're not just for you. You can also call for support for your family. Um, you can call for a husband, wife—you can call for your children. You can get those services for your family. So again, as we all try to navigate this new normal, I wanna make sure that we take care of ourselves. Self-care is not selfish.

Katie Arbuckle: 37:09

So I know you had mentioned, um, earlier in the conversation a little bit about the Healing Centered Project. And I'm just curious to learn a little bit more, cause I know we're going to be circling back to that in another episode. So would you want to give us a little sneak peek?

Tynisha Jointer: 37:24

Sure. So the Healing Centered Project, it is an opportunity for us to transform this district, to create this trauma engaged culturally responsive district that will create this place and space for healing. And one of the key things about the Healing Center Projected is that it breaks up our ecosystem, I guess, into these four stakeholder groups. And we've identified students, just students being agents of change, right? Thinking about"school" just as this whole being. And we have family and communities and caregivers, where I wanted to acknowledge that there's more than just parents, it's family and whole communities that are, you know, engaging and supporting our students. But then there's this really cool pull out we are pulling out and calling out staff as again, just their own person. Not you as the teacher, but you as a person. And so one of the things that we have been so fortunate to do is engage with the TAC—the Teacher Advisory Council. And in our next episode, we want to invite them out. I want to make sure that we create place and space for teachers to share their experience and in the Healing Centered Project. And how they open that flood gate of conversations between teachers and other folks that are working on the Healing Centered Project. So we want to make sure that this framework is a framework that is for the people by the people. I have not been in a school for quite some time now, and I was a social worker, right? So there were things that I needed as a social worker that differ from our teachers. And so this Teacher Advisory Council has done a very thoughtful job and thinking about what are the things that teachers need to know do and have in order to respond and support.

Keisha Wheat: 39:04

That is really awesome. We can not wait to learn a lot more about the Healing Centered Project.

Katie Arbuckle: 39:16

I'm really glad we were able to reconnect Tynisha, because I think I really needed this. I feel like I'm walking away from this conversation feeling a little bit more healed and heard. I just want to say thank you so much. And I know that Keisha and I are really excited for part two of this. When we talk about the Healing Centered Project.

Tynisha Jointer: 39:36

As we wrap up, or transition, just a few things I want to make sure that we take away. Trauma is subjective. There is no black, white, one thing that,"Oh, this is a trauma!" As you guys were called from the beginning of our conversation, trauma is against simply defined by the three E's. This Event, the Experience and the lasting Effect of that experience. And as we navigate this world in the space that we're in, I want us to go back to this idea of first acknowledgement. Us, really making the time to acknowledge how are we showing up and how are we experiencing this world? And as we do that, I would then encourage us to share. To not run from the opportunity to be vulnerable, to see what other people what's going on and how you're experiencing it. Once we've attended to ourselves, once we've identified our self cares, how are we going to show up for our students? I think that if we can do those things in an order similar to that, I think we can absolutely come out of this better and stronger.

Katie Arbuckle: 41:02

Season one of the CPS Yeach Chicago podcast is Keisha, Katie, Jennifer, and Collin. Special thanks to Tynisha Jointer for joining us this episode. We'll be back in your feed soon with part two, featuring teachers from the Teacher Advisory Council and their work with the CPS Healing Centered Project. Additional things to the students of Westinghouse College Prep, Mt. Vernon Elementary and Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy for our teacher appreciation ad... I'm going to that one again, Collin....And Maria S aucedo Scholastic Academy for our teacher appreciation ad. Our b ell for this episode comes from T homas Kelly College Prep. Go Trojans!

Keisha Wheat: 41:45

You can find more information about the Teach Chicago Podcast and links to resources discussed in this episode at cps.edu/tcpod. Additionally, if you're a teacher interested in teaching in Chicago Public Schools, visit teach.cps.edu to learn more. Do you have questions or comments? Share them by emailing us at teachchicagopod@cps.edu. Feedback of course is always appreciated. Subscribe to the Teach Chicago Podcast, by hitting that small little subscribe button, wherever you get your podcasts. You can also take five minutes and leave us a review, which helps the show tremendously. Copyright 2020,Chicago public schools. We'll be back soon with part two of our conversations on trauma. Until then, teach Chicago.