Coworkers resisting trauma-informed education?
Jessica Doering 
Let's chat about one of the most difficult situations: your coworkers are resisting trauma-informed care.
Some days, being a compassionate educator is hard. Actually, a lot of days. Because being a teacher is hard enough, and now you are dealing with pushback from colleagues or management who just don't get the compassion and grace you show students. They may think you're being too soft on students. They may think you're not making it fair for other teachers who are enforcing more strict rules. They might not care what you do, but they are unwilling to show grace and compassion for students who have been through hard things, which hurts your heart for your students who are trying really hard and struggling with that teacher. There may be other frustrations and struggles with coworkers, so how do we respond in a manner that's consistent with what we believe about trauma-informed care?
First, we must acknowledge that there are many adults who have not received the same love, grace, and compassion you're giving your students. Some of your coworkers have not been given the tools they needed, so their hearts are hard toward others. But that doesn't mean the "You're an adult so there's no excuse" attitude will help them. Yes, they are an adult. They are a person who needs grace and understanding. Be consistent in your beliefs--either people are capable of growth and are deserving of grace and compassion or they aren't. (They are!)
So what do you do with frustrating coworkers? First, having grace doesn't mean you have to be a doormat for rude, unproductive, or divisive coworkers. Have healthy boundaries, feel comfortable saying no when you're uncomfortable, and remove yourself from work situations that negatively impact your wellness. But in situations when you've done these things and things come up, there are some things you can say and do to help.
(1) Listen carefully to your coworker and try to hear their heart. Always try to determine what the real problem is. Is it their mindset? Their own personal pain? A misunderstanding of what's happening? A miscommunication? Try to get to the root of the negative interactions.
(2) Ask clarifying questions and reflect back to them what you think you're hearing. Sometimes people don't realize how ridiculous they sound until it's being reflected back to them. But don't do this in a sarcastic or mean way. Model the grace you want them to have for others.
(3) Speaking of modeling, model for these difficult coworkers how they can grow in grace and compassion. Be the leader in this for your school. Keep doing you, even with pushback.
(4) Send them resources that you've found helpful. Share social media posts that resonate with you. Ask if you can do a monthly TIE share out for your staff when you can talk about what you're learning. Answer their misconceptions and bust myths about TIE work!
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