The impact of negative childhood experiences like experiencing abuse or being placed in foster care is getting a lot of attention these days. So called “adverse childhood experiences” impact a child’s ability to learn, educators are discovering, and there’s a trend toward trying to understand students’ struggles in the context of their ACEs profile.
No one is immune from ACEs. A parents’ divorce, a serious illness, it all adds up. But for some children who’ve had it particularly tough, the cumulative effect is disabling.
North Kitsap School District will host a free screening of “Paper Tigers,” a documentary about the effect of stress on the childhood brain at 6 p.m. Monday at North Kitsap Community Auditorium, 1881 NE Hostmark St.
The film “captures the pain, danger, beauty and hopes of struggling teens—and the teachers armed with new science and fresh approaches that are changing lives for the better,” according to a press release on the district’s website.
After the film, there will be a 30-minute Q&A with Joe Sporleder, retired principal of Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, who pioneered alternative approaches to helping stressed students, including re-thinking how to manage behavior problems. I interviewed Sporleder for our series on discipline, which ran in 2014.
“We are excited to screen this film for our parents, community and staff”, said Associate Director of Learning Support Programs Sonia Barry. “Our area has many children that have Adverse Childhood Experiences which impact their school career and transition to adulthood. We are eager to learn more about trauma-informed care and brain development in order to assist our children to become successful adults. This includes strategies for preventing and de-escalating problem behavior and learning more about ACEs.”
