What if Schools Are The Source of Trauma? | Rosemarie Allen | TEDxCherryCreekWomen

NOTE FROM TED: This talk contains a discussion of child abuse. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: storage.ted.com...
So often, schools look at homes, families, and their communities as the source of trauma. This allows educators and administrators to blame and shame parents when their children act out at school. When measuring the impact of childhood trauma on individuals, we use the Adverse Childhood Experiences Inventory, however all questions on the inventory are grounded in the home and family. What if schools are the source of trauma? It is important that we examine trauma that occurs at school, by those charged to teach, encourage, and inspire children to learn. When we turn the camera inward and look at schools as a source of trauma, we might be surprised at what we find. Dr. Rosemarie Allen is a survivor of school trauma. She was suspended countless times, expelled from 3 schools, and exprienced corporal punishment regularly from teachers and administrators. Dr. Allen attributes many of those negative interactions to implicit bias, cultural misalignments, and explicit racism that is inherent in America's schools. In her role as Associate Professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver and CEO of the Institute for Racial Equity and Excellence, she teaches future and current educators about the role of implicit bias in making decisions and the perceptions of children's behaviors. She teaches about power, positionality, and the importance of creating antibias/antiracist school practices. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx