11-16-15 fdl residents invited to free screening of documentary on trauma-informed education

The public is invited to a free screening of a documentary that focuses on a new trauma-informed education approach to help troubled teens.   The free screening of Paper Tigers starts at 6:30pm Monday at the Goodrich Little Theatre.  Fond du Lac School District Health and Safety Program coordinator Marian Sheridan says the documentary follows a year in the life of an alternative high school in Walla Walla, Washington, that has radically changed its approach to disciplining its students in an effort  to break the cycle of poverty, violence and disease.  “So I think part of this is for us to really have a dialogue in our community about what should our approach be when we have families struggling with some children and struggling with some adults that may have been impacted by trauma, which may have impacted their brain development and behavior,”   Sheridan told WFDL news.   Jennifer Vice-Reshel is the operations coordinator with Comprehensive Services Integration in Fond du Lac.  “Paper Tigers is a wonderful opportunity for the general public to see how teachers can change their approach to behavior to a more positive based discipline,”  Vice-Reshel said.   Fond du Lac psychologist, Dr. Matt Doll,  says trauma- informed education is based on understanding and treatment for students who have suffered trauma in their lives rather than judgement and suspension.  “And so the question first is what do you want the child to learn?  Learning positive behaviors and expected behaviors is really the goal of any intervention with children,”  Dr. Doll said.   “So when I’m giving a punishment I may be doing exactly the opposite of what needs to happen because I’m increasing the anxiety, perhaps memories of past trauma.  I may think I’m doing the right thing because I’m setting the limits, but in fact I’m actually hurting and decreasing the chance the child is going to learn to self-regulate.”