Researchers: Kelly Lambert and Ryan Lambert
The goal of our project is to examine early childhood trauma within our school division (with the possibility of expanding to other regions in the province) to determine if there is a increase in the systemic pattern among the incidence and occurrence of trauma in our early childhood students. As teachers, we believe that the frequency of family trauma is increasing, and we are observing this every day in our schools and classrooms. With more awareness and emphasis being placed on mental heath and its importance to learning, it is crucial for educators to be aware of the amount of trauma that some of our youngest students bring with them to school on a daily basis.
Why are we seeing so many families struggle, and what can we do to ease some of that burden by giving back the empowerment families are in search of? How can our school community bridge that gap between the family home and our school learning environments? We know that pedagogy needs to include a family model in its dynamics and in the field of education, we need to find a way to include families in our pedagogy and educational practices. The traditional school model must change to accomodate the diverse needs and learning styles of both our students and their families. This is our effort to try to discover a way to not just invite family and culture back into our practices but include family in building a more holistic approach to education using informed and blended methods.