Bringing TBRI to our Classrooms with Calming Corners

Article written by Snehal Johnson, Trauma & Wellbeing Advocacy Specialist at Defensores de los Niños de Fort Bend

Recently the CASA program at Child Advocates of Fort Bend was given the opportunity to create a calming corner in a former Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworker’s classroom. Mrs. Turnipseed’s background in CPS helps her understand the importance of working with students through a trauma-informed lens. This calming corner provides a safe space in the classroom where a child may go when they feel overwhelmed and dysregulated.

This trauma-informed calming corner also provides students with an opportunity to utilize the various coping tools/skills to regulate themselves, so they don’t have to be removed from the classroom. Every classroom is full of students with different regulation needs, so it is imperative to have a safe space for students to regulate and go back to learning. The calming corner developed for Mrs. Turnipseed includes texture-rich fidgets, manipulatives, weighted blankets, stress strips, aroma therapy as well as a white noise machine.

This particular calming corner is extra special as it was created for James Steenbergen Middle School, which was named after James Steenbergen, the former Board President at Child Advocates of Fort Bend. Mr. Steenbergen had such a heart for service and dedicated so much of his life to building a better community through his support of CAFB as well as through his leadership in education. We loved the opportunity to pour into the education community that he held so close to his heart!

CASA hopes to continue working with educators in our community to bring more awareness to becoming a trauma-informed classroom.