Jessie Hyde | Training Specialist

My love of teaching goes back to my childhood. I was the little girl who asked for extra worksheets from my teacher to go home and play school with my stuffed animals, friends, parents, and whoever would let me be the teacher. I observed my teachers closely and watched how they interacted with students and how they made me feel in class and carried those notes in my mind as I began my own teaching career 12 years ago.

As a teacher, the students who struggled with behavior {and caused most of my gray hairs!} were the ones I still hold closest in my heart. The relationships you build with the students that you pour your heart, time, and energy into change you as a teacher. I became more aware of how a student's history completely changes his or her ability to focus, learn, and be regulated in school. I quickly learned that fair isn't equal, and I needed to change my approach with students from hard places.

After teaching kindergarten and first grade for several years, I was offered the position of assistant principal at Pleasant Grove Elementary School in Center Grove Community School Corporation. During my first few years as an administrator, I interacted with many students who struggled to stay regulated during the school day. I had good relationships with those students, mentored them during the day proactively, and met with teachers frequently to change behavior plans; however, I felt like there was more we could do. It seemed like there had to be a better way to approach these students, and we just hadn't found it yet. I attended several workshops and professional development opportunities seeking ways to help our struggling students. Through those workshops, I learned a lot about how trauma affects the brain and why students behave the way they do. Lightbulbs were going off, but we were still missing something. I learned the "why" but had not found the "what do we next." That's where Amy Abell entered my story.

Amy provided TBRI® training to our school in July 2017, and the 20 staff members and I in attendance were completely changed. We immediately started practicing strategies on our own children and creating plans to put this into place when school started. With a lot of collaboration and trial and error, we finally found what we had been looking for and began to see lives changed, not only in our students but in our staff. We had strong behavioral data to support full implementation of TBRI across all Center Grove Schools and began planning our elementary school trainings. I was named principal of Sugar Grove Elementary in 2018 and had the opportunity to implement TBRI in a new building with all staff being trained as I began that summer. I took my experience from Pleasant Grove Elementary and provided ongoing professional development, frequent support and consultation, and clear expectations to create a healing environment and culture of felt-safety at Sugar Grove Elementary. TBRI® is not just for students from hard places. TBRI® is beneficial for every child and every adult, no matter their background. I have observed how TBRI® can totally transform schools, and I am so excited to bring this information to others!