Скачать или смотреть #24 COBI Authorized Trainer TIP: When a Participant Says I am Only One Teacher

Trauma Trainer Tip: “I’m Only One Teacher.”

Whether in early childhood classrooms with ratios of 1:4 or 1:8, or in elementary and secondary settings with 1:20 or 1:30, we often hear:
“I’m only one teacher with ___ students. I don’t have time to do all these strategies.”

As trainers and coaches, this is not resistance, it’s reality. It’s overwhelm. It’s cognitive load.

Start here: Validate before you educate.

You might respond with:

“You’re right, those ratios are real, and your capacity matters.”

“It makes sense that adding something new feels like ‘one more thing.’”

“Let’s look at what you’re already doing well and build from there.”

Then gently reframe:

Trauma-responsive practices are not more strategies.
They are how we do what we’re already doing.

Instead of adding 10 new techniques, help educators identify:

One regulation routine that benefits everyone.

One connection ritual that takes 30 seconds.

One shift in language that reduces power struggles.

One predictable structure that lowers nervous system stress.

When teachers feel seen, their nervous systems settle.
When their nervous systems settle, they can try something new.

When we present all these strategies it can overwhelm the nervous system but when we help them find just one takeaway, one small thing they already do, something they can strengthen or even one strategy to add to the toolkit it can help!

Thank you for listening deeply, validating authentically, and committing to continued growth as a trainer and coach with the Center for Optimal Brain Integration.

If you are listening and want to become authorized to train on trauma and resilience in schools, learn more at www.optimalbrainintegration.com

Julie Kurtz, CEO and Founder at Center for Optimal Brain Integration.