Paper Tigers

Gr 9 Up—A growing trend in education today is focusing on adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and their impact on brain development. Can anything be done to increase ACE students' educational success? What changes need to be made in disciplinary patterns to better meet their needs? This documentary centers on Lincoln Alternative High School in Walla Walla, WA. There, the principal decided to make significant changes in school disciplinary policies to recognize and adapt to the "fight or flight" mentality that can result from significant ACEs. Six students are followed throughout the school year, each dealing with challenges. Their journeys are far from easy and don't result in universal success. However, the final statistics on student achievement in the school, after the new program is put in place, are sobering and inspiring. The concepts of teaching the whole child and recognizing that there is more to a student than what teachers see within the school are not new. However, changing discipline away from our current "crime and punishment" mind-set is difficult. After all, in the real world, actions have consequences. Can we learn to separate the person from their actions? Can we teach students to see the difference between paper tigers and real ones? The role of solid, caring adults is emphasized, and the overriding theme is hope through adversity, perseverance through despair—for staff and students. This is a lengthy, often unpolished production, and considering the situations, it is not surprising that conversations often include profanity. The length makes this a difficult choice for staff development, and the profanity and the specific focus make it more appropriate for secondary teachers.