FORTVILLE — When Mt. Vernon Middle School teacher Deb Thomas lost one of her colleagues last spring, it was a traumatic experience for her, her fellow staff members and students.
“That experience really brought the issue of trauma front and center to me,” Thomas said. “At that point, I felt and still feel that schools in Indiana need to work toward a trauma-informed model of education.”
Thomas, a top 10 finalist for the 2020 Indiana Teacher of the Year, is advocating for more resources at schools that are part of that model.
The seventh-grade social studies teacher and Mt. Vernon alumna is in her 30th year at the middle school and is also licensed to teach language arts.
Adam Bisesi, a fellow seventh-grade teacher at Mt. Vernon Middle School, was struck and killed by a dump truck on a U.S. 31 exit ramp in Carmel in April. Students and faculty remembered the 35-year-old teacher as a beloved member of the Mt. Vernon family.
The trauma-informed model of education that Thomas advocates consists of teaching teachers how to identify and assist traumatized students and forming partnerships with community-based mental health organizations.
Thomas wants state lawmakers to take up that cause through legislation as well.
“I think that research is starting to show us that students that are traumatized are going to do better if they’re in a safe, supportive environment with well-trained adults,” she said. “If all schools could adopt that model, it would be incredibly beneficial.”
Students experiencing trauma have more difficulty learning, Thomas said.
“Unfortunately, in the long term, they have poor academic performance; they have increased interaction with child welfare and criminal justice systems; and trauma is a leading factor in substance abuse disorders,” she said. “There’s a wide range of complications. If we can try to get out in front of some of that, hopefully we can help many of these children.”
Thomas is also pursuing a grant from Hearts of Hope, a nonprofit initiative in which participants paint ceramic hearts and give them to others who have experienced hardships. An elementary school outside the Mt. Vernon district gave Mt. Vernon Middle School staff members hearts through the initiative after Bisesi’s death.
“It meant so much to all of us to receive those, especially during such a difficult time,” Thomas said.
The grant will allow Bisesi’s students from last year to paint hearts and give them to others who are struggling, she continued.
As the Indiana Department of Education continues to consider who the state’s next teacher of the year will be, Thomas called being in the top 10 “a wonderful surprise and great honor.”
“I’m certainly going to do my best to represent the students, staff and school corporation,” she added.
Ben Williams, Mt. Vernon Middle School principal, used to teach with Thomas and said she gets the most out of her students. He called her a model teacher with creative lessons and said it’s not uncommon for her colleagues to sit in on her classes to pick up strategies and ideas.
“She is an outstanding teacher in her own right, but what makes her message so powerful is this mental health component and this movement of trauma-informed care,” Williams said. “Not only do I believe she’s one of the best teachers in Indiana, but she has one of the most incredible lessons to share at this time in our society.”
Maria Bond, director of community relations for Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation, said the corporation is proud of Thomas, her recent distinction and her advocacy.
“We are incredibly proud of her and everything she’s doing to help others,” Bond said.
