An examination of why trauma-informed care practices essential in elementary schools must continue through secondary education to support adolescents navigating complex challenges and building resilience during critical developmental years.
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I don't worry about imitation or competition. These two things tell me all I need to know about myself: I am an aspiration and I am inspiring.
Eshelle Bennett · In Her Own Words
Her Story
About Eshelle
Eshelle Bennett is the Founder of EBConsulting, a student success strategist, life coach, and author with 25 years of experience in education, particularly supporting at-risk youth and students for whom traditional high school environments have not been the right fit. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, she is dedicated to helping students overcome barriers to learning, develop confidence, and achieve their academic and personal goals. She is the author of Redefining Success Before Graduation and The Urgency Gap, two books informed by her work with high school students. Through her consulting work, Bennett is also launching Eshelle Bennett Consulting to provide post-secondary planning services that help students and families prepare for life beyond graduation. Bennett serves as a Life Coach at Acceleration Academy, an alternative high school program on the HOPE Vegas campus that incorporates technology-supported learning. In her role, she guides students through coursework at their own pace, connects them with community resources, addresses mental health needs, and helps mitigate challenges that may interfere with academic progress. Her previous experience includes serving as an Academic Facilitator at Excelsior Charter, where she supported students, families, and staff through academic guidance and progress monitoring, as well as working in special education support and community resource coordination. Her approach emphasizes empathy, self-efficacy, SMART goal setting, and individualized support, ensuring students feel seen, heard, motivated, and encouraged throughout their educational journeys. Bennett holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Support Services and a master's degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix, and she is pursuing post-master's studies in Education with an emphasis on Curriculum and Instruction. She is also a Registered Behavior Technician and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Society of Leadership and Success. In addition, she mentors through Ambition in Motion and has contributed to her community through parent leadership at Excelsior Charter School. Guided by her philosophy, “Consistency Creates Safety. Safety Creates Success,” Bennett is committed to helping students recognize their potential, navigate challenges, and build the skills and confidence needed for success in higher education, careers, and life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Eshelle
01What do you attribute your success to?
Success, to me, is not just about how far I can go. It is about what I learn along the way, what I create with that knowledge, and how I use it to help others move forward.
I attribute my success to purpose, persistence, and a willingness to keep learning. I believe meaningful leadership begins with the ability to recognize potential in others while remaining committed to your own growth. Throughout my professional and academic journey, I have been motivated by the belief that education can open doors, change perspectives, and create opportunities that might otherwise seem out of reach.
One of the principles that guides me is the importance of looking beyond the surface of a problem. Rather than focusing only on what is not working, I try to understand the barriers, explore possible solutions, and identify practical ways to move forward. This perspective influences how I approach student support, mentoring, research, and professional development.
I also believe that influence is not measured solely by titles or recognition, but by the knowledge we share, the opportunities we help create, and the people we empower along the way. My goal is to continue growing as an educator, writer, and advocate for meaningful educational experiences while contributing ideas and resources that help others reach their potential.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My father always instilled in me to do what I love/like. "You want to enjoy your job. Never work for a paycheck because that creates stress and sends you to the grave faster. Go where the Lord needs you and leads you."
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to any woman entering the field of education is to lead with purpose, remain curious, and never stop learning. Education is about more than teaching content or meeting performance goals. It is about understanding people, recognizing potential, and helping create opportunities for growth.
I would encourage women to remember that every student has a story, and sometimes what appears to be a lack of motivation or ability may be a reflection of barriers that have not yet been addressed. Take the time to listen, ask questions, and look beyond the surface. At the same time, understand that you cannot be everything to everyone. Establish healthy boundaries, advocate for yourself, and recognize that supporting others also requires taking care of yourself.
Do not be afraid to ask questions, challenge outdated practices respectfully, or bring new ideas to the table. Be willing to learn from people whose perspectives differ from your own, and do not mistake being new to the field for having nothing valuable to contribute. Your perspective matters.
Most importantly, do not measure your success solely by titles, recognition, or how quickly you advance. Measure it by your growth, your integrity, the difference you make, and your willingness to keep improving. Education needs women who are not only passionate about helping others succeed, but also courageous enough to keep learning, advocate for meaningful change, and recognize that they, too, deserve opportunities to grow.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I believe one of the biggest challenges in education today is recognizing that students cannot be defined solely by their academic performance. Educators are working with students who have different learning needs, personal responsibilities, social and emotional challenges, and levels of access to resources. Yet schools are often expected to meet these diverse needs within systems that have limited time, staffing, and flexibility.
Another challenge is ensuring that educators receive the support and professional development they need to be effective. We cannot expect educators to continuously meet changing student needs without also investing in their growth, well-being, and ability to adapt.
However, I see tremendous opportunities within these challenges. We have an opportunity to rethink how we define student success, strengthen partnerships between schools and families, incorporate technology responsibly, and create more individualized pathways to graduation and postsecondary success. We can also do more to connect academic learning with practical life skills, career readiness, and students' long-term goals.
I believe one of the most important opportunities is to move beyond asking why a student is struggling and begin asking what barriers may be preventing that student from succeeding. That shift in perspective can change how we approach intervention, instruction, and student support.
Ultimately, I believe education must continue evolving to meet the needs of the students it serves. We need systems that recognize individual differences, support educators, and prepare students not only to graduate, but to navigate life beyond the classroom. The challenge is significant, but so is our opportunity to make education more responsive, meaningful, and accessible to every learner.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are integrity, compassion, accountability, continuous learning, and growth. I believe in treating people with respect, being honest with myself and others, and taking responsibility for my decisions. I also believe that compassion and accountability can coexist. Supporting someone does not mean removing every obstacle or responsibility from their path. Sometimes, it means helping them recognize their strengths, work through challenges, and take ownership of their growth.
In my professional life, I value making a meaningful difference, remaining open to new perspectives, and approaching challenges with curiosity rather than judgment. Working in education has reinforced my belief that everyone has potential, but people do not always have equal access to the resources, support, or opportunities they need to realize it.
In my personal life, I value authenticity, self-awareness, and the willingness to keep evolving. I believe growth requires us to reflect on our experiences, question our assumptions, and remain open to learning, even when doing so challenges what we previously believed.
Ultimately, I strive to live and work in a way that aligns with my values. For me, success is not just about professional accomplishments. It is also about the person I become along the way, the integrity with which I conduct myself, and the positive difference I can make in the lives of others.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Eshelle
The Missing Years
Extending Trauma-Informed Support Beyond Elementary School to Transform Secondary Education
The Missing Years: Why Trauma-Informed Care Can't Stop at Elementary School
By Eshelle Bennett, MS Psychology
When we talk about trauma-informed education, the conversation almost always begins with young children.
We celebrate elementary schools that have embraced social-emotional learning, restorative practices, mindfulness activities, and relationship-centered approaches. We recognize the importance of helping children identify emotions, regulate behavior, and build healthy connections with others. And rightfully so. But there is a question we rarely ask: What happens when those children grow up?
Somewhere between elementary school and high school graduation, many of the supports designed to help students navigate adversity begin to disappear. The focus shifts toward academic performance, graduation requirements, testing benchmarks, college planning, and career readiness. While these priorities matter, they often leave little room for an uncomfortable truth: Trauma does not disappear when a student enters ninth grade. In many cases, that is precisely when its effects become most visible.
As an educator, education consultant, and founder of EB Consulting, I have worked with students from many different backgrounds and life circumstances. I have met remarkable young people who are balancing school with jobs, family responsibilities, mental health challenges, housing instability, and experiences most adults would struggle to navigate.
What I have learned is simple. Many of our students carry far more than backpacks. Yet we continue to design systems that expect them to perform as though those burdens do not exist.
The Independence Myth
One of the biggest misconceptions we have about teenagers is that growing older means needing less support. By high school, students are expected to be independent. They move between multiple classrooms. They manage increasingly demanding schedules. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own future.
At the same time, many adults assume that because adolescents appear more mature, they require less emotional support than younger children. I believe the opposite is often true. Teenagers may be taller, older, and more capable of masking their struggles, but that does not mean those struggles have gone away. The student who never asks for help may not be self-sufficient. The student who is frequently absent may not be disengaged. The student who sleeps through first period may not be unmotivated. Sometimes, what we label as poor behavior is a response to circumstances we have not taken the time to understand.
Trauma often speaks through actions before it speaks through words. The problem is that many educational systems have become experts at measuring performance while struggling to understand what is happening beneath it.
The Gap We Don't Talk About
For years, schools have invested significant time and resources into helping younger students develop social-emotional skills. Elementary classrooms commonly incorporate lessons focused on emotional awareness, self-regulation, conflict resolution, and relationship building. These are valuable investments. But as students grow older, those structured supports become less common. Not because educators stop caring. Not because schools stop trying. But because secondary education presents challenges that make relationship-centered support more difficult to provide.
An elementary teacher may spend an entire day with one group of students, developing deep knowledge of their personalities, needs, and challenges. A high school teacher may interact with more than 150 students throughout the course of a day. Students move from classroom to classroom. Time is segmented into periods. Academic demands increase. Opportunities for meaningful connection become harder to create. The result is a gap that too often goes unnoticed. Students may need emotional support more than ever, yet have fewer opportunities to receive it.
What If We Have It Backwards?
For decades, educational conversations have focused heavily on preparing students for the future. We talk about college readiness, career readiness, workforce readiness, and life readiness. But readiness is difficult to achieve when students are operating in survival mode. A young person who is dealing with anxiety, instability, grief, trauma, or chronic stress cannot simply switch those experiences off during algebra, English, or history. Learning and well-being are not separate conversations. They are deeply connected. If we want students to thrive academically, we must also create conditions where they can thrive emotionally. This is not about lowering expectations. It is about recognizing reality. High expectations and high support should coexist. In fact, they must.
Seeing Students Differently
One of the most powerful shifts trauma-informed education offers is a change in perspective. Instead of asking, "What's wrong with this student?" we begin asking, "What might this student be experiencing?" That single shift moves us away from judgment and toward understanding. It encourages curiosity instead of assumptions. Connection instead of correction. Partnership instead of punishment. When students feel understood, they are more likely to engage. When they feel connected, they are more likely to persist. When they feel seen, they are more likely to believe they belong. These outcomes cannot be measured by test scores alone, but they are often the foundation upon which every other success is built.
Why Family Engagement Matters
This conversation cannot stop at school doors. As someone who works closely with families through postsecondary planning and student support initiatives, I have seen firsthand how critical parent and caregiver engagement remains during the teenage years. Ironically, this is often when family engagement begins to decline. Many schools have strong parent engagement efforts in elementary education but fewer opportunities for meaningful collaboration in high school. Yet parents are still one of the most influential factors in a student's life. When schools and families work together, students benefit from stronger support systems, greater consistency, and deeper connections. Trauma-informed care is not solely the responsibility of teachers or counselors. It requires partnerships. It requires community. And it requires a shared commitment to seeing the whole child, regardless of age.
A Leadership Challenge for Education
The future of education depends on more than academic innovation. It depends on our willingness to address what students need most. As leaders, educators, parents, and advocates, we must ask ourselves whether the systems we have built truly reflect what we know about adolescent development and human resilience. If trauma-informed care is valuable in kindergarten, why would it become less important in tenth grade? If relationships matter for an eight-year-old, why would they matter less for a sixteen-year-old? And if belonging helps children succeed, why wouldn't it help adolescents do the same? These questions deserve more than discussion. They deserve action.
The Missing Years
The young people sitting in high school classrooms today are preparing for adulthood in a world filled with unprecedented challenges and uncertainty. Many are resilient beyond measure. Many are carrying burdens we may never fully understand. All of them deserve educational environments that recognize their humanity alongside their academic potential. Trauma does not expire when students become teenagers. The need for connection does not disappear. The need to feel seen, supported, and understood does not end. If we are truly committed to student success, we must stop viewing trauma-informed care as an elementary school initiative and start embracing it as a lifelong educational responsibility. Because the years between childhood and graduation are not the years when support should fade. They may be the years when it matters most.
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