What can teachers do within schools to improve the overall classroom experience for students who suffer from some form of trauma or exposed to an unhealthy home life?
As a young developing teacher, it can be overwhelming to discover what I am initially passionate about within my profession however, I believe that is crucial for that passion to be a priority regardless of the career. As a teacher, I am lucky that my passion for making a difference can be practiced everyday. While it continues to be a priority, I often question whether I am making a substantial impact in all of my student’s lives. My inquiry is primarily targeting the students that may lack emotional and social empathy from their teachers. I ask myself, what can teachers do within the classroom to improve the classroom specific experience for students who have suffered trauma or who are exposed to an unhealthy home life? Trauma, by definition, refers to a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional distress for long periods of time (Marriam-Webster, 2015). This could be a child who has experience neglect, extreme academic pressure, additional adult responsibilities, or a child who suffers from anxiety or depression.
As a young adult, you learn to appreciate all of the things you were provided as a child and the opportunities that were presented to you. I am extremely fortunate to have a family that supports me through my journey however, I am aware that many people are not provided with that same support system. I do not believe that there is accurate definition of a perfect family however; my home was a healthy environment to raise a child. There are children within our schools that we work with directly who lack focus or productivity, which I strongly feel is correlated with their quality of life at home. My curiosity for this topic stemmed from the lack of attendance and punctuality from students within my practicum school. Student’s attendance continues to be a concern among teachers and administration within the school and therefore, it needs to be a priority for all educators. Based on my observation it has become more and more evident that the students overall well-being plays a drastic role in their overall success in the classroom. My passion for teaching not only stems from being able to contribute my student’s growth academically but contribute to their social emotional well being without crossing the boundaries of a counselor. I want to offer all of my students an equal opportunity to learn, regardless of any trauma they may encounter outside of the classroom. Provided that teachers are given appropriate information regarding the lives of their students, they need to foster a nurturing approach with their students in order to witness overall academic and emotional progression. In my opinion, I feel that there is a small portion of teachers who neglect problems that they feel are outside of their realm and in the direction of a counselors qualifications (in some cases, this is the appropriate route to take).
My experience with this topic is quite relevant and occurred to a relative of mine whom neglect within his classes from his teachers. A friend of mine has a brilliant mind and often times felt unchallenged while in class, which caused his teachers to treat him as if he did not care. In addition to his boredom at school, he struggled with anxiety, anger and depression. He struggled in class primarily because he felt misunderstood and felt a lack of empathy from his teachers regarding his situation. It can sometimes take an extreme amount of effort for someone to get out of bed in the morning when struggling with emotional or mental instability and therefore, it is our responsibility as teachers to provide the safest learning environment for our students. I believe my friend were provided with more compassion from his teachers knowing he was struggling with form of mental illness or trauma, he would have had a more successful high school experience.
I am hoping to discover nurturing methods to use with my students on a daily basis. I believe that as teachers we are generally empowered to pass on our knowledge to our students academically but subsequently lack in teaching emotional development for our students. In my opinion, I find that some teachers are straying farther and farther away from what make them uncomfortable and deflecting them to someone who is more qualified to manage the situation. In some cases, I believe that this is the best solution for the child however; I believe that there is more that we can do as teachers to help guide students who are suffering from traumatic situations hindering their learning by altering our style of teaching. I hope to find different ways to communicate to students who suffer with trauma while remaining a true teaching professional.
Resources:
Youth Aggression and Violence: Risk, Resilience, and Prevention written by Christle, Christine A. – Jolivette, Kristine – Nelson, C. Michael
The Beginnings of Resilience: A View Across Cultures written by Michael Ungar
Becoming Heroes: Teachers Can Help Abused Children, written by Sharon Bancrof
Finding the way out: A non-dichotomous understanding of violence and depression resilience of adolescents who are exposed to family violence written by Wassilis Kassis, Sibylle Artz, Christian Scambor, Elli Scambor, Stephanie Moldenhauer