There will be times a student is going through something that you have no background in, and it is terrifying for both the student and teacher. We want to be there for our students, and sometimes that can be really hard when you aren’t sure what the student needs.
More often than not, our students come from a different background than what we do and with that comes its own challenges, the main challenge being you (the teacher) don’t understand how deal with something we have no background in. I know for me personally I am fortunate enough to have grown up in a two parents household, and I know not everyone has that same experience and I need to understand the legal issues that go with that. A child may be in court a lot because the parents are arguing about custody, or child support payments. This situation has the potential to create issues later in life for the child going through this, they may not be able to connect with others in fear they will leave them, they may not be able to have healthy relationships with potential partners because they know what it’s like to sit the courtroom and see two people who once loved each other battle it out to see who gets them.
As a teacher you have to understand that trauma has many forms, and can manifest in a student in many different ways. A teacher also has to understand that there is a possibility every student in the class has been through or is going through some degree of trauma. Trauma looks different for everyone, but the teacher needs to be aware of any type of trauma in your school district, but also how to teach those who have trauma. Sounds, actions, words may trigger a student and you have to cautious to either avoid to alert the student (one-on-one) that a situation could come up, that way the student can prepare themselves.
Below I am attaching a link that has 10 tips for Teachers that have students with trauma.
https://www.weareteachers.com/10-things-about-childhood-trauma-every-teacher-needs-to-know/
Be mindful of your classroom, understand that while you are struggling to help the student manage and cope with their trauma, that this is really hard for the student because they are the ones going through it. Believe me, they wish it wasn’t like this either.
