I just read an article posted by Ken Anthony on Facebook, called “When Students are Traumatized, Teachers are too”. It’s something we don’t think about much, even with my family of teachers. We talk about burnout but never about the teacher’s physical and mental response to the trauma inflicted by students and on students.
My daughter comes home wiped almost every late afternoon. She works long hours and feels that most of the time she doesn’t accomplish much. My husband works with behavior students in a private and residential facility. These are the best of the worst – the children who nobody wants except DCF and jail. He’s approaching burnout. His job is stressful. My son-in-law gets to teach the little ones, but his stories are no different. You hear about the trauma they encounter;, their jobs are tough and we need to appreciate that. Because they all teach in Priority districts I sometimes wonder what the teachers outside these districts get to experience.
What about you, as an after school caregiver/teacher/parent/etc.? Do you experience trauma in your job? Do you go home wiped at the end of the day?