Trauma: an experience that produces psychological injury or pain

dictionary.com, accessed 28 May 22.

Do you know the background of your learners? Do your learners come from countries that you know are difficult and challenging? Are any of your learners seeking asylum? How did they come to be where they are now? How many have received a rejection letter from the Home Office or ‘leave to remain’?

Have any of your learners ever seemed distracted, angry, exhausted, or found it difficult to focus? Have they been reluctant or antagonistic when it comes to working with others or talking about themselves? Have learners been very forgetful or shown really changeable ability to use the language they have learned from class to class? Chances are that they are having an off-day or week, but perhaps they are suffering from some sort of trauma in their lives.

When these sorts of situations arise in your classroom, how do you respond? As an English teacher? As a manager, church leader, or co-ordinator? As a mother, friend, or brother? As a Christian?

NATECLA[1] recently held a ‘Trauma-Informed ESOL in the classroom’ webinar which brought these concerns to the fore once again. What a good opportunity for teachers to be informed, reflect upon their learners and practice, and be prepared for the next time the symptoms of trauma arise in the classroom.

Strong and erratic emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and physical symptoms such as tiredness could all point to trauma. One area not covered by the webinar was that sometimes learners will just come out and share something terrible in class. I think of the learner who suddenly blurted out that her cousin had been murdered in her home country.

Trauma could be an experience in the past, such as the horror of being caught up in a war or famine, or a channel-crossing in a dinghy or underneath a lorry. It could be after arrival here with an ongoing experience such as having to sleep in a friend’s garage or the dread of being deported to Rwanda. What about the anxiety of those left behind, schooling for children, or having to interact in English with markedly differing regional dialects, accents, and slang. Whatever the trauma, it is going to affect learning. I would add that it is also a chance to show the kind of Christ-like relationships we want to model in our classrooms.

Teachers need to be people that create the hospitality of shared, safe spaces in classrooms where love and welcome, acceptance and rapport, are keenly felt. We memorise names, we demonstrate genuine interest in people, we make ourselves available, we teach as unto the Lord.

When it comes to subject matter, the NATECLA webinar suggested that teachers need to tread carefully when the focus shifts to ‘trauma triggers’. Talking about modes of transport, for example, could easily verge on how people travelled to where they are now. This could be agonising. People may have lost their lives. Learners may recall the acute sense of danger, threat of arrest, darkness, lack of oxygen, fear.

Teachers need to have the empathy to give learners options and flexibility of tasks, perhaps with smaller but similar learning aims. The same goes for personalising tasks. Talking about the royal family may be more advisable than describing your loved ones in front of the class. Instead of chastising lateness or inattention, perhaps teachers could delve into reasons behind tardy behaviour by asking quiet and genuine questions. What about the learner who broke down after class because she couldn’t feed her children? Often, teachers need to urgently signpost and refer learners to professionals who can offer more immediate and effective care.

As Christians, we yearn to show the love of Christ to our learners. The way in which we act and teach and set up our classrooms should embody good news to our learners. We hold up relationships by asking learners to work in pairs and groups and with ourselves. We rest in the promise that God works with people, even in dreadful circumstances, to aim towards and bring something ‘good’ out of our lives. This is a real and living hope which builds upon the ‘self-efficacy’[2] the NATECLA webinar suggests teachers can work towards with learners when responding to trauma in the classroom.

Other responses suggested in the webinar included integrating activities that allow for expression such as doodling and journaling into our classrooms. One activity I find useful is getting learners to draw an item of vocabulary and ask their partner what they see. I also use teacher-learner notebooks for writing about a recent trip away, a delicious meal, or a family member. I don’t mark for grammar but encourage fluency through follow-up questions.

An obvious response to potential trauma in the classroom is to ensure learners are empowered with language for their daily needs. When trauma arises in the classrooms, we need to be concerned but calm even if our hearts are beating wildly. We can offer a time-out, have a class break, offer a drink and remind learners that they are in a safe place. We are available to pause, listen, inwardly pray, demonstrate concern, and act appropriately. Where it is appropriate to do so, we can offer prayer and further help.

Hard-pressed teachers also need to look after themselves when responding to trauma. Do we take time to talk to God about it and ask for His replenishment and enabling? Do we commit our learners to Him? Do we need to remind ourselves about our identity in Christ? Have we created effective boundaries in our lives where we can be available and pour in effort and resources but also allow for a good long walk by a lake or an evening alone with the phone turned off?

As we continue to interact with people from some of the most difficult nations on the planet, one thing for sure is that we urgently need to reflect upon and equip ourselves to respond to trauma in our classrooms. For the sake of our learners. For the sake of Christ and the way He offers good news, healing, and wholeness for all people.

Article compiled by Daniel Whetham using notes from a seminar attended by Marina Swainston-Harrison.
Summer 2022.

[1] National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults https://www.natecla.org.uk

[2] This refers to the set of beliefs we hold about our ability to complete a particular task.