As a teacher, I have to be mindful of the whole person. Jenny Horsman offers several possible “hidden impacts of trauma” that may be present among our learners (2000). I will present an example of a student for each of the “hidden impacts” after each explanation.
Many teachers are able to recall a story of a student who would often give up after the first step of a math problem, the opening line of an essay, or relinquish efforts on an entire test because the first question “stumped her.” Horsman explains that “there is no middle-ground”
for these women (2000). Prior negative experiences in school have damaged the whole person, specifically her spirit and mind. As a result, she feels worthless and unsure of herself in her ability to learn, retain, and carry out new skills acquired in school. Lourdes, a 47 year-old African American woman has been a learner in our program since 2000. She has started and stopped in the ALP about three times due to health problems, including cancer and depression. She often self-deprecates and says, “I’m no good at math!”
or “I’m never gonna get it!”
At the beginning of most math classes, Lourdes is ready to work. She has all of her books, homework, and learning tools ready and waits patiently. One day, I was lecturing about comparing decimals. She diligently took notes and asked questions for clarification. Each student, including Lourdes, did examples on the board. When it came time to work individually, she looked at the first problem, tried it, and seemed to forget the steps of comparing decimals. She threw her pencil down and said, “I can’t do this!” It took some time for the assistant teacher and me to calm her down and even look at the problem (Teacher reflection notes, 2003).