Addressing the Risk and Impact of Trauma-Exposure in Manitoba Education Professionals

• In Event: Canadian Educational Initiatives to Support Refugee Student Learning From Three Provinces

Abstract

In a report of recommendations submitted by The Manitoba Teachers’ Society (2019), several issues affecting today’s teachers were identified including large discrepancies in student to teacher ratios in classrooms, barriers to student learning and access to education as a result of poverty, and the evolving complex needs of students. A 2012 study by Borntrager, et al., shed light on the impact of secondary traumatic stress in educators working with youth who have been affected by trauma. This paper demonstrates the need for a collective care model of support for educators who are exposed to the trauma stories and experiences of the youth they serve. Isolation, available resources and workload, training, peer support, and trauma exposure are significant factors in the risk and resilience (Fisher, 2016) of educators engaging with individuals who have experienced trauma because of war, oppression, poverty, domestic violence, neglect, etc. Often, those who experience challenges in the workplace suffer alone so not to be perceived as weak or inept. It will be suggested that advocacy toward a change in overall culture will support the resilience of school personnel by normalizing the difficulty and complexity of the work and creating communities of collective care and collaboration. The questions to be considered here are, 1) What is the impact of trauma exposure on school personnel working with students demonstrating complex needs and experiences; and 2) How do we create a model of collective care and wellness that can be universally implemented within the constraints of the current education system. Information shared will be observational data from a series of workshops and informal discussions with personnel including Educational Assistants, Teachers, Administrators, and Clinicians. Data sources will include the reflective responses of educators who have received support for secondary traumatic stress as a result of exposure to the traumatic experiences of students and their families. Such supports include informative training to assist in the identification of warning signs as well as opportunities for narrative expression of challenging experiences. This paper offers an analysis of common practices within education as they exist within a risk and resilience framework adapted from the work of Fisher (2016). Suggestions for practices promoting educator support through trauma-informed engagement in areas identified as high risk are offered. There is very little research in the area of trauma exposure as it pertains to educators. With 70.8 million people around the world forcibly displaced (UNHCR, 2019), the generational trauma experienced by Indigenous communities in Canada, and the ongoing stratification of resources and systemic barriers contributing to poverty, there is no conceivable end to the complexities of student needs. Educators need to be supported as they are an essential resource in the futures of youth. This contribution will support the development of better practices promoting the sustainability and wellbeing of school personnel

Author

• Kari Cherise McCluskey, University of Winnipeg