"I'm Trying to Rebuild a Relationship With Him, Even Though ...": Teacher Emotion Labor in Dealing With Classroom Trauma

• In Event: Affect and Sense-Making in STEM Teacher Learning: Toward Ecologically Valid Theories of Teacher Learning

Abstract

Purpose
The recent emphasis on trauma-informed instruction accompanies calls for increased attention to socioemotional dimensions of learning. Much of this work examines educators’ responses to students’ trauma (Thomas et al., 2019; Venet, 2021). However, little attention has been paid to the trauma teachers themselves experience and how that shapes instruction. In this analysis, we describe a traumatic event experienced by a highly-committed secondary mathematics teacher, Veronica, in her classroom.

Theoretical Perspective
We ground our analysis in Benesch’s (2020) concept of emotion labor, which
occurs when people outwardly exhibit emotions not connected to inner experiences, typically as a way to conform to expectations about appropriate emotions. We extend this concept to consider how teachers’ outward display of emotions may be driven by their own pedagogical commitments and thus shape their emotion labor. Specifically, we explore Veronica’s emotion labor as she worked to balance a traumatic classroom experience with a particular student with her commitment to fostering an inclusive classroom.

Data & Methods
We focus on a coaching conversation around one of Veronica’s lessons. We use a case study lens as a structure for design, collection, and analysis (Creswell & Poth, 2016). Data sources included classroom video of the lesson, a debrief conversation with Veronica and a colleague, and fieldnotes of both events. The debrief focused on Veronica’s monitoring practices with student groups.

During the debrief, Veronica revealed a traumatic experience with one student, Luca. We use methods from interaction analysis (Jordan & Henderson, 1995) to examine the role this trauma played in her sensemaking about her instructional actions. We highlight the emotion labor she narrates and relate it to her learning.

Results
As we reviewed video of Veronica’s instruction during the debrief, we noted differences in her interactions with Luca’s group compared to other groups. Specifically, she spent significantly longer periods “hovering” over Luca’s group; with other groups, she was more “hands-off.” When we probed this, Veronica leaned back, saying, “Let’s do it. Do you want the context on Luca?” She then told a 7-minute story about a critical event wherein Luca betrayed her trust, straining her relationship with him, school counselors, and administrators. Veronica was left to cope with an event she described as “so freaking traumatic” while maintaining her commitment to inclusive teaching. Veronica’s outward affect toward Luca remained positive and supportive, yet her body language revealed tension. For example, she described being really “careful” in how she spoke to Luca. She explained, “I'm really purposeful, trying to, like, rebuild a relationship with him, even though…” As she trailed off, Veronica indicated the emotion labor: She was committed to cultivating a welcoming classroom — even for a student who betrayed her trust — requiring her to mask her trauma.

Significance
This paper contributes to our understanding of teachers' emotion labor, with evidence of its effect on teacher sensemaking. By investigating the experience of a teacher whose emotions were at odds with her pedagogical commitments, Veronica’s case offers a complex example of maintaining an inclusive classroom despite serious challenges.

Authors

• Ilana S. Horn, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author

• Christine Elizabeth Hood, University of Denver
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katherine Schneeberger McGugan, Vanderbilt University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lizi Metts, Vanderbilt University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brette Garner, University of Denver
  Non-Presenting Author