Listen

Let us start by saying that we acknowledge that the price we are paying for social distancing is, in our opinion, worth it. Lives are the most important and irreplaceable commodity. That’s not the issue we are dealing with in this article.

With that being said, we must acknowledge as a society what we and our students are paying emotionally for that.

In the beginning, as the pandemic was just reaching the American shores, many of us were focused on not creating more trauma for our students than was absolutely necessary.

It’s safe to say that we had no idea what that would really mean until the tidal wave of the pandemic swept over us.

First and foremost, let’s recognize and deal with our own trauma: the loss of physical classroom space, the invasion of personal and private physical space, the hours and days and weeks and months of feeling inadequate and ill-equipped to do our jobs, and the loss of physical contact with our students. We have to deal with our own trauma before we can help students with theirs.

However, there are so many layers and types of trauma that our students may be experiencing that we must move forward with a cautious and careful eye toward the future in order to help them gain the skills they need to healthily deal with and close the chapter on this trauma later.

Here are some of the areas where students may be experiencing trauma. 

Lack of Physical Safety

We know abuse, homelessness, and food supply is a constant threat for some students. Adding the pressure of a pandemic and economic crisis to the already serious conditions some experience during their childhood can push families past the brink.

Either now or as we begin to gather in classrooms and schools again, teachers will have to be very aware of the number of children without physical safety and begin the process of reporting. However, as the system has always been inundated, there may be necessary steps teachers have to take to aid students in their emotional progress before they have the opportunity to seek outside intervention.

In order to do this, teachers desperately need quick, thorough training on helping students with trauma stemming from lack of physical safety.

Schools are more than likely going to become triage zones for the foreseeable future.

Lack of Emotional Safety

Although many adults would never physically injure a child, emotional safety may be tenuous at best in many homes. So many adults are struggling that children may be having a difficult time developing the skills they need for good emotional hygiene.

Again, teachers and staff must be granted the training necessary to prepare for dealing with the trauma and after-effects. 

Loss

Family members are dying or are very ill. Many cases of Covid-19 cause damage that doesn’t necessarily lead to immediate death but can cause lasting damage to organs and essential bodily functions.

In addition, students are dealing with the loss of their class, classroom, friends, school if they are at the age where they are transitioning to a new level, and a general loss of normalcy. It will take a long time - if ever- for students to feel secure in routine and normalcy again. We have to be prepared for that.

Fear