Teacher Trauma

Dear all,

I am involved with a project at the moment and during the course of
this, the topic of "trauma inflicted on children by teachers" arrived.
I was specifically there to NOT talk shop and had sworn to myself to
leave my pointy therapist's hat firmly at home. When I heard someone's
story, I couldn't help myself but make a small comment in the PS that
although the person themselves might not need healing (!!), the small
child who was so terribly hurt by the incident probably still did.

I was not prepared for the flood of mail which followed.

This is not a therapy related project, no-one else there is a
therapist, these are all kinds of people from all walks of life age
16 - 70 and I just really couldn't believe the amount of "stuff" about
teacher experiences came out, pouring out, just like that.

I would guess that 50% or more of the group related traumatic
incidents with teachers. I'd classify half of it as true trauma and
the rest as extremely strong negative formative experiences. The
charges on it, too - whoa.

In the light of this, and of how common it was (and is for the ones
still at school) AND what repercussions this has had over the lives of
these people once they came out of the closet just like sex abuse
survivors (I was truly shocked at the similarities in structure!) I
would draw your personal attention to the topic of "teacher abuse" or
"teacher induced trauma".

Clearly not everyone has it but those who do and have never thought of
it in terms of something that really does need healing and accounts
for all sorts of previously mysterious/bizarre/unexplained behaviours,
might like to revisit those memories and do something about it now
that it's come up.

The learning scenario has *a great great deal* to do with self
actualisation; those who seek it might find some very interesting
clues, explanations and more importantly, resolutions for the sake of
a quick trip down memory lane to the so called "best years of your
life".

SF

PS: Here's just one of the many stories to get you in the mood.

>>>>> I had this English teacher from the age of about 12 to 14, I
will never forget that woman. I still hear comments she made in my
head sometimes -
she must have really traumatised me or something.

Once I went for an audition for the school play and me and another
girl were going for the same role. The other girl got up and had
memorised her part and just rattled it off with no intonation and kept
fidgeting about and giggling and was completely not in character.

I got up and did my best, except I hadn't memorised my part since we
only had a day or so to prepare. Not being big-headed but I *knew* I
was better than the other girl. Anyway, this teacher pinned the
audition results up on the board and she had given every single person
who had gone for the auditions a role in the play.

Except for me.

I was the prompt.

At the time I thought it was the most humiliating experience of my
life, of course I never was the prompt, I never went to any of the
rehearsals.

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Received on Mon May 19 2003 - 07:46:16 BST