Chapter 19: Educational Trauma and “At-Risk” Students

While working with students at risk of failing and dropping out of school, I tried to find a way of understanding what they were experiencing in the education system and why they were failing so badly. In response, I developed a concept that I have termed “educational trauma.” Educational trauma is a general sense of incapacity caused by years of poor educational experiences and failure. This chapter explores educational trauma as expressed in at-risk students.

When I was in my early 20s, I taught in a secondary modern school in County Durham. I found myself in a north of England town that was largely working class and economically depressed. I was the replacement for the head of geography who had left suddenly after having a nervous breakdown.