“At What Point Do You Ask a Suicidal Teen to Do Their Math Homework?”: How Los Angeles Teachers Are Navigating the Effects of Violence-Related Trauma in the Classroom

Abstract

Racism, violence exposure, trauma, and education are inextricably linked, impacting adolescents’ current and future well-being. Although trauma-­informed care models are being adopted in schools, research is unclear about what individual and institutional factors influence teachers’ responses to students exposed to violence-related trauma. Findings from this qualitative convergent mixed-methods study highlight how teachers’ personal attributes, identity match, and institutional limitations collectively influence teachers’ ability to support their students and their own well-being.

Keywords:

• Teacher education
• trauma-informed teaching
• teacher biases
• secondary traumatic stress
• burnout

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).