Trauma-Informed Teaching: Look Beyond the Behaviour

By Marcia Wright, MBACP

In more than 20 years of working with children and young people, one thing has become very clear to me; behaviour nearly always tells us something.

The child who won't start may not be lazy. The pupil staring out of the window may not be uninterested. The young person who reacts strongly to a small correction may be dealing with far more than we can see.

Trauma-informed teaching starts with one simple shift:

Instead of asking, “What's wrong with this behaviour?” ask, “What might this behaviour be telling me?”

Young people don't leave the rest of their lives at the classroom door. Bereavement, bullying, family difficulties, instability, frightening experiences and prolonged stress can all affect their ability to learn. When a young person feels overwhelmed or unsafe, their brain becomes more focused on dealing with possible threats. Concentrating, remembering instructions, managing emotions and attempting something difficult can suddenly become much harder.

And it doesn't always look like distress. It can look like anger. Avoidance. Perfectionism. Restlessness. Forgetfulness. “I don't know.” “I can't.” Or simply switching off. This doesn't mean excusing behaviour or lowering expectations. In fact, I believe one of the most important parts of trauma-informed teaching is helping young people discover that they can cope with difficult things. We can say:

“I understand that this is difficult for you.”

and, just as importantly:

“I believe you can do difficult things.” That is where compassion and resilience meet.

So, what can we actually do?

Be predictable. Explain what is going to happen. Break an overwhelming task into a smaller first step. Offer appropriate choices. Notice effort and progress. Stay calm when the young person isn't. Maintain boundaries without making the child feel that they are the problem and remember that our own response matters.

A dysregulated adult is unlikely to help a dysregulated child. Sometimes a calm voice, a little curiosity and a few minutes of connection will achieve far more than another instruction or consequence. Teachers and tutors cannot fix everything happening in a child's life, and nor should they be expected to but never underestimate what it means for a young person to have an adult who is consistent, interested in them and genuinely believes they are capable.

We may not be able to change their story but in every interaction, we have an opportunity to help them write the next part differently.

So, perhaps the question isn't simply:

“How do I get this child to learn?”

Perhaps it is:

“What does this child need from me to feel safe enough to try?”

Sometimes, changing the question changes everything.

This article was written by Marcia Wright, a valued colleague of Forest First Tutoring and an experienced psychotherapist with a wealth of expertise in supporting children and young people to overcome barriers to learning, wellbeing and personal development.

Marcia has worked extensively with young people facing a range of emotional, behavioural and life challenges, helping them build resilience, confidence and the tools they need to thrive. As part of our wider support services, Marcia is available to work with children, young people and families who may benefit from specialist therapeutic support.