By Franklin Schargel
“One out of every four children attending school has been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect learning and/or behavior.”
National Child Traumatic Stress Network — Trauma Facts for Educators
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economies, healthcare systems, and education worldwide. Beyond those systems, it has intensified anxiety, stress, and trauma among children and families. The pandemic amplified preexisting challenges: financial strain, social isolation, interrupted routines, and the loss of daily in-person interactions that schools provide. Researchers warned that these combined stressors would increase mental health struggles for youth, including a rise in suicidal thoughts and behaviors for some. At the same time, remote learning widened achievement gaps between students from affluent and low-income families and exacerbated disparities across racial and ethnic groups.
Trauma and chronic stress in children often produce symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Common signs include:
- Being upset by reminders of the traumatic event
- Nightmares, intrusive memories, or flashbacks that feel like reliving the event
- Emotional withdrawal or feeling cut off from others
- Difficulty concentrating
Many children have not learned or been taught effective coping strategies for stress and trauma. As children mature, sources of stress multiply—family instability, biological changes, academic pressure, peer relationships, dating, and eventually workplace demands. Without coping skills and support, anxiety and depression can grow, impairing learning, behavior, and social functioning. Teachers and school staff are increasingly concerned that the pandemic has made it harder to form the trusting relationships that help students cope. While children are resilient, they usually need explicit instruction and supportive environments to build the skills that enable recovery.
Children experience trauma in many ways
Schools play a vital role in a child’s education, health, and overall wellbeing. They do more than deliver academic content: schools provide meals, social services, childcare, extracurricular activities, mental health support, and opportunities for social-emotional learning through interactions with peers and adults.
Some children recover from a single traumatic event within weeks or months when given appropriate support. Others require longer-term assistance from family members, teachers, or mental health professionals to heal. Effective counseling for traumatic stress typically includes:
- A safe, accepting space to talk about the experience and make sense of it
- Clear, honest, age-appropriate explanations and answers to questions
- Practical techniques for managing overwhelming emotional reactions
- Guidance to help children express feelings in words rather than through inappropriate behavior
Common responses to trauma at different ages
Children aged five and under may:
- Show increased irritability and tantrums
- Regress to behaviors such as bed-wetting or thumb-sucking
- Become more fearful—of the dark, separation, or imagined threats
- Recreate aspects of the event in imaginary play
Children aged six to 11 may:
- Withdraw from family and friends
- Experience nightmares, bedtime refusal, or other sleep disruptions
- Become irritable, angry, or disruptive in class
- Have trouble concentrating on schoolwork
Adolescents aged 12 to 17 may:
- Use or misuse substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs
- Act out, show disrespect, or display destructive behavior
- Report frequent physical complaints like stomachaches and headaches
- Isolate themselves from peers and family
How trauma impairs learning
A single traumatic event can trigger jumpiness, intrusive thoughts, interrupted sleep, mood changes, and social withdrawal—any of which can interfere with a student’s attention and memory. Chronic or repeated exposure to trauma, especially in a child’s early years, can have more severe consequences. These may include impaired attention and memory, reduced ability to focus, difficulty organizing and processing information, weakened problem-solving and planning skills, and persistent feelings of frustration and anxiety. All of these effects undermine academic performance and classroom participation.
Practical steps to help a traumatized child at school
Maintain routines. Restoring predictability communicates safety and helps children feel that life will continue despite disruption.
Offer choices when possible. Traumatic events often involve loss of control; giving children appropriate options helps restore a sense of agency.
Increase support and encouragement. Identify a trusted adult who can provide additional emotional support and check-ins.
Set clear, consistent limits and use logical, non-punitive consequences for inappropriate behavior. Structure helps children feel secure and understand expectations.
Many students have endured multiple traumas, and for many children, trauma is a chronic reality. Some recover quickly, but others experience lingering or deepening distress that goes unnoticed. These students often “fly beneath the radar” and miss opportunities for help. When abuse is suspected, educators may have a legal obligation to report it. Know and follow your state and district policies for reporting.
Be mindful of diagnostic challenges. Trauma-related behaviors can resemble developmental delays, ADHD, or other mental health conditions. Without recognizing the role of trauma, interventions may miss key needs and fail to support recovery.
Advice for educators
Seek regular support and consultation to prevent compassion fatigue, also called secondary traumatic stress. Repeated exposure to students’ traumatic stories can erode an educator’s emotional resources. Warning signs include increased irritability, difficulty planning lessons, poor concentration, and intrusive thoughts about a student’s trauma.
Don’t isolate yourself. While maintaining confidentiality, work in teams, share concerns with colleagues, and ask administrators for help. Recognize compassion fatigue as an occupational hazard—not a personal failing. If symptoms persist for more than two to three weeks, consult a mental health professional with trauma expertise.
About the author
Franklin P. Schargel is a former classroom teacher, school counselor, and school administrator. He designed and led programs that increased parental engagement, raised post-secondary enrollment, and significantly reduced dropout rates at a Title I high school. His work has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and major media outlets. Schargel also served as Education Division Chair for the American Society for Quality and participated in developing the Malcolm Baldridge Award for Education.
Portions of this article were excerpted from his book Preventing School Violence: A User’s Guide.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on the shift in education toward digital curriculum.