LOGAN GOVENDER | Educational psychologist and former circuit manager and head of special needs education WITHIN the Department of Education (DOE), it’s the men and women at school level who do the “heavy lifting”.
Arguably, these are mainly the classroom practitioners. They represent the “cradle of the nation”, often working against daunting odds in their efforts to mould productive citizens.
Covid-19 and the recent riots, both unexpected and frightening, have created a recipe for post-traumatic stress (PTS) for teachers. PTS could be described as “normal” or expected human reactions to abnormal situations. But manifestations, for example fearfulness, sleep disturbances, impeded concentration, tendency to panic, a sense of hopelessness or feeling ignored, demotivated or unsupported, could have major negative effects on the well-being of this group.
If PTS is…