21st century Torey Hayden : the experience of one teacher who worked with children living in abusive situations : a case study using narrative analysis

Abstract

This study explores the experience of one teacher who works with children living in abusive situations. It is inspired by Torey Hayden’s seminal work ‘One Child’ whose perceptive insights into the strategies and attitudes that need to be adopted in dealing with children living in abusive situations were echoed by Ms Christine Grech, an SEBD local specialist, who fully embraces Hayden’s philosophy. This experienced educator was specifically chosen for this study in order to throw light on the local situation of similar children. A semi-structured interview conducted with Ms Grech yielded five major themes that were discussed in relation to her experiences throughout her career. The emerging themes included unconditional positive regard, the mystery of resilience, dealing with thorny emotions and exploring them within the school setting, the authentic teacher and looking for “ants’” footprints. General conclusions cannot be provided since only one interview was analysed. However, the study proposes a number of recommendations: including and nurturing emotional literacy in schools, promoting adequate training and preparation for teachers of how to deal with children coming from abusive situations and the need to have a supportive administration at school in facilitating the children and teachers’ challenges in the classroom context.