Responding to Trauma in and through Physical Education

Overview & Synopsis

Within the United States, K-12 students are experiencing and internalizing trauma from a wide range of sources such as poverty, neglect, abuse, violence, gangs, bullying, and the effects of the opioid epidemic. This level of trauma impacts students' mental health, behavior, relationships, and academic performance, among other factors. Physical education teachers have a unique role to play in helping students who are facing and/or experiencing trauma, as they interact with and know every (or a large majority of) student(s) in the school. In addition, physical education affords an environment where opportunities for developing social and emotional learning occur naturally on a daily basis. Physical education provides the chance to achieve "small wins" through pedagogies of affect. This article focuses on the role of strategies within physical education in responding to the trauma that K-12 students experience.