I had just read the book, When I Whispers, Nobody Listens by Helen Frost. I suggested to her that she should try journaling. She said that she would try it. I knew that this particular trauma would take time for healing. But, this particular young girl begin to journal. At the end of the year, she presented me with her journal and asked me to keep it. When she left school a couple of years later, she asked for her journal back. She stated that she wanted to write a book to help other girls get through what she had gone through in her life. I often wonder what has happen to her and I hope that everything is well with her.
In reading the Frost book, she stated, "We, as teachers of writing, don't have to help our students shout out their truths; we can help them write with precision and grace, and such writing will amplify their whispers or subdue their screams, allowing them to tell whatever kind of truth they need to tell." p. xiii.
I believe that writing can bring forth healing of the mind and heart. As I think about writing and healing. I have experience students reaching out for help through their writing where authorities had to be contacted. By reading their writing, I was able to intervene and get help for them.
In Writing as a Way of Healing by Louise DeSalvo she has several quotes that I like:
- "Writing has helped me heal. Writing has changed my life. Writing has saved my life. "p. 3
- She states that writing is a fixer. "I use my writing as a way of fixing things, of making them better, of healing myself. As a compasslike way of taking a "fix" on my life-to see where I am, where I've been, and where I'm going." p. 7
- ". . . the act of writing about something painful can help right a wrong that thas been done to you." p. 10.
- "If we leave ourselves open, if we follow the voice of our genius that tells us what to write about, we will find that we inevitably continue to receive "gifts"- moments of inspiration that guide us, a sense of joy and abundance and plenty-and we will feel gifted." p. 92
My favorite quote from her:
- "Writing. A gift that comes to us. A gift we give ourselves. A gift we give to others."
I utilized this quote to start a conversation with my students about writing. It is very effective. I am always in awe listening to students' responses.
Also, in Handbook Research on Writing there is a paper on "Writing as Physical and Emotional Healing: Findings from Clinical Research, p. 485. The author states that, " . . . the more individuals can reflect on and structure difficult memories and emotions, the more likely they are to recover". p. 497.
My questions:
Can writing really heal the heart and the mind?
What are the challenges of helping students write for healing?
Are there any legal complications when allowing students to write freely?
1. Can writing heal the heart and mind? I say yes! Writing and Being by G. Lynn Nelson and Writing Toward Home by Georgia Heard are excellent resources.
ReplyDelete2. Are there challenges? Sure there are. When students write about painful experiences as part of a class, some will want to talk to the teacher about the subject of the writing. This may be uncomfortable, especially if a student writes about a personal topic which goes against your beliefs. Are you prepared to read a paper about a student having an abortion?
3. Lawsuits have been brought against teachers for failing to report troubling writing. Families may try to hold a teacher culpable for a teen suicide if suicidal thoughts were recorded in a school journal the teacher had read. Threats of violence towards others or ongoing criminal activity should be reported to authorities.
This can create a fine line between respecting a student's confidentiality and legal responsibility. The stakes are higher if you teach minors. I tell my college students they may write whatever they want and I will keep their writing confidential unless they put me in a position like the ones stated above. I explicitly say when I assign a journal that I do have an ethical responsibility to break confidentiality of I read something that poses an eminent threat to the author or another.
Great questions!
I can't stop thinking about the legal implications you raised. An internet search yielded results that parents have filed suits against teachers for failing to report suicidal journal writings or threats of violence in writing, including the parents of some of the Columbine victims.
ReplyDeleteFrom http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104147/chapters/Student_Threats_and_Violence_in_Schools.aspx
"In other words, under a Section 1983 federal claim analysis, school districts are not liable for student suicides.
What about a student who cannot deny his suicidal thoughts because he wrote them down? And what about school liability if the student's thoughts were submitted to a teacher in English class as an ongoing journaling assignment? Parents who seek to hold school districts liable for their children's suicides have a heavy burden of proof. In the case of Jeff Brooks, a high school student who chronicled his suicidal ideation for the four months of a daily journal-writing assignment in English class, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that a jury could consider whether the district had violated a state law, as in Wyke's case, and been negligent in not notifying Jeff's parents of his troubled writings. However, the dissenting judge strongly stated that expecting teachers untrained in medicine to recognize and diagnosis a potentially suicidal student would 'require a duty beyond reason.'"
Additionally, an article on the Teachers College Record website reports that although lawsuits have been filed against school districts and teachers for not preventing suicide, courts have not found schools/teachers responsible. See http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=15893
Although teachers and school districts aren't typically held responsible in courts, I still wouldn't want the time, stress, and expense of being a defendant in a lawsuit.
Really great questions Mary. I think writing to heal "depends" on the harm done to a person and the personality of the writer. I think writing can heal, but doesn't necessarily. The ethical question is a sticky one. I think that two of the few times that a teacher is required breech confidentiality is when a person is having suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming another. The ball is then out of the teacher's court and into the professional counselor's arena. It is a teacher's job to recommend outside help when it is appropriate.
ReplyDeleteMary, this is going to be my dissertation with a focus on using writing as healing with LGBTQ teens and young adults. You mention some works here that I definitely need to read, so thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteWriting can certainly be therapeutic, but I think the venue needs to be considered very closely.
You are thinking through so many important details. I've talked with teachers and preservice teachers about this connection between writing to heal and the role of a teacher. Can writing help in the process of healing? Absolutely... However, how does a teacher ethically handle these deep wounds that might be written about? Such a complex question!
ReplyDeleteMary, your story gave me goosebumps. I definitely think you were the right teacher placed there at the right time. Not all teachers would have dealt with this traumatic incident in this manner. I wish I had a high school teacher who cared about me as much as you care about your students.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of how the power of writing can heal. What a unique way to have treatment without the use of medications! It just blows my mind to think that research has shown that "brief structured writing sessions can significants improve mental and physical health for some groups of people" (p. 485). Perhaps, more medical doctors should begin recommending this to their patients.