ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 addresses unconscious processes within the school and the classroom, and within and between children and school staff. These processes, which are outside our conscious awareness, happen all the time and can precipitate both helpful and unhelpful reactions.
The purpose of the chapter is to understand them enough to enable us to ‘keep a little distance’ and not get unnecessarily caught up in reactivity, hurt or self-denigration.
It is also helpful to be able to become aware of such processes in the moment, and grow into managing to stop and think or if necessary ask for help before responding to difficult situations. For example, understanding transference (the feelings, reactions and relationship patterns children put into us) and countertransference (how our own vulnerabilities can unconsciously be triggered) can make a difference to our ways of responding to children who puzzle and ‘get’ to us, and to what we take home and ruminate on.
The chapter looks at the common defences children (and we all) use to avoid anticipated pain and feared humiliation, so we can better understand vulnerable children’s reactive behaviours. It also includes helpful case studies and a self-awareness exercise.
