This post from The New York Times outlines the severe trauma that exists among Syrians. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, mental health problems have run rampant throughout the country. The article states: “In conflict situations, common mental disorders like anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder tend to increase to 15 to 20 percent, from the 10 percent commonly pre-existing in the population.” Syria is not an exception to this. The article also addresses the importance of education programs and support groups for Syrians in order to heal from their trauma. This article was written in August of 2014, so over 1 year ago, and I think the time of the writing explains why the author doesn’t address how to address trauma in the Syrian Diaspora. Now that the U.S. has agreed to increase the number of Syrian refugees it resettles, the mental health of Syrians is now very relevant to us. It is no longer a topic that needs to be addressed in Syria or in the surrounding countries, but also all over Europe and in the U.S.
I reccomend everyone to read the chapter: Influence of Trauma and Status on the Education and Wellbeing of Undocumented Mexican Youth in the U.S. in Migrants and Refugees. This specific chapter is about the trauma that undocumented Mexican immigrants go through and how it affects their education among other things.
It is evident through the article posted above and this article that paying attention to our students and what they have been through is crucial. There is a great chance that lasting mental disabilities/conditions could be affecting them and in turn affect their learning. Happy students learn. These students come to American classrooms and a lot of them are in English tolerant classrooms. This puts them behind. They have to catch up on learning English all while dealing with the trauma of leaving a country, moving to America, and finding a place to fit in. Victims of violence have it worse. PTSD, depression, and other mental illness can prevent these students from learning. Teachers need to learn to help these students overcome or cope so that they may learn.
There is new evidence coming out from the terrorist attack on Kenya’s Garissa University that killed 148 people. There was intelligence of the attack that ended up being ignored; the principal of the university even requested extra security in fear of an attack and was denied. Being able to attend college safely is something that we might be taking for granted in the United States. I couldn’t imagine trying to attend college and fearing for my life any time I was on campus. Survivors of this massacre must be dealing with a number of PTSD issues and fear of returning and finishing their education. How do survivors of such a traumatic event at a university continue to move forward in pursuing their education? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32530718
This article was shocking firstly because I hadn’t heard about tis attack. It’s a shame that the media is so powerful that us viewers miss out on devastating events around the world. Mainly, I was shocked because the effort to prevent the attack was ignored. I should not be shocked for the fact that these type of situations have occurred in history before, but it’s a tragedy that they continue to occur. I cannot possibly imagine or fathom what it feels like to be afraid to go to my university for fear of being attacked. My heart goes out to everyone affected. The statistics are upsetting, and I believe more policy changes should be implemented to prevent more tragedies.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/01/syrias-mental-health-crisis/?_r=0
This post from The New York Times outlines the severe trauma that exists among Syrians. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, mental health problems have run rampant throughout the country. The article states: “In conflict situations, common mental disorders like anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder tend to increase to 15 to 20 percent, from the 10 percent commonly pre-existing in the population.” Syria is not an exception to this. The article also addresses the importance of education programs and support groups for Syrians in order to heal from their trauma. This article was written in August of 2014, so over 1 year ago, and I think the time of the writing explains why the author doesn’t address how to address trauma in the Syrian Diaspora. Now that the U.S. has agreed to increase the number of Syrian refugees it resettles, the mental health of Syrians is now very relevant to us. It is no longer a topic that needs to be addressed in Syria or in the surrounding countries, but also all over Europe and in the U.S.
I reccomend everyone to read the chapter: Influence of Trauma and Status on the Education and Wellbeing of Undocumented Mexican Youth in the U.S. in Migrants and Refugees. This specific chapter is about the trauma that undocumented Mexican immigrants go through and how it affects their education among other things.
It is evident through the article posted above and this article that paying attention to our students and what they have been through is crucial. There is a great chance that lasting mental disabilities/conditions could be affecting them and in turn affect their learning. Happy students learn. These students come to American classrooms and a lot of them are in English tolerant classrooms. This puts them behind. They have to catch up on learning English all while dealing with the trauma of leaving a country, moving to America, and finding a place to fit in. Victims of violence have it worse. PTSD, depression, and other mental illness can prevent these students from learning. Teachers need to learn to help these students overcome or cope so that they may learn.
There is new evidence coming out from the terrorist attack on Kenya’s Garissa University that killed 148 people. There was intelligence of the attack that ended up being ignored; the principal of the university even requested extra security in fear of an attack and was denied. Being able to attend college safely is something that we might be taking for granted in the United States. I couldn’t imagine trying to attend college and fearing for my life any time I was on campus. Survivors of this massacre must be dealing with a number of PTSD issues and fear of returning and finishing their education. How do survivors of such a traumatic event at a university continue to move forward in pursuing their education?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32530718
This article was shocking firstly because I hadn’t heard about tis attack. It’s a shame that the media is so powerful that us viewers miss out on devastating events around the world. Mainly, I was shocked because the effort to prevent the attack was ignored. I should not be shocked for the fact that these type of situations have occurred in history before, but it’s a tragedy that they continue to occur. I cannot possibly imagine or fathom what it feels like to be afraid to go to my university for fear of being attacked. My heart goes out to everyone affected. The statistics are upsetting, and I believe more policy changes should be implemented to prevent more tragedies.