Dr. Jenny Horsman’s 1999 book Too Scared to Learn is a rich and thorough treatment of the impacts of violence on learning. These notes are an accessible overview of its main themes. There are many ways to use this handout.

In one college-based class in Toronto, students were told to stand or sit anywhere they felt like in the room – wacky was fine, and people settled on the fridge, under tables, or lying down with legs sticking out the door. The students were then invited to read any section aloud whenever they felt moved to speak. One by one they went through the whole handout in order, naturally filling the long and comfortable silences. This approach made everyone’s complex relationships with the material ordinary and okay, and no one disclosed why they chose to read a particular section. Being wherever they wanted in the room reflected a feeling of acceptance, and the openness of saying “whatever you need at this time is fine”.

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