From Trauma to Play: A shift in teacher wellbeing support

by Nikita Govender- Safeguard Lead (School of Hard Knocks)

Overcrowded classrooms with a 40:1 learner-to-teacher ratio, exposure to high levels of violence, poverty-stricken households, and systemic injustices create an emotionally demanding profession. Teachers do far more than just educate—they act as mentors, counsellors, problem solvers, and emotional support systems for their learners.

Recognising these challenges, School of Hard Knocks (SoHK)—a mental well-being and sports-for-development organisation—reframed its approach to teacher support. What initially began as trauma-informed workshops evolved into creative self-care sessions that prioritise teachers' well-being and joy. This shift has provided a refreshing and much-needed intervention, acknowledging that teachers cannot effectively support their learners if they are emotionally exhausted themselves.

The challenges teachers face

Teaching in Cape Town’s disadvantaged communities comes with significant hurdles. Gangsterism, violence, and poverty affect learners both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers work with limited resources—from overcrowded classrooms and insufficient infrastructure to budget cuts forcing them to teach outside their subject expertise.

Many educators do not recognise the toll this takes on them. The accumulation of stress leads to burnout, secondary trauma, and ultimately vicarious trauma. As teachers absorb both their students' struggles and their personal challenges, they often reach the burnout threshold before realising the impact on their mental health.

Why the shift from trauma workshops to self-care?

Initially, SoHK’s trauma-informed workshops aimed to equip teachers with strategies to support trauma-affected learners, helping them create safe classroom environments. However, after reviewing teacher feedback, an important insight emerged:

• Many teachers were already required to attend Education Department trauma-informed workshops, often multiple times.
• These sessions felt repetitive and emotionally draining, particularly after a long school day.
• Many teachers were on the verge of burnout or already experiencing it, making it difficult to absorb and implement trauma-informed strategies.

Given this reality, it became clear that teachers needed an alternative—one that focused on their well-being rather than adding to their emotional load. This realisation led to the development of self-care creative sessions, designed to be playful, engaging, and revitalising.

You can’t pour from an empty cup

Teaching in under-resourced schools requires immense emotional investment, particularly in communities where learners experience complex trauma. Without support to address burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma, teachers end up pouring from an empty cup.

While many viewed self-care as a luxury, SoHK reframed it as an essential component of sustaining passion, resilience, and effectiveness in teaching. The self-care sessions aimed to:

1. Spark joy – Reintroduce the importance of play and creativity in fostering resilience.
2. Enhance connections – Strengthen staff relationships through shared, enjoyable experiences.
3. Promote mental well-being – Provide simple, practical stress-management tools for teachers.
4. Inspire self-care – Show teachers that mental well-being can be maintained without excessive time or cost.

With teachers already stretched thin, these sessions were designed to be light-hearted, engaging, and easy to incorporate into daily routines.

The structure of the self-care sessions

To maximise impact, SoHK structured the workshops around playing, connecting, and providing practical well-being strategies, keeping in mind teachers' demanding schedules and emotional exhaustion.

Key elements of the session

1. Play-Based Activities – Activities like a chocolate ball challenge and interactive quizzes encouraged light-hearted engagement.
2. Team Bonding – Teachers worked in small groups, each member having a specific role, fostering teamwork and collaboration.
3. Harvard Happiness Science – Evidence-based techniques from positive psychology were integrated to boost mood and resilience.
4. Time-Sensitive Design – The sessions were short and effective, ensuring teachers could participate without feeling overwhelmed.
5. Cost-Effective & Convenient – Held on-site in school libraries, requiring minimal resources and allowing maximum participation.

The self-care sessions for teachers integrate a holistic approach that combines play-based activities, team bonding, and evidence-based strategies rooted in positive psychology. The session starts with a period of reflection on the glimmers of the day or week—small, positive moments that may otherwise go unnoticed. This gentle practice sets a grounding tone, encouraging mindfulness, gratitude, and emotional regulation as a foundation for the activities that follow.

The next activity was a fun general knowledge group quiz which we have dubbed the “students’ revenge.” Our teachers felt the pressure of being students again, which brought out their fun and light-hearted competitive sides. From there, we moved on to the creative activity of making chocolate balls—each group was handed a recipe and had to measure the ingredients themselves and make their sweets using good communication and teamwork.

Teachers engage in hands-on, sensory-rich tasks such as making chocolate balls—therapeutic and enjoyable exercises that promote mindfulness and underscore the importance of small, intentional acts of self-care. When the chocolate balls were decorated, we introduced Harvard’s five happiness practices—Gratitude, Exercise, Kindness, the Doubler, and Stillness. This is a research-backed framework to enhance overall wellbeing and resilience.

By weaving these principles into the session, teachers are equipped with practical tools to nurture their mental health, sustain positive habits, and build emotional strength in both their personal and professional lives. These practices offer a balanced approach to self-care that is both accessible and impactful, especially in high-stress environments like schools.

The rest of the self-care session further fosters connection, a lot of laughter, and camaraderie among colleagues, helping to cultivate a supportive school community beyond daily work-related pressures. The self-care sessions were purposefully designed to be time-sensitive—sessions last only 60 to 90 minutes and can be easily slotted into professional development days, minimising disruption to teachers’ demanding schedules.

Importantly, all activities are culturally sensitive and tailored to the South African context, ensuring accessibility and relevance by emphasising low-cost, meaningful self-care strategies suited to under-resourced educational settings and spotlighting the myth that self-care is a luxurious and costly practice.

The impact: a sustainable approach to teacher well-being

While traditional trauma-informed workshops remain valuable, SoHK’s self-care sessions offer a necessary alternative—one that acknowledges burnout, prioritises joy, and provides teachers with accessible tools for mental resilience. SoHK’s self-care creative sessions have been met with overwhelming enthusiasm. Teachers describe these sessions as a much-needed opportunity to pause, connect, and rediscover joy: 

“For the first time in months, I felt like I could just breathe and enjoy myself.”

“ It did not even feel like we were at school.”

By shifting the focus from trauma to play, SoHK has not only improved teachers’ emotional well-being but also empowered them to continue making a meaningful impact in their learners' lives: 

“As a student teacher in the school the session has helped me to understand learners’ behaviours. I have encountered a few episodes that I was unsure how to deal with. I am now more confident to deal with them in a positive and understanding manner.”

Because teachers who are cared for can better care for others.

In the demanding context of Cape Town’s education system, prioritising teacher well-being is not just an act of kindness—it is a necessity. By shifting from trauma-focused workshops to self-care creative sessions, the SoHK has embraced a more holistic, sustainable approach to supporting teachers. These sessions remind teachers of the power of play, connection, and self-care, offering them a much-needed opportunity to recharge and reconnect with their passion for teaching. In doing so, they not only uplift individual teachers but also contribute to the resilience and vitality of entire school communities.