Another Step Forward: Addressing Institutional Weakness

Saturday, September 27, 2014


Early this morning (quite early for a Saturday really) I took another courageous step forward.

For some time now I had been receiving email requests from the school district in Texas where I attended public school.  I had not replied to the emails because I found them irksome.  But there was another reason.  I wanted to take the opportunity to engage with the school district regarding my past history and bring some awareness to the issue of trauma.

This morning I wrote the following message.  I submitted it to the lead counselor of the high school I attended.  I also copied the one (and apparently only) crisis counselor listed on the high school's website.  (The high school did not have a website when I was in high school because websites themselves didn't really exist.  The Internet was not publicly accessible at that time.)

September 27, 2014

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in regards to the numerous emails I have received requesting current biographical information for a directory of alumni of former students whose school history includes a portion of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex.

I receive a lot of email so I have not been able to reply promptly.

I also have hesitated to reply because I feel ambivalent about doing so.  And here is why: I am in recovery from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  And I quite honestly do not enjoy being reminded of my past history in Texas because I developed PTSD in part due to my dysfunctional family of origin.  I further do not like to be reminded of my school history there because, even though I was a stellar student (for example I scored a 5 on a 1 to 5 point scale on the AP Calculus test when I was a high school senior), I was not growing up in the best circumstances.  And I believe if the school district staff had been better trained they would have perhaps spotted what I believe were very clear signs that something was off about me.

My mother developed schizophrenia when I was a very little boy.  My father was later nearly murdered by my stepmother.  I effectively nearly lost both of my parents by the age of nine!

Despite the trauma I endured no major institution really did a superb job of helping to ensure my basic safety and needs were met.  My family of origin failed me.  My church failed me.  The local police department failed me.  And I feel my school district also failed me.

Rather than place my current information in a directory I would welcome high school staff [I have deleted reference to my school's exact name as such information could prove damaging to the school's reputation...and many of the people who were there at the time have likely since retired and maybe have even died] to contact me and engage in a conversation about what I have shared.  Perhaps my experience can be used to improve school staff training in the future so that other students affected by significant trauma do not have to endure what I went through.

[I have deleted my name and contact information to provide relative protection for my privacy]

If you would like to see how much I was affected by what I experienced you can read my recovery blog at http://bcwellkamp.blogspot.com