Teachers in juvenile hall face the tall order of managing girls with significant histories of school absence and failure, which are compounded by their histories of trauma and abuse. I have never met a teacher who actually “didn’t care” about the education of girls in juvenile hall, but many teachers that I have encountered over the years have admitted to feeling overwhelmed and often emotionally unprepared or insufficiently trained to deal with the myriad issues that prevent them from forming meaningful relationships—even if temporary—with the girls they educate in juvenile hall.
