The Stories School Told Us: Exploring Educational Wounds

A space to explore both the differences and commonalities in our educational experiences, and to create something different.
About this Event

“When the child’s world is interrupted by the teacher, a rupture is created in which the child has the opportunity to turn up as their true self in relation to the world.” - Giles Barrow

Yet across many educational systems and cultural contexts, learning is often shaped by rigid expectations, hierarchies and dominant ideas about achievement, intelligence, behaviour and belonging. As a result, many people carry painful educational experiences that leave lasting emotional, relational and cultural impacts. These wounds do not exist in isolation: they are shaped by culture, history, language, power and social context, and are often unconsciously repeated across generations, institutions and learning spaces worldwide.

This online two-day workshop invites participants from across cultures and continents to come together in a shared space of reflection, dialogue and mutual learning. Whether you identify as a learner, educator, practitioner, leader or parent, this is a space to explore both the differences and common threads within our educational experiences, and to consider what it might mean to create something different.

Together, we will explore the unconscious beliefs, relational patterns and survival strategies shaped through education, and reflect on questions such as: What messages did you absorb about who you needed to be in order to succeed, belong or be valued? How were these shaped by your cultural and social context? And in what ways do these experiences continue to influence how you show up in learning, teaching and professional spaces today?

Drawing on the work of educationalists such as Kirsten Olson alongside Transactional Analysis theory, this workshop offers space for deep reflection, cross-cultural dialogue and practical insight. By connecting across geographical, cultural and professional boundaries, we aim to build a supportive international learning community where participants can witness, support and challenge one another with care and curiosity.

This workshop will give you space to:

• Reflect on the impact of your own educational experiences and how these may have shaped beliefs about learning, success, belonging and self-worth

• Recognise how cultural, social and systemic factors influence educational experiences across different contexts and communities

• Explore how educational wounds and survival strategies can unconsciously influence relationships, communication and participation

• Develop greater awareness of how dominant educational narratives may reinforce exclusion, hierarchy or disconnection

• Engage in meaningful cross-cultural dialogue about education, identity, belonging and relational learning

• Identify the qualities of permission-rich learning environments, including relational safety, curiosity, authenticity and inclusion

• Consider how Transactional Analysis concepts can support reflective practice and relationally responsive approaches

• Build connections with an international community of participants across cultures, professions and lived experiences

Facilitator

Cat Cornthwaite, PTSTA (E), is an Educational Transactional Analyst based in High Peak, Derbyshire, with a passion for exploring alternative narratives in education. She has extensive experience in mainstream secondary education and has worked supporting teachers across the UK and internationally. Cat’s work spans campaigns for systemic change in education and the development of Educational TA theory. She is Physis Scotland’s Academic Student Support Advisor.