Q&A Teaching after Columbine: Columbine High School sign - cement center with red brick pillars - in 2012, on grass slope with evergreen trees in background.

Q&A: This Colorado teacher survived Columbine. Here’s how she prioritizes trauma-informed practices.

By |

When Heather Martin was a senior in high school, she survived the 1999 Columbine High School shooting that killed 12 students and one teacher in Littleton, Colorado. Even as she tried to move on with her life, she carried the trauma of that day inside her — often in ways that surprised her. In junior college she struggled with panic attacks and an eating disorder. Eventually, Martin dropped out of college. Today, Martin is a high school English teacher who prioritizes making her students feel safe and giving them the tools to understand and cope with trauma. She’s also the executive director of The Rebels Project, a nonprofit that supports survivors of mass tragedy.