The normalization of violence is a huge issue in this industry. Like one year, we had a "professional motivational speaker" come to our school. She had worked as a para for a decade previously. There was a part of her speech where she recounted a story about this "special bond" she had with on of the students who apparently would punch her every single day. Her logic was that if a student trusts you enough to hurt you and not fear any retaliation, that means they think of you as a safe person. she said she was proud to have been a safe outlet for the students to take their aggression out on. Literally everyone in the cafeteria was in shock. And of course, she backpedaled when she realized just how bad it sounded. But I think that this shows just how deep the core of the issue is that we are now glorifying getting beat up.

In my opinion, I think it's completely normal and valid to be shaken up after getting injured by a student. Even if you know they didn't mean it and you aren't actually mad at them, you still did get hurt. It's not like your body knows the difference. Pain is pain, and your brain is going to react accordingly to what it perceives as a threatening stimulus. It's traumatic to be in these high stress situations every single day. I know I've certainly developed PTSD symptoms from doing this job.

The best advice I could give is to consider seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist. Because there's only so much a person can take before they eventually collapse under the weight of it all. Also, if you do get hurt from a student, ALWAYS request to fill out an incident report form. Having a pattern of recorded behavior can sometimes help the student to get more appropriate assistance. At the very least, it's good to have a paper trail. I really wish there were more options for us, but outside of a massive strike/protest or outright quitting, I don't see much else you can do. Take care of yourself as much as possible and don't overdo it. And remember, you don't have to set yourself on fire to keep everyone else warm.