The Field Guide › Article
A first-person account by Beatriz Poyton of how psychological safety — and its absence — shaped her own education. In schools, she writes, psychological safety is hard to create but easy to destroy: her willingness to put herself and her ideas forward was seriously damaged when teachers laughed at her 15-year-old self for daring to apply to Oxford, reflecting their disbelief that anyone from her school could reach such an institution. Facing that scepticism she withdrew, stopped sharing ideas for fear of ridicule, and lost the point in working hard — an impact that cast a long shadow over her academic confidence. What changed it was a new school that actively encouraged her to aim high; teachers who made clear there were no wrong answers, who let every student voice opinions, and who showed faith in her, created the safe environment that let her see the value others held in her. A vivid illustration that psychological safety is not only a workplace concern — it is formed (or damaged) early, it is unequally distributed, and the people with least of it are often those already told they don't belong.