Responding to Terrorism and War - Information for Educators
How Educators Can Help
It is first important to deal with your own feelings of grief, helplessness, fear, and anger. Seek support, if necessary, from friends, family, and colleagues.
Talk With Your Students
Sit down and talk with the students in your classes. Don't worry about knowing exactly the right thing to say - there is no one answer that will make everything okay. Find out what your students are thinking and feeling, answer any questions with simple, direct and honest responses, and then provide reassurance and support.
Begin by asking the students in your class what they have seen, heard, or experienced. Students may have information from any number of sources: scenes from television, talk among classmates, or overheard conversations among adults. It is important to know what they have heard and what conclusions they have reached. Based on their responses, correct any misunderstandings and provide simple, clear, accurate information about what happened. It is sometimes difficult to know how much information to provide. Let your students' questions guide you. Listen carefully to the questions they are asking and try to understand and respond to the concerns behind the questions. Do not give them more information than they need. Older students typically require more detailed responses than younger children.
It is also important to ask your students what they are feeling about the event. Help younger children to identify and label their feelings, saying "you seem angry" or "you seem frightened". This can allow them to feel more in control of their emotions. Let them know that their feelings are a normal reaction to a frightening event, and reassure them that the feelings will begin to subside with time. It may be valuable to offer young children opportunities to express their feelings through art and play.
Expect some angry outbursts from your students. Some students may express rage or a desire to hurt or kill those responsible, and some may engage in violent play. Let them know that their feelings are only natural under the circumstances. At the same time, help them to maintain control over what they do about their feelings, encouraging them to reject hurtful actions. Help them to separate thoughts and feelings about the individuals who committed the terrorist attack from those about larger groups of people (e.g., all Muslims, people of Arab descent, or foreigners). Stop any bullying or teasing of students immediately.
Do not force students to participate in discussions of the events. Some students may not want to participate in discussions. Do not repeatedly bring up the events. While it is important to give students an opportunity to ask questions and express their feelings, repeated discussions of the event may re-traumatize some children and teens.
Help Your Students to Feel Safe and Secure
Terrorist violence can take away a child's sense of safety and security, just as it does for adults. It is crucial to reinforce your students' sense of safety. Reassure them that they and their loved ones are safe. Let them know that the government of our country (e.g., the President) and many other people, including firefighters, military, police, and doctors, are all working together to make us safe. After any discussion of the event, end the conversation by emphasizing your students' safety and then move into a calming activity.
Although it is important to allow time for the discussion of the events and to allow your students to express their feelings, it is also important to maintain your classroom routines, whenever possible. Your students will be comforted by their normal routine. You may need to reduce your expectations temporarily, however, and may want to delay tests or large projects.
Encourage Your Students to Take Action
Following terrorist attacks, many adults and children alike fight a sense of helplessness and loss of control. You can instill a sense of empowerment by encouraging your students to participate in activities that reinforce the message that one person can make a difference. Different activities will be appropriate for different age groups. Young children may want to draw pictures and send cards to rescue workers or families of victims. They could also participate in fund-raising activities for families of victims, collecting spare change or aluminum cans. Teens might want to volunteer with a community organization that is offering help to the families of victims of terrorist attacks or to plan rallies showing support of groups that are being scapegoated and harassed after attacks.
Limit Your Students' Exposure to Coverage of Terrorist Attacks
Children and teens can be seriously traumatized as a result of exposure to graphic images in the media. Efforts should be made to limit students' exposure to these images in the classroom. If you do choose to have older children or teens see these images on television, keep the exposure brief, watch the coverage with your students, and discuss what they have seen with them.
Support Parents
You may want to hold meetings with parents to give them an opportunity to discuss the events, their children's response, what you are doing in school to address their concerns, and how they can support their children at home. If you have concerns about an individual child, talk with his or her parents. Know what school and community resources are available for children and families who may need counseling.
Make Referrals When Necessary
All of the reactions to traumatic events described above are normal. However, if a student is exhibiting extreme anxiety, fear or anger, or if a child or teen continues to have problems in school or in relationships with friends after a few weeks have passed, you may want to refer the child to mental health counselors in the school and talk with his or her parents.
As mentioned above, older children and teens sometimes respond to traumatic events by becoming involved in risky, aggressive, or self-destructive behaviors. If these behaviors are severe or persist, seek professional help. If a student talks about suicide, seek help immediately.