How to Support Your Students Following a Traumatic News Day
We are all familiar with the experience of opening our phones or turning on the TV or heading over to social media only to learn that something terrible has happened. There has been a declaration of war several countries away or a school shooting in our city. There has been an earthquake or a fire or a flood, and the number of casualties is still climbing.
We thumb through newsfeeds looking for updates; we listen as newscasters fill the air waiting for new developments; we call our own families. And, if you’re an educator, you are likely wondering, “How can I address this with my students or their families?” If you’re leading a school or a district, you are likely wondering how best to communicate with your staff or your larger school community—or to allow the space for people to share how they are feeling.
The essays below reflect guidance, strategies, and considerations from educators and researchers around the country who have wrestled with how to respond to tragic events at home and abroad, including how to help students wade through online misinformation to find their way to the facts.
We hope you can find inspiration from how your peers responded to traumatic news days in the past—even as those exact circumstances change. The essays appear in reverse chronological order; we encourage you to scroll through. We will continue to periodically update this collection and invite you to reach out to us either in the form of a letter to the editor or an essay if you would like to share your thoughts.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
I Am Jewish and an Educator. Where Do I Stand With Equity Advocates Today?
Most educators don't know how to address the Israel-Hamas war, but there are some things they can do right now.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
An Urgent Message to School Leaders: Your Arab and Muslim Students Need You
In the past, Middle East conflicts prompted spikes of anti-Muslim collective blame. It’s happening again today.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
‘What Is a Teacher to Do?’: Returning to the Classroom After a Tragedy
Earlier this year, an active shooter shook my campus. Here are my 3 lessons on preparing for the first day back in front of class.
Teaching
Opinion
Discussing the Israel-Hamas War With Students Isn't Easy. It Shouldn't Be
Even as educators acknowledge how complex this conversation is, remember there are opportunities for agreement.
Social Studies
Opinion
Fighting the Rise in Antisemitism: Advice for Teachers
Teaching students about the Holocaust isn’t enough. An instructional specialist offers a different approach to combat antisemitism.
Student Well-Being
Video
‘I Wished I Could Help Tyre’: Memphis 2nd Graders Use Art, Expression to Foster Change
One Memphis teacher is using art to help her 2nd graders process, heal, and grow in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death.
Teaching
Opinion
Students (and Many Adults) Can't Tell Fact From Fiction Online. Here's How to Help
Most students are never taught how to evaluate information online—and many others get outdated advice.
Social Studies
Opinion
An Unlikely Tool Can Help Students Understand the Russia-Ukraine War: Sports
For some students, sports can help make sense of the complexities of war. Here are three strategies.
Social Studies
Opinion
TikTok Is Feeding My Students Fake News About Ukraine. How Can Truth Win?
My students aren’t the first generation to be fooled by war propaganda, writes a history teacher. Here’s what we can learn from history.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Students Want to Talk About Race. Let Them
To have healthy and productive classroom discussions, educators should be open and vulnerable, write Tyrone C. Howard and Keara Williams.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Grief Has Engulfed the Learning Environment. Here's What Can Help
Three strategies to bring grief-responsive teaching into your classroom.
Social Studies
Opinion
My Students Still Have Questions About the Capitol Riot. They Deserve Honest Answers
Jan. 6, 2021, is a lesson plan for the difficult but critical U.S. history that often gets left out of textbooks, writes a history teacher.
Social Studies
Opinion
The U.S. Capitol Insurrection Was a Case Study in White Privilege. Teach It That Way
Last year, I watched the Jan. 6 riots wondering what would have happened if the rioters had been Black. It's time to talk to students about it.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
The Stanford Scholar Bent on Helping Digital Readers Spot Fake News
Rick Hess speaks with Sam Wineburg about fake news, digital learning, and how to help children navigate online content.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
The Scary Truth About Student Radicalization: It Can Happen Here
How do children grow into hate-filled adults? Researcher Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, a Bosnian genocide survivor, explains.
Social Studies
Opinion
The Insurrection Highlights the Need for Civics Learning
What if the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol had received civics and anti-bias education in school? Would it have made a difference?
Teaching
Opinion
Being a Teacher Means Talking About Sensitive Social Issues. Here's How
You can set the stage for conversations that benefit all students, writes a team of researchers and practitioners.
Policy & Politics
Opinion
Are You Contributing to Truth Decay?
Our political discourse, and what we search for online, is contributing to truth decay. It's time that it stops.
School & District Management
Opinion
How Some Principals Responded to the Violence at the U.S. Capitol
Principals and teachers share how they're talking (or not talking) with each other following Wednesday's insurrection.
Social Studies
Opinion
We Americans Risk Losing the Ability to Govern Ourselves. Better Civics Education Can Help
The ability to discern fact from fiction and to recognize reliable news is fundamental, writes News Literacy Project's Charles Salter.
Social Studies
Opinion
Post-Election Teaching Strategies
Four teachers share suggestions for post-election lessons, including focusing on local issues and practicing media literacy.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
The Pandemic Is Raging. Here's How to Support Your Grieving Students
What do students who have experienced a loss need in the classroom? Brittany R. Collins digs into the science.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
This Election Is Traumatizing for Many Students (and Educators). Here's How to Help
Three trauma-informed practices can ease polarization in the classroom, write professor Anita Chari and trauma therapist Angelica Singh.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
How Ready Are We to Support Kids Through This Trauma?
School counselors aren't getting what they need to properly support their students, write four researchers.
Teaching
Opinion
Lessons for Teachers From George Floyd's Death & Black Lives Matter
Four educators share changes they are making in their teaching as a result of the violent death of George Floyd and subsequent protests, such as trying to leave a deficit framework behind and looking at more systemic causes of racism.
Education
Opinion
Privilege and Racial Justice: How to Have Difficult Conversations With Students
Talking about privilege can feel uncomfortable, but it doesn't have to. Here's how to increase empathy to keep the momentum going in the call for racial justice.
Families & the Community
Opinion
Why I Showed My Young Children the Video of George Floyd's Death
Our children see that the law does not apply equally to all, writes lawyer and historian Allison Matulli. It's a lesson that parents and educators can’t ignore.
Teaching
Opinion
Teachers 'Cannot Stop at Conversations' About Racism
Three educators discuss what teachers can do in response to George Floyd's death, including not stopping at conversations and instead moving to action.
Teaching
Opinion
'The Problem With Kindness': SEL & the Death of George Floyd
Suggestions in the face of George Floyd's death, among them, going beyond social-emotional-learning skills and "know and teach the history of race."
Teaching
Opinion
What Educators Should—and Should Not Do—in Response to George Floyd's Death
Two educators offer suggestions on what to do—and not do—in the wake of George Floyd's death, such as learning about the legacy of racism before taking action and not just limiting actions to empty messages of support.
Teaching
Opinion
What Teachers Should Learn From the Death of George Floyd
Two teachers reflect and communicate about what they think educators should learn from the death of George Floyd, including the importance of being anti-racist and challenging White teachers to acknowledge their implicit biases.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
How to Take Care of the Adults (and Yourself) in Your School Community
Teachers, parents, and school leaders themselves will all need support during and after the coronavirus pandemic, write Phyllis L. Fagell and Joshua P. Starr.
School & District Management
Opinion
Trauma-Informed Practice Is a Powerful Tool. But It's Also Incomplete
Trauma-informed practice must be informed by the individual needs of students and the systems that caused their trauma, write Simona Goldin and Debi Khasnabis.
Teaching
Opinion
Making Current Events Connections to Lessons
Seven educators discuss multiple ways to bridge current events with their classroom lessons, including applying learning transfer and information-literacy strategies.
Social Studies
Opinion
Seven Ways to Bring Current Events Into the Classroom
Project-based learning and student-created podcasts are among the techniques six educators employ to bring current events into the classroom and engage students.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Teaching About Human Rights and Genocide: Content, Connections, and Civic Engagement
Human rights and genocide can be taught across the curriculum. Here are some resources and strategies.
Assessment
Opinion
Think Today's Students Don't Know History? Try Looking at Students 100 Years Ago
Hand-wringing over young people’s historical illiteracy may be popular, but it isn’t new, writes Sam Wineberg
Education
Opinion
Teacher-Led Networks Turn Educators Into First Responders
A new era of teacher leadership, both online and in person, allows educators to connect beyond their school walls and quickly respond to problems impacting their classrooms, writes Kira J. Baker-Doyle.
Professional Development
Opinion
6 Things Teachers Can Do When Bad News Strikes
The morning after the 2016 election, a first-period 11th grade English class sat in front of me visibly subdued. I knew, from my own experiences, that if I did not acknowledge their discomfort and fear, they would learn nothing...
Student Well-Being
Opinion
The Brain Science Behind Student Trauma
The brain's response to trauma and unpredictable stress has critical implications for student learning, explains researcher Bruce Perry.
Curriculum
Opinion
Uncomfortable Conversations: Tools to Teach Current Events and Controversial Issues
How to tackle difficult conversations in the classroom.
Teaching
Opinion
Teachers Should Examine Biases When Discussing Sensitive Topics
What are good strategies teachers can use when exploring "controversial" topics? Educators weigh in.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Help Students See Other Viewpoints and Fill the Knowledge Gap
Official online sources can be powerful tools for developing students' perspectives. Here's how.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Educators Shouldn't Avoid the Tough Conversations
Contemporary society offers the best curriculum for teaching students about the trauma of racism and discrimination, writes H. Richard Milner, University of Pittsburgh education professor.
Curriculum
Opinion
When Tragic Events Enter the Classroom: A Teacher's Dilemma
A teacher was faced with difficult decisions on how to approach the horrific bombings in Boston with her 7th graders.