Wounded America: Structured Intervention for Teachers

The abrupt and shocking attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by terrorists has left many adults and children feeling sad, frightened, bewildered and helpless. How can teachers help their young students feel more secure, more stable and capable of positive action?

Providing children with a familiar setting where many ordinary routines are honored help children feel their personal world is intact and safe. Providing children with new avenues to acknowledge the changes in the world shows the students that the teacher is and remains stable and flexible . This makes coping with these terrible events possible. It is also the beginning of demonstrating evidence that people can remain competent and functional while terrible events occur. The teacher's example can support and encourage children's ability to remain capable and able to learn and digest experience, even when the experience is potentially life changing for massive numbers of people.

Keeping to the Ordinary

Appropriate steps for children of all ages:

Let the day begin with ordinary activities for example:
1. Outer garments and lunch boxes still are put in usual places at beginning of the day.
2. Seating arrangement is the same.
3. Calling the role is the same.
4. Outlining the day is the same with breaks, meal times and physical recreation time keeping to usual schedule.
5. Selecting students for specific class tasks: e.g. handing out paper, writing on blackboard, cleaning erasers, opening or closing windows, adjusting curtains or blinds etc.

New Avenues to Address Crisis

Appropriate steps for children of all ages:
1. Early and in matter of fact tone announce that a section of the day will be devoted to exploring the current crisis.
2. Let students know that some homework will be based on the discussion.
3. Let students know that some drawing or painting will also be involved.
4. Let students know when this will occur, i.e. it will occur within the context of an ordinary school day.

Once all these announcements have been made clearly the day has already begun with a structure and solidity that is reassuring to a child. The teacher may then start an educational and expected activity unrelated to the current crisis.

When the scheduled time for looking at the crisis arrives the teacher can lead the children in clearing away the first activity and moving into this new activity. Calmly and in an ordinary tone the teacher can introduce the topic of the news. The teacher can be general and invite questions from the class, as she or he might introduce any ordinary topic.

For example:
How many people know that something important has happened in our country? Can anyone describe what has happened?

Let as many children who wish to speak voice their understanding. The teacher might make a list on the blackboard and write down the essence of what each child describes. Teacher might have several categories for the descriptions: what might be true, what might be not true, what might be something we don't know. Without criticism the teacher will state the essence of what the child describes and then let the class vote on which category the particular description fits. A description might get a few votes for each category. The teacher writes all the votes for each category next to the child's statement.

In a class of very young children the teacher might draw a symbol or face or simple picture that depicts a child's description.

With guidance and information and much reassurance from the teacher, allow the children to look together at the descriptions before them. Children can talk about what they think and feel about these descriptions. The votes for various categories may change after discussion. Throughout this exploration the teacher continuously can address, reassure and explain. She or he can allow children to reassure each other when possible. The teacher can then correct misunderstandings, rumors, and fears.

The teacher can also, and most importantly, accept descriptions of emotional upset, physical symptoms and regressive behavior in a matter of fact way, making clear that these experiences are normal and temporary responses to a shocking experience of this magnitude.

For example, children five years old and under may be afraid to be separated from their parents, may cry, cling, wet the bed at night, return to sucking their thumbs. Children from six to eleven may be withdrawn or disruptive, have nightmares or sleep problems, complain of stomach aches, feel guilt or be emotionally flat or both. Adolescents can experience depression, substance abuse, anti-social behavior, disruptive revenge fantasies, nightmares, guilt over not being able to help or guilt about being concerned over something that seems trivial in the wake of this disaster.

The class can move into artwork and draw pictures of what they think, see, feel, i.e. any aspect of the news event or any aspect of their own feelings. These completed pictures can also be a source of continued supportive and clarifying discussion in the class.

At the end of this discussion the teacher can ask each child to think of five to ten questions to ask about the events. This is a homework assignment for which the children will receive a grade.

Conducting discussion in this form provides stability. The teacher has created a normal structure in which to examine extraordinary events along with the emotional and cognitive responses of the students. Voting on the categories for the comments is empowering and stimulates discussion of disagreements. The homework assignment is also empowering to the students. They now have something to do that will give them a way to think about these events. The assignment is productive and meaningful in their immediate and personal lives because they will earn academic credit for fulfilling their homework requirement.

The crisis activity is followed by an ordinary section of the school day, probably a usual break time or lunchtime and then more of ordinary day activities. However, all activities are conducted with a sensitive and respectful attention to gentleness, consideration, compassion and kindness with opportunities for warm relating.

Structure and support presented in this respectful and contained way can give children some relief from their sadness and dispel much of the fear, bewilderment and helplessness many children of any age may feel from their exposure to the recent tragic events. The conversations may even lead to small and reasonable actions children can take to not only feel but actually be more secure and empowered in the world.

Note:

Possible reparative and empowering actions for children:

1. Sending thank you letters and pictures to: firemen, policemen, rescue workers, volunteers (the children choose).

2. Making baked goods and bringing them to the local fire station and police station.

3. Entire class drawing one large picture that includes all the children's names to be sent as support and caring to children of the same grade in the affected parts of the country.

4. Writing letters to the president saying just what they specifically want to say.

5. Discussing how being normal and ordinary is an important aspect of being healthy and how, when they live their ordinary lives, they are helping themselves and everyone else to be okay after the tragedy. This makes all their actions, e.g. brushing their teeth, feeding the dog, playing with friends, cuddling with their parents etc. all part of being empowered and secure.

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