Helping Your Students Cope With Disasters

The international events from the past week have left most, if not all of us, reeling, but what about your students/children? The Sesame Street Here for Each Other, Helping Families After Emergencies resource offers six tips to help ALL of us cope.

1. Comfort your student/child: This can best accomplished if YOU have come to grips with the disaster. Listen and answer any questions your students/children have.
2. Spend time together: Encourage parents to spend quality family time with their children (this helps strengthen the belief that no matter what is going on outside, the family unit is strong).
3. Keep a normal routine whether in your classroom or at home. This includes regularly-scheduled classroom activites and routine bedtimes.
4. Monitor the Media: Don’t allow students to watch repeated images of disaster no matter what the media platform.  Also don’t let yourself become obsessed with news updates or keeping the TV tuned into news channels.
5. Beware of student’s behavior: Watch for actions outside of the norm and contact the counselor if you are suspicious.
6. Take care of yourself. This should be obvious; we are better educators when we are feeling good about ourselves.