To feel better, I went for a run on this cool, sunny day with my dog. During my run, I thought back to my years as a high school teacher. I taught during the 9/11 tragedy and the Columbine shootings. Both of those events stand out to me for obvious reasons, but it still baffles me that our administration advised us to go on as if it was a normal day. Just ignore it. Teach about metaphors and past participle phrases, but whatever you do, don't talk about the sadness and despair that was occurring on those days.
When Dozer (my dog) jerked me to chase after a squirrel, I was pulled back into my run and realized that my planned tempo run wasn't going as planned. With my menses on the way (a.k.a. The Old Lady), I was tired and craving a juicy steak. I tried to ignore my fatigue, but my body yelled, JUST SLOW DOWN! So... I listened and I slowed down. I didn't meet my tempo goal, but I did go one mile longer than I planned. Plus, Dozer got tired and we trotted in unison down the oak-lined streets of the neighborhood. It was nice and I felt better about the world.
Back to a comfortable rhythm, I returned to thoughts about the tragedy. It seems to me that our goals as educators go beyond just teaching our content. In fact, content is really 25% of what we do. Most of it is about helping students make sense of the world they live in. Just like listening to our bodies during a run, we also need to thoughtfully interact with the present moment and do what is best for the students in the room. I'm pretty sure that ignoring the tragedy is just like ignoring a nagging symptom during running. And we all know that those lead to injuries, that sometimes take months to heal.
At the same time, doing that is easier said than done. Oftentimes, we don't know how to react and we worry that our stances might upset those around us or conflict with the values of parents. Thanks to all my wonderful teacher friends on Facebook who shared advice and resources for how to talk to students about tragedy. Here are few to get us thinking...
- Conversations with kids about the news
- Talking about violence
- How West Wing dealt with it, when you are at a loss for words
"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." -- Mister Rogers
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