Blogs It was the 11th school shooting in the United States this year — and it happened on January 23rd.
Pundits and politicians alike suggest that we, as a nation, are becoming numb to school shooting incidents — that we have become desensitized. However, nothing could be further from the truth for educators, their students, and school communities — tragedies like these are personal.
Although this most recent school shooting has been notably overshadowed by continuously breaking news, and it’s not a trending topic on Twitter, the tragic events at Marshall County High School in Kentucky this week are front and center in the minds of teachers, students, and parents across the nation.
Earlier this school year we published a post in the aftermath of the California wildfires that touched upon what teachers can do to support their students in times of tragedy. While the tragedy differs in type and scope, many of the tips for teaching in times of tragedy can help in the aftermath of gun violence — whether it happens in your own school or your community is feeling the anxiety that follows watching an event, like the one that played out in Kentucky, from afar.
But when it comes to something so important, teachers can never have too many resources to help them help students with resilience and, most importantly, healing.
Here are a few more resources to add to your toolbox to help you, your students, and your families deal with school-based trauma:
Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask
Leading in Times of Tragedy
Supporting Students at School: Tools for Teachers
- Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
- Helping Students Cope with Media Coverage of Disasters: A Fact Sheet for Teachers and School Staff
- Responsible Media Coverage of Crisis Events Impacting Children and Youth
Supporting Students at Home: Tools for Families
- After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal Checklist
- Talking to Children about the Shooting
- Helping Your Child Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting
- Helping Students During Crisis
- Tips for Parents on Media Coverage
- Helping Children Cope with Frightening News
- Common Stress Reactions Experienced by Children after a Disaster
- Going Back to School after a Tragedy
We, at Teaching Channel, send our deepest sympathy to the teachers, students, and families of Marshall County High School, and continue to keep all of the school communities impacted by gun violence in our minds and hearts.
