When a tragic news event dominates the public consciousness, it’s hard to keep it out of classrooms given the nature of today’s news cycles.
Even if teachers don’t intend to discuss what’s going on, and home adults try to keep hard news from their children’s ears, the pervasiveness of social media and 24/7 news cycles make it impossible to keep children from hearing and seeing images and stories that feel scary and incomprehensible.
And, like it or not, they bring it to school with them.
1. Keep the lines of communication open
Teachers might not intend to address the news cycle in class, but that doesn’t mean questions won’t bubble up. If that happens, those questions don’t need to be answered on the spot. Here are some suggestions for how to handle it:
- Start by collecting questions. Acknowledge that something hard is going on and that no one has all the answers. Let students know that you welcome their questions and will set aside space and time for discussion.
- Rather than calling on students to share their questions publicly, hand out index cards for them to write their questions and feelings down. It will encourage the highest level of honesty and transparency, and give an outlet to students who don’t feel comfortable sharing out loud.
- When it comes to processing and discussing, think about a discussion format that will promote equity in conversation. Organize a chalk talk protocol, and consider a microlab discussion or a four-corner activity.
If there’s concern about emotional responses to the discussion, consider inviting the school counselor to participate.
2. Help students get to the truth
Regardless of the age group, students are flooded with misunderstandings and disinformation. Maybe they’ve misunderstood the adult conversation they’ve overheard or they’re seeing all kinds of posts on social media. Either way, it’s hard for anyone to know what or who to believe.
Vaping crisis: Districts resort to dramatic measures, including indictments
Whether you’re a teacher in a classroom, or a school leader, disseminating good resources for digital literacy is essential for managing a hard news cycle with students. This guide, from commonsense.org, has thoughtful suggestions for every age group.
Help students stock their digital literacy toolbox with go-to resources that enable them to distinguish fact from falsehood.
3. Share the discussion with families
If you are planning a discussion, or if one bubbles up spontaneously, be proactive about communicating with families.
Don’t wait till the evening or the next day. You want home adults to hear it from the school adults before students get home and report on their day. Why? Because there may be parents who are sensitive to, or upset by, whatever conversation might be happening at school. If you wait to respond to them after they’ve heard from their child, then you are on the defensive—which can create increased friction.
However, send home a quick group blast, saying some variation of: “I wanted to let all families know that XYZ topic came up today in class. We didn’t address it directly, but I had all the students write their questions down. I will be making space for discussion tomorrow, based on their questions. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to contact me.”
Parents will feel confident that you are managing the issue. Once you go through the students’ questions, if there are any that you think parents should know about, reach out one-on-one. Send a quick text message saying, “I wanted to let you know that Xavier is worried about XYZ. This is the question he shared with me in class today.”
Proactive communication like this not only supports parents to feel at ease, it helps them know what’s going on with their children during a stressful time. Especially when we are in the midst of a challenging moment, taking the time to communicate home is an integral part of supporting student well-being and building trust with families.
