Seattle Press on Line - Talking to Kids About Terrorism

Teacher Ted

Talking to Kids About Terrorism

By Ted Lockery

Sep 27, 2001 -- I didn't get word of the tragic hijackings and subsequent attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon until I reached my mailbox at school. Like any other day, I blithely pulled a stack of notices and attendance sheets from my slot, my mind fixated on the morning's lesson plans. My ignorance (or was it innocence?) of the horrific events must have shown in my face or in the way I carried myself, for the principal knew to lean over the office counter and utter those words repeated a thousand times over that day, "Have you heard the news?"

Leaving the main office I could hear the news broadcasting from the lounge where a small cluster of teachers silently watched the televised images of destruction, a few with hands over their mouths.

For the next several days, students and I in our freshman health classes processed our feelings and emotions through journal writing and group discussions. We discussed how individuals might be affected by the events (fear, anger, depression, vengeance), and how they might best address those effects to maintain their health in each of the five categories that we had been studying: physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, and social.

We also discussed how individuals, and the country as a whole, seemed to be going through a progression of emotional states from shock, to anger, to grief, and back to anger, or on to vengeance. When attention turned to the question, "What should be done about it?" the range of feelings in my classroom was quite diverse. On opposite ends of the spectrum were those who wanted to bomb the hell out of Afghanistan, and those who could only justify non-violent resolutions to the aggression. There were many in the middle who were confused or conflicted over how their immediate emotional response could be reconciled with their reflective sense of morality.

As the United States prepares for military retaliation, it is likely that violence and murder will yet again be employed as means toward the end of justice, this time in far-off lands, affecting populations of Muslim heritage. Our students and children will continue to be exposed to such acts of aggression--images as well as well as rhetoric--both in the media and in conversation. Parents and educators (and President Bush) would do well to heed the advice of the National Association of School Psychologists (NSAP) who have prepared a handout on the topic entitled, "A National Tragedy: Promoting Tolerance and Peace in Children--Tips for Parents and Schools."

The NSAP suggests that, "People who are angry or frightened often feel that the ability to "fight back" puts them more in control or will alleviate their sense of pain. While anger is a normal response felt by many, we must ensure that we do not compound an already great tragedy and react against innocent individuals with vengeance and intolerance."

The following is an abridged version of the NASP "Tips for Parents and Teachers":

1. Model tolerance and compassion. Children take their emotional cues from the significant adults in their lives.

2. Avoid stereotyping people or countries that might be home to the terrorists. Children can easily generalize negative statements to students in the classes and community.

3. Address the issue of blame factually...Use non-speculative words.

4. Discuss how it would feel to be blamed unfairly by association. Ask children if they have ever gotten in trouble for something a sibling or friend did and how they felt.

5. Explore children's fears...Use activities, role-playing, and discussions to explore their fears about the events and their feelings about various ethnic groups.

6. Emphasize positive, familiar images of diverse ethnic groups. Identify people of diverse ethnicities that your children know and who have a positive place in their lives.

The National Association of School Psychologists and their complete pamphlet on promoting tolerance and peace can be found at their website: www.nasponline.org.

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