When the kids were getting out of school for the summer the Uvalde, Texas shooting had just happened. So, they’re coming back this week with the knowledge that kids died in the violence there. They’re also dealing with hearing about the Greenwood Park Mall shooting. These events can be tough to take, even for the toughest of children.
“Our kids and frankly all of us have to feel safety first before anything more than that can happen, like learning in the classroom,” said Dr. Beth Trammel, associate professor of Psychology at Indiana University East.
She said the best bet to keep productivity in the classroom high and anxiety low is focusing on safety in as many ways as possible.
“It’s gonna be tough,” she said. “It’s gonna be tough.”
Trammel said that teachers and parents can help “if it comes up then addressing it as age appropriate, depending on the age of the child and really focusing on the ways that they are doing their part in trying to keep everybody safe.”
She said kids ultimately want to know that everything’s going to be okay and that adults are doing everything they can to keep everybody safe.
If your kids have a device, expect that they’ve seen the news about mass shootings. But, she said have a conversation with them to find out what they know so that you can help them deal with it. She said that you should be watching the kids for any changes in behavior, in their mood, eating or sleeping habits.
If you see those changes, she said further conversation may be warranted, or perhaps even considering talking to a professional to help cope.
Many kids will go through or have gone through active shooter drills, whether they are called that or not. Trammel said kids know that we have drills for all sorts of safety reasons.
“For older kids it may be worth having additional conversations bth at home and at school,” she said. “The goal is to try and increase safety without invoking fear.”
But, one element of that is seeing the school safety plan. Many of them, in fact most of them, are far stricter than in previous generations.
“It feels like this s sort of the new normal for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Our kids experiencing these drills and these conversations, it’s probably gonna continue.”
While that part may be of little comfort, Trammel said that parents shoulkd look for the afore-mentioned changes in behavior, in mood, sleep or eating habits, can give you a good idea about the direction in which you need to go with helping them deal. She said in most cases if kids tell you they’re alright, they’re right about that.
1 comment
The odds of being involved in a school shooting are about equal to the odds of being involved in a mass shooting, which are about equal to the odds of getting struck by lightning. Kids aren’t really worried about getting hit by lightning.
Kids have a fear of shootings because the Pravda media and their Democrat masters make a big deal out of it as part of their political agenda. Even the “good guy” portion of the Greenwood Park Mall shooting is downplayed, because the Dems don’t want kids to think armed staff would be a safe move. The kids are pawns in their game. It’s pathetic.