You are a 5th grade teacher in a K to 5 school. The district is in proximity to a large metropolitan urban center that employs many parents of the students in various capacities.
It is 10:00 AM and you are in the faculty room with three other teachers. The principal enters the lounge and tells the group that there has just been an explosion in a large commercial building in the city with many casualties. There are approximately thirty minutes left in the prep period. The principal asks the group to develop a plan to deal with the situation.
What would you advise the principal to do with the students?
Would your course of action change if you were in middle school with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders?
Kimberly Leight
ReplyDeleteI would advise the principal to resume classes as scheduled and when the students got back to their classrooms all teachers would give out a survey type of form. The form would question each student where his or her parents or guardians worked. Once the survey was taken the students who have parents affected by the tragedy would be pulled out. The emergency contact for those students would be called to pick up the child. I would not advise the principal to explain to the students what happened.
If I was in a middle school (6th, 7th, 8th grade) instead of an elementary school (k-5) the comfort level would be the same but the actions would be slightly altered. I would still complete the survey and pull out the individuals being affected but I would inform all the students briefly of what is going on. The teachers would hold off any important assignments so the students who were affected don’t miss out on important tasks or lessons and the class’ are able to learn how to cope with a catastrophe.
Paula Guerra-Lado
ReplyDeleteI will tell the principal to try to get in touch with the family of those who were affected in the accident. Before telling the news all around I will like to know exactly who are the victims.
I will ask the principal to try to contact family members to come and pick up the kids.
While the principal and the secretary and other stuff members are helping with that, teachers will tell their students that accidents happen all the time, that is normal, and the teachers will explain or advise a little about how people feel when that happen and that what can they do to help to pass through that bad experience and to be able to continue with their normal lives. All this will be done without telling the kids about the accident.
The family members will be the ones in charge of telling the kids. But our advice consulter will tell the family members what is the best way to do it and if need it the school will provide help for those students that need it.
I will make the class lesson to be like another day, maybe with little games and stepping a little bit into the accidents that can happen to anyone, but never tell the students directly.
Even if they are bigger kids, I don’t think I will be able to tell such news. I will leave it to the experts like the school psychologist and others that I know will do a better job than me.
If I were a teacher in a K to 5 school, I would advise the principal to keep things quiet about the situation in the city. In order to deal with the situation, a definite plan of action will have to be put together in a fairly short amount time before information and news begins to circulate around the school causing chaos.
ReplyDeleteIn order to make sure everyone is on the same page, I would first recommend send out a school-wide email to all teachers and staff—it will be very important that every member follows all the same steps and responds in similar fashion. In this email I would encourage the teachers to keep quiet about the explosion, and not let any student know what has happened. I would then instruct the teachers to continue with their lessons and activities for the day. The teachers should also be informed that students who need to be picked up by parents or family will be quietly removed from their classrooms without disturbing the rest of the students.
I would also recommend sending out an email to all parents if there is a parent email system. The parents should be informed about how the school is handling the situation so that everyone—teachers, staff, and parents—are all on the same page. The email should also include advice for parents on how to talk to their children about the explosion and casualties, and tips on how to respond to the questions of their children. I would also include phone numbers of guidance counselors and other staff who are available for counseling and answering questions. Finally, to make sure that no information or news of the explosion circulates around the school and gets back to the students, I would make sure that all outsiders are kept out of the school.
If I were in the middle school with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, my course of action would change. With the use of cell phones becoming more prominent among middle school students, I would fear that it would be difficult to keep the students from finding out about the explosion from outside sources. Similarly to how I would handle the situation if I were and a K to 5 school, I would recommend sending out a school-wide email to teachers and staff informing them of the explosion and how the school will be dealing with the situation on hand. However, because of the use of cell phones among students, I would encourage the principal to hold separate assemblies for each grade informing them of the situation so that each student receives the same information at the same time. Afterward, students should be taken back to their classrooms and classes/lessons will proceed like normal. I would stress the importance of normalcy in an attempt to keep the students calm while they are in school.
Teachers should be made aware that students who are being picked up will be released from their classes. I would also recommend having outlets available for students who are upset by the news. It will be important for the students to be able to talk about the explosion in a safe setting. These outlets can include the guidance counselor, group discussions, etc. Finally, I would also send out an email to all parents letting them know how the situation was handled by the school. The email should include advice for parents on how to handle the situation at home, and tips for how to talk to their children about the attack.
Luisa Varona:
ReplyDeleteMi plan would be to call the parents and let them know about the situation, then gather the children in a safe place (if the school has a place to go for emergencies) or to evacuate the school as soon as possible and wait for the parents to pick up the children.
I would not change my course of action because even though they are different grade levels they are all children so I would do the same with any grade.
A. Miklowcic
ReplyDeleteIn the event an extreme emergency strikes that can affect the well being of our students, I would suggest the following emergency plan to the principal of the school I work in:
Make an announcement instructing teachers and students to return to their homeroom.
Not to dismiss the students until a relative picks them up, in case their parents were injured or killed in the event that took place.
The principal should send an email containing details of the situation and suggesting teachers to discretely handle the situation in order to prevent panic.
Make an announcement asking teachers to read their emails immediately.
Activate the emergency school phone line informing the parents of the situation and that their children need to be picked up from school.
Ask for volunteer teachers to stay longer in school to help supervise students.
Have school counselors and psychologists on stand by to provide emotional support to the students.
This improvised emergency plan should also be implemented for grades 6th through 8th. Due to the fact many parents work in the area that has been affected by the explosion, the principal and the teachers must make sure that the students will be safe in a catastrophic situation.
ReplyDeleteIn a situation like this, there are many factors to take into consideration before informing the children, whether they are in fifth or eighth grade. To begin with, I would want to hear everyone’s take on the situation, including the principal's.
Because of the proximity and close quarters to the building, we would have to be extremely careful with our explanation; some kids might automatically assume we were speaking about the building their parents work in.
Collectively, we would agree that we would have to be extremely careful with our wording. We would have to weigh the pros (if any) and cons and develop a formal but sincere explanation. After further discussion, we would agree on a brief description. We would explain "...an accident has happened in the _____ building/area. We're not sure who was injured but there were many injuries and deaths. To keep everyone in the school safe, we're all going to move into the auditorium/gymnasium. This is a time of uncertainty and mixed emotions but we will remain a family together and comfort each other until we receive further information".
If children began to panic or become concerned, we could always reassure them with phone calls or contact with the parents. I believe strongly in the Principal or even Board of Education President/Superintendent sending an automated message to each and every parent informing them that we briefly will be telling the children there was an incident and we will be keeping them all in the auditorium. If you would like to pick your child up early from school for any reason, feel free.
An incident like this; there is no right answer. I was in middle school (6th grade) when September 11th took place. I was in the only classroom that actually had access to a TV. When one teacher ran in and said the towers had been hit, my teacher immediately turned on the news and we watched every minute of the footage. I'm not sure, looking back now, if that was the greatest idea. I don't really remember being nervous or concerned at the time; although I was 12 (considerably older than an elementary school child) I still didn't fully grasp the seriousness of the situation. I remember being sick to my stomach seeing the towers actually being hit but again, I don't remember being super nervous but I believe we definitely shouldn't have watched it.
In the event that I was in a middle school rather than an elementary, we might tell them a bit more information; more details about there being actual fatalities, but nothing more than the basics. I believe all parents should be the voice in a situation as serious as this. I would still bring the children/students into the gym or auditorium to develop more of a family feel for the students, especially if they were very upset.
I personally had more friends in the upper grades in middle school and being with them, especially if I was uncertain about my parents well-being, I would rather be with them in the gym than in a classroom with my teacher.
In situations like these, I feel the best situation is to leave the detailed explanations to the parents. I believe each individual child understands situations differently than others and there's no other person than the child's parent who understands them individually. A serious situation like this encompasses well thought out and emotional connection; something only a relative could physically and mentally give. In the end, the main priority of a teacher or a school is to make sure the students are safe in any and every situation.
I would advise my principal to alert student parents that the children were safe but if they preferred to pick up there children that it was understandable. Also I would explain to students briefly of the circumstances and explain that together we can get through anything. I think this will keep students calm because they know they are not alone and they have each other to lean on. I would suggest that we all relocate students to a safe location on school grounds, and inform parents of the present location. In addition, I would have guidance counselors that could talk to students who were directly affected by the explosion.
ReplyDeleteIf this occurred in a middle school setting, I would do the same but explain in greater detail the severity of the accident. I think that because they are older they are able to synthesize what happened and it will be more difficult to keep students at ease, but jus like in elementary, i think guidance counselors will be needed to help students get through a difficult time.
In any case, students deserve to feel safe, be informed, and be comforted. I think that we ought to provide this within our boundaries of a teacher.
Natasha B.
Ramos,Claudia
ReplyDeleteI would advise the principal to tell the teachers not to alert students about the incident and to resume normal activity as scheduled. There is no need to alarm the students wiathout having accurate information.
Should students find out, thanks to the cell phones they should not have in class. In that case, teachers should keep their students calm and assure them they have nothing to worry about. In order to avoid sharing inaccurate information, teachers should be instructed to give as little information as possible. Instead, I would advise the principal to visit each classroom together with the school counselor to provide students with a brief explanation about the incident and to answer any questions, and also to assure them they are safe in school. Teachers should make the rest of the day fun by playing games or watching a movie, anything that will keep the kids busy and from thinking about the incident.
As we know, bad news travels fast and parents get paranoid. Any good superintendent would send an automated message to the parents assuring them their children are safe. Principal should instruct secretaries to assure those concerned parents who call that their children are safe and sound in their classrooms and if they wish to pick them up they may do so. Principal should appoint at least two staff members to be in charge of dismissing students to worried parents in an orderly manner; staff members should have a sign out log where all parents picking up their children will have to sign before leaving the building. Later that evening superintendent should send another automated message informing parents school counselors will be available to any child that needs to talk. I would use the same procedure for both elementary and middle school.
If I were in this situation I would continue the day as scheduled so that the students would not be effected. I would contact their parents and inform them of the situation and let them know that their children have not yet been informed. We don't want to scare the children or have them panicing. I would advise the principal to hold the students in the auditorium until their parents or their emergency contact comes for them.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Jones 2
ReplyDeleteI course of action would be the same for all grades except I would inform the students as to what is going on. The are more mature so they will better understand the situation.