The first day of school after the tragedy has offered many challenges to educators (I’ll be posting about what how things went in my classroom in a few minutes). Some very useful resources have also become available today:

I’m adding these first few to The Best Resources On Talking With Children About Tragedies:

The PBS News Hour had this very good segment. I’m embedding it below. You can also find the text (and the video) of Kids Need Sense of Normalcy, Reassurance They Are Not Alone in Time of Crisis here.

Here’s an excerpt that I found particularly useful, and which I will re-emphasize to my students tomorrow:

AMY SMITH: First of all, I would like to reinforce the idea that schools are very safe places. They certainly are very safe places.

One of the things that we can help our children do is understand the difference between something that can happen — clearly, these types of horrific events can happen. But the probability of them happening is extremely small. And we need to help students and faculty and parents and communities understand that that’s true.

Am I Safe? Talking to Your Kids About the Sandy Hook School Shooting is from TIME.

Helping Students Cope in the Wake of the Sandy Hook School Shooting is from NEA Today.


In the Wake of Newtown, Helping Children Cope
is from Education Week.

I’m adding these next resources to A Collection Of Resources On The Sandy Hook Shooting:

Revisiting U.S. Policy on Mental Health, Gun Control After Sandy Hook Tragedy is from The PBS News Hour. You can find the text here.



Majority sees Connecticut shooting as societal problem
is an infographic from The Washington Post.

The Backlash Against ‘I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother’ is from TIME.

Fears of Stigmatizing People With Autism is from The New York Times.

My View: Above all, teachers are in it for the kids is from CNN, and I think it’s a great piece.

When the safety of school is attacked is from The Hechinger Report.

Seeking Comfort in Song Amid the Whiz of Bullets is a horrifying, must-read piece from The New York Times.