'Angel of Grief' photo (c) 2009, Konrad Summers - license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

(check out my BAM! podcast, “How Can We Help Students Handle Loss and Grief?”)

UPDATE: How to Talk to Your Kids About the Orlando Shooting is from TIME.

RESOURCES FOR TALKING WITH STUDENTS ABOUT THE BUFFALO MURDERS & “GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY”

New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race & Racism

Teaching & Learning Resources For The Pittsburgh Massacre

Today’s tragedy in Connecticut seems too awful for words.

Here are some resources on talking with children about tragedies. I hope you’ll share more:

The Best Resources For Helping Students Deal With Grief might be useful.

Resources: Talking and Teaching About The Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut is from The New York Times Learning Network.

Unspeakable Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School is from Edutopia.

Tips for Talking to Children About the Shooting is from The New York Times.

How to talk to kids about violence is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post.

Talk to Your Kids About the Recent Violence is from ABC News.

Kids, the Media and Tragedy: 5 Lessons I Learned From Columbine

Taking Aim at Violence in Schools (lesson plan) from NY Times Learning Network.

TeachersFirst’s Resources for School Violence

Coping with Tragedy is from The California Department of Education.

Here are resources from The PTA.

How Not to Talk With Children About the Sandy Hook Shooting is from The New York Times.


School Violence: Is It in Your Backyard? Examining Recent Trends in School Violence is a simple lesson plan that could easily be adapted for the Connecticut tragedy.

Helping Students Navigate a Violent World is from Teaching Tolerance.

Listen, Connect, Protect is from Ready.gov.

I thought this segment from PBS NewsHour was good:

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.


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

Handling Tragedy: How to Talk to Kids About Sandy Hook is from Edutopia.

Newtown shootings: How do you explain murder to a child? is from The BBC.

Talking about terrorist attacks with young people: tips for teachers is from The Guardian.

How Teachers And Schools Can Help When Bad Stuff Happens is from NPR.

Resources for Responding to Trauma and Tragedy is from Edutopia.

How To Talk With Kids About Terrible Things is from NPR.

Resiliency After Violence is from Harvard.

Teaching in Times of Tragedy is from The Teaching Channel.

How To Talk With Kids About Violent Attacks In The News is from NPR.

How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War is from Common Sense Media.

From Pain To Purpose: 5 Ways To Cope In The Wake Of Trauma is from NPR.

Big boys and girls DO cry: How teachers and parents should talk to children about traumatic events is from The Washington Post.

The Best Way to Break Awful News to a Kid, According to Reddit is from Lifehacker.

Texas school shooting: How to help kids get through unspeakable horror is from The LA Times.

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers is from NASP.

How to talk to your kids about school shootings is from The Washington Post.

Resources for Talking and Teaching About the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas is from The NY Times Learning Network.

Nine Tips for Talking With Kids About Trauma is from Greater Good Magazine.

Resources for Talking and Teaching About the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas is from The NY Times Learning Network.

Gun violence, grief, and trauma: A resource guide for students, teachers, and parents is from Chalkbeat.

After a traumatic event, how can teachers best help students? is from Chalkbeat.