ES Counseling Corner
Special Edition March 6, 2015
Helping our Kids after a Scary Day
When our children go through a scary moment our priority is to ensure that children feel safe at school. In the Elementary School at Balboa Academy, we helped our kids process Thursday's events by having class meetings.
First, children had the opportunity to share what they experienced. Then, in the meeting, teachers shared the facts about the day, in an age appropriate manner. We assured them that later, after they went home, the fire department and the police let the teachers and Mrs. Torchin know that it was safe to go back into our building.
Some kids chose to share with their classmates how they felt. Then, all the students received reassurance that we have adults at school who take care of them and ensure their safety and procedures (like drills) to always keep them safe. The message was that we are safe at school.
At the end, they had opportunities to share what helped them feel better yesterday.
Dealing with information presented in media during these events can sometimes be tricky to handle. We can all appreciate the connectedness that social media networks offer. But, it also allows our students to inadvertently receive information that they are too young to handle. Our best defense is to openly address what our children were able to see in the media.
American School Counselor Association Recommends
• Try and keep routines as normal as possible. Kids gain security from the predictability of routine, including attending school.
• Limit exposure to television and the news.
• Be honest with kids and share with them as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.
• Listen to kids’ fears and concerns.
• Reassure kids that the world is a good place to be, but that there are people who do bad things.
• Parents and adults need to first deal with and assess their own responses to crisis and stress.
• Rebuild and reaffirm attachments and relationships.
The World is a Good Place To Be-
Your family can join thousands of people around the world who will be doing random acts of kindness.
visit http://www.buenasaccionespty.com to learn more about the organization promoting the day's activities
http://www.ponteenalgo.com has links to all the volunteer opportunities the day has to offer
Gaby Gaudiano
Email: ggaudiano@balboa.edu.pa
Location: Bldg 100 Ciudad del Saber
Phone: 302-0035