Children living with uncertainty and insecurity often have difficulty focusing on learning. They might demonstrate disrespectful or defiant behaviors, act out, or act with aggression. As an educator, you may provide the only stability in their otherwise turbulent world. "Making It Better" explains trauma-­informed education, an approach…

In this article we explore the challenges faced by teacher educators who struggle with the emotional and intellectual distance between their work in the university setting and the K-12 classroom. We consider the benefits of having teacher educators find ways to teach children and youth in K-12 contexts as part of their role as teacher…

Fifteen suggestions for adults talking with children about the terrorist attacks include taking the time to listen, separating fact from fiction, stressing the senselessness of violence, recognizing the impact of their own reactions on children, and addressing religious and moral concerns. (DB)

This article offers suggestions to help children with disabilities cope with terrorism. It stresses recognition of triggers and cues to anticipate rather than react to stress and offers tips for specific populations including autism; cognitive limitations; learning disabilities; visual, hearing or physical limitations; and severe emotional…

A teacher recounts her handling of the deaths of two junior high students, summarizes five stages of death, and reviews children's perceptions of death at different ages. Suggestions for teaching terminally ill students are offered along with ideas for helping parents, handling a class after a death, and helping a student after a death in the…

This article describes a class activity for use with students (ages 8 through 15) having moderate-to-mild disabilities. Children work through feelings of grief and loss by constructing a "class book" from pictures and articles depicting loss or grief. Students use the book as a basis for personally reflecting on and writing about the…

Describes the situations children face when their families move and suggests how teachers and program developers should arrange activities to help children adjust in the new society. (CI)

Fourteen suggestions for principals and teachers in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks include providing school leadership, reassuring students about their own safety, maintaining a structured schedule, and engaging in patriotic activities. Seventeen Web sites for additional information and resources are listed. (DB)

Teachers may encounter difficulties in helping the mainstreamed sensory-impaired child deal with psychosocial-sexual adjustment. With better understanding and early recognition of impediments these students experience teachers can modify teaching methods and provide assistance in the child's psychosocial-sexual adjustment. (Author/DF)

The Teenage Health Teaching Modules (THTM) program is a health education curriculum for adolescents. Each THTM module frames an adolescent health task emphasizing development of self-assessment, communication, decision making, health advocacy, and self-management. The major goals of this module are to promote feelings of self-acceptance in…

A model of the grief cycle was developed based on data from studies of the grief process and observations of 130 parents of children with disabilities. The model involves three phases: confronting (including shock, denial, blame/guilt); adjusting (depression, anger, bargaining); and adapting (lifestyle changes, realistic planning, adjusted…

Teachers of the visually impaired have a counseling role in helping students develop healthy self concepts. Teachers need to understand each of the phases of the adjustment process in response to either social stigma or vision loss. Among characteristics of the teacher-counselor are good interpersonal skills and realistic expectations. (Author/DB)

An important responsibility facing educational professionals is consultation with parents; few areas are as sensitive as consultation with parents of disabled children. Stages of adjustment experiences by these parents need to be taken into consideration. Professionals should become more cognizant of the emotional factors in the lives of parents…

This article considers educational implications of a child with cancer, including incidence, telling the child about his/her disease, school reentry, what classmates want to know, counseling the child with cancer, handling the issue of death, and staff issues. A lesson plan on childhood cancer for elementary students is also included. (DB)

The paper examines the effects of stress on children and considers ways in which teachers can help them cope. Three major sources of stress are identified: (1) normal developmental stress, such as pressure for academic success; (2) endemic social stress, resulting from such social trends as rising divorce rates and the general erosion of the…