CHRIS
TOY
Diary #4
Dealing with Tragedy
It's been a hard week for everyone. When I heard about the first plane hitting the world Trade Center I thought it was just a crazy rumor. But I stepped into an empty classroom only to watch the second plane hit. I remember feeling a knot in my stomach as I watched. I can't remember any sound, just the feeling.
I knew right away that I needed to implement our crisis team. I also needed to get some direction from my superintendent. Some teachers knew and some were completely unaware. Only a couple of students knew about the facts from the news. They were students who had just come in to school after outside appointments at the orthodontist or the doctor. After speaking to the guidance counselor, the superintendent, and some teachers it was decided that I would write up a statement about the events of the morning. I took the facts right off the CNN website and edited down to the bare essentials. I then made a list of talking points. The text of the memo is below:To: FMS staffI spent the rest of the day talking with staff and parents about our plan. It worked out pretty well. Most students did not know about the incident and those who had heard didn't really understand the magnitude. I'm not sure the adults did either. We were all in shock. Weighing "normality" against responsiveness The idea was to give students the facts as we knew them, have a short time to process, but let the students go home to talk with their parents. We ended the day with a short stand-up staff meeting to figure out what to do the next day. We decided to begin the day with a moment of silence and then to use the last half hour or so of homebase time to process with the students. We had extra counselors on hand and we had also contacted local clergy and private counselors to be on standby. This also went pretty smoothly. I'm wondering though, is this the calm before the storm? We'll have to keep a close eye on the students, and perhaps on ourselves. There has been a bit of controversy about how to respond as a school and a school system. Some folks felt that we should do our best to maintain a normal schedule for students during this stressful time. Others felt that out of respect for those touched by the tragedy things like games and practices should be cancelled. It ended up that practices were held, but were optional. Games were cancelled because other teams had decided not to have contests the past two days. Friday's national day of mourning also presented a couple dilemmas. Some teachers felt there should be a whole school assembly while other teachers wanted to keep the students in small, class-sized groups. Still others wanted to have students and teachers meet in teams. After talking with each team leader I decided to let each team decide what they would do.
From: Chris RE: Events at the World Trade Center in New York I will be asking teachers to share the following information with last period classes today at 2 PM. The following report is taken from CNN News. Please share it with students. NEW YORK (CNN) -- Terrorists struck this morning in attacks that included significant buildings. = In the first attack, a plane smashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan shortly before 9 a.m., followed by another plane into the second tower about 20 minutes later. = About an hour later, a plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington. Please remember to make the following points: There is not a problem in Maine We are safe here at school and in Freeport. There are lots of rumors, please don't assume they are accurate. Teachers, counselors, and other staff members are concerned and willing to take time to talk with students about their feelings. It's important to keep things as normal as possible here at school for the children.
The sixth
grade teachers took the students into two rooms at noontime and together
they watched the television coverage of the ceremonies happening across
the country. The 7th grade team took their students out to the flagpole
where they stood for a few minutes listening for the sound of the church
bells.
One of our new staff members closed the gathering by expressing sorrow
for those affected by the attacks and thanking those gathered for their
support. It was simple, eloquent, and just about perfect. The 8th grade
team decided to have a moment of silence in each of their classrooms and
then to talk with the students about how they were dealing with the tragedy.
I think it went well.
Should we cancel the dance?
In addition to the issue of sporting events, there was also the question about the school dance on Friday evening. Should it be cancelled or should it go on? Where did the first dance of the year fit into the balance of being respectful of those thousands affected by the tragedy and keeping things as normal as possible for the children? After talking to the guidance counselor I decided to have the dance. We decided to start the dance with a moment of silence and instead of candles we gave each student a glow stick. I had all the students attending the dance, about 250, form a circle around the edge of the gymnasium. I explained that we would begin the evening by taking a few minutes to remember those people who lost their lives in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. I also spoke about my decision to hold the dance even though there were reasons for cancelling it. I explained that while it is right to stop and remember why we are sad and upset, it is also important that we be together to support one another. It is also important to show the terrorists that what they did could not destroy our lives. I told the students that after a few moments of silence we would all recite the pledge of Allegiance. I asked them to say it slowly and to think about each word, each sentence, and to really consider what it meant.The lights went down and a spotlight was placed on the large flag on the gym wall. After two minutes we all recited the pledge.
I think I
made the right decision.
