Teaching On "Days After"

In the wake of major events, tragedies, or moments of collective trauma, our students look to us not just for instruction, but for care, clarity, and connection. To support this critical work, we are pleased to share a curated set of resources designed to help educators navigate the days after these moments with justice-centered and trauma-responsive practices.

These types of events vary, but include:

• Acts of political violence
• Viral videos of violence against civilians
• War or invasions
• Natural disasters and climate crises
• Accidents resulting in harm
• Incidents of racial violence and white supremacy
• Incidents within a school (student death, scandal, protest or rally)
• New policies or bills at local, state, or federal level (book banning, anti-trans bills, immigration policies)
• Mass violence (shootings at schools, night clubs, music festivals, places of worship)
• Deaths of major national figures or pop culture figures important in lives of students
• Major historic firsts (gay marriage legalized, abortion rights overturned)
• Protests and social movements

There are many ways to facilitate processing and learning during the days after such events, and it will look different in different contexts. This set of curated resources is intended to support educators to do this in justice-centered and humanizing ways. We hope these tools support you in creating spaces where students feel heard, understood, and empowered — not just to cope, but to engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

Take good care of yourselves,

Stacie Woodward and Molly Gale

Oakland Schools is not responsible for any content that is linked to external sites. While OS will periodically review these resources, links should be reviewed for use and approved through your district prior to distribution within your district and/or community.

As educators, we need to attend to our own social emotional needs. Mindfulness is an important component to well-being and can help us to be even better teachers and leaders.

Check out this article Seven Ways Mindfulness Can Help Teachers.

The social work team at Children's Minnesota offers this guidance for talking to kids about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) actions

Assess what they already know

Ask about what they know of I.C.E. or what they may have heard or seen; be curious. You could say something like, “Hey, there’s so much going on in our world right now. I’m wondering what you have heard?”

Tailor the conversation to the child’s current understanding

Help them navigate strong emotions and create space to correct any misinformation they may have heard.

Allow kids to lead the conversation

Be open to questions.

Keep it simple and concrete

Ask open questions like “What do you need from me?” or “How can I support you?”

Be honest

Tell the truth in a way your child can understand. Honesty builds trust.

Focus on feelings

Encourage emotional expression and normalize feelings. Let kids know it’s OK to feel sad or anxious or to cry. They also may feel many emotions at the same time – it’s OK to have fun when other people feel sad. It’s possible to be brave and also cry.

Model calmness

Practice deep breathing or counting together. Show calm body language so kids mirror your regulation.

Offer consistent reassurance

Kids want to feel safe and that you, as an adult, are going to do everything you can to keep them safe.

Sesame Workshop’s Violence resource collection offers free, research-informed, developmentally appropriate tools to help adults support young children who may be exposed to violent events — whether in their communities, through media, or in personal experiences. The materials are designed for parents, caregivers, early childhood educators, and providers and are available in multiple formats and languages to meet diverse needs.

Oakland Schools has partnered with a cross-ISD team in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to develop a resource kit aimed at helping districts navigate recent changes in immigration legislation.

Please see (and share, as appropriate) this resource, which is designed to help district employees, by role, create safe, supportive environments for immigrant students and families by aligning policies with legal requirements and best practices. Grounded in the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, FERPA, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, it provides guidance for reviewing enrollment practices, developing district policies, and building staff knowledge. Updated information about these topics are now included:

• Attendance guidance for students who may be experiencing barriers to in-person school attendance

• Trauma-informed practices to support sensitive and responsive interactions with students, families, and staff during times of heightened stress

• Family resources to help families understand their rights and prepare for potential challenges (located in the liaison row of the resource hub)

Click here to access the full resource "Immigration Rights Michigan Schools Need to Know"

For any questions or further support, please reach out to Suzanne.Toohey@oakland.k12.mi.us, Supervisor of Instruction and Pedagogy at Oakland Schools.

"The Framework page features a research-based framework for reflective practice that embodies the grounded theory of contained risk-taking explained in my book, Hard Questions. Each of the eight elements is linked to a set of strategies and resources for teaching, which are adaptable to various contexts." -Dr. Judy Pace

"The Breaking News Consumer Handbook" from On The Media

Navigating Digital Information from Crash Course + Stanford History Education Group

The ideas and tools in this updated version of Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter? are designed to help you prepare your students to engage in civil discourse, whether you are teaching in-person, remotely, or transitioning between the two. --Facing History & Ourselves

Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) developed this curricular guide with lesson ideas and approaches for fostering civil discourse in the classroom.

Above the Noise, a YouTube series for teens, cuts through the hype and dives deep into the research behind the issues affecting their daily lives. Every other Wednesday, the series investigates controversial subject matter to help young viewers draw informed conclusions, while inspiring media literacy and civic engagement.

Teaching for Democracy Alliance has curated a an excellent set of resources for teachers to support civic discourse in the classroom.

"Let's Talk!: Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students" (Learning for Justice)

This guide offers classroom-ready strategies you can use to plan discussions and to facilitate these conversations with your students.

Facilitating Civic and Productive Classroom Conversations: Guidance and Lesson Plans from the Center on PBIS

This set of lesson plans is intended to assist educators in increasing the frequency and quality of classroom conversations about community crises and current events to make them more civil and productive. It includes tips for teaching life-long skills for constructive and respectful discussions, event when disagreements will occur. The content is designed specifically for discussing societal events, community crises, and productive civic engagement. They can be modified to fit the local student and school context.

The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) compiled the following list of websites and free resources to help support youth, families, schools, and communities impacted by violence.

Click here to view this support document:

• Emergency/Immediate Help
• Quick Assistance
• In-depth Information
• Interactive Resources

While it is likely that many students have already watched the videos of police brutality and murder, please do not show them in your class. It is not necessary to watch them in order to understand the harm done to individuals, families, and communities.

"How videos of police brutality traumatize many Americans" PBS NewsHour interviews a clinical psychologist to discuss the mental health impact of watching videos that capture police brutality.

from Little Justice Leaders

Here are a few resources designed to help educators create supportive learning environments for LGBTQIA+ students.

"Protecting and Respecting All Children Involves Parents, Educators, and Students" (Michigan Department of Education)

Resources for Supporting LQBTQ Youth (National Association of School Psychologists)

"Updates to Title IX: What You Need to Know About the Rights of LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools" (GLSEN)

If you or someone you know is in crisis, or experiencing suicidal ideations, help is available.

You can reach the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. To reach an LGBTQ+-trained crisis counselor, dial 988 and press 3. You can also text with an LGBTQ+-trained counselor by sending the word PRIDE to 988, or you can chat online here.

You can also reach out to the Trevor Project's crisis services here, by calling 1-866-488-7386, or by texting “START” to 678678.

General/Crisis Resources:

• Mental Health/Wellness/Crisis Resources
• Youth Mobile Crisis Support Call 877-800-1650 or also 1-800-231-1127
• Adult Mobile Crisis Support Call 1-800-231-1127
• Adult & Child Mandated Reporting Hotline: Call 1-855-444-3911
• Youth Suicide Toolkit

**January Crisis Resource Highlights: *NEW*

• Supporting Students Amid Political Events: Tips for Families and Educators-NASP
• Supporting Marginalized Students in Stressful Times: Tips for Caregivers-NASP
• Supporting Students, Staff, Families, and Communities Impacted by Violence-NCSMH

The National Center for School Mental Health

• https://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/deia/

*This resource list is not exhaustive or exclusive but a guide to assist individuals and organizations seeking mental health, wellness, and/or crisis resources. The contents of this document are for informational purposes only. The use of this document is intended to be a resource tool and is not legal advice or intended to replace professional medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis. The use of any and/or all of these links are at the discretion of the district/organization to best meet community needs.*

Statement from MCSS, MCHE, MCTE, MSSSA & MACTE in opposition to SB 460 and HB 5097

"We support education that prepares students to be informed, active participants in our democracy. Education that supports and maintains democracy must include teaching and learning that: allows for the free flow of ideas; recognizes the importance of teaching about race, racism, and discrimination; involves the analysis of issues, topics, and challenges from multiple perspectives; and embraces civic discourse of complicated truths. Therefore, we strongly oppose Senate Bill 460 and House Bill 5097 that prohibit teaching the core democratic values that we hold to be true."

Read the full joint statement.

The Greater Good In Education Program out of UC-Berkley's Greater Good Science Center offers practical research-based approaches for cultivating learning environments that attend to well-being, ethics, and pro-social behavior. Anti-racist learning is an important component.

Click here for their anti-racist resources.

Additionally, the Western States Center developed a toolkit for Confronting White Nationalism in Schools.

Stacie Woodward: Stacie.Woodward@oakland.k12.mi.us

Molly Gale: Molly.Gale@oakland.k12.mi.us

In accordance with state and federal law, Oakland Schools does not discriminate, nor permit discrimination, on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy or parental status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, military service, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, in its educational programs and activities, employment, or enrollment. The District also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

For questions or complaints regarding unlawful discrimination or harassment, employees should contact the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Personnel Management and Labor Relations at (248) 209-2429 or HR@oakland.k12.mi.us. Students and others should contact the Civil Rights/Title IX Coordinator at (248) 209-2590 or Jacqueline.Zablocki@oakland.k12.mi.us.

Last updated January 26, 2026