Teaching Through Tragedy in the Digital Age

by Lyndsay McCabe

I was in my second year of substitute teaching on Long Island when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred. The story hit close to home, as I lived just two hours away and had family and friends near Newtown, CT.  The following morning, I arrived at my third grade class assignment for the day and saw the students in small groups talking about the shooting. One student was passing around ribbons his mother had made the night before.

My face grew hot, my eyes welled with tears, and I was truly stumped as to what to do. How could I discuss such a horrible tragedy that was on the minds and lips of such young children? And how could I tell them to “move on” or ignore it and just go along with their math and reading assignments for the day?

Las Vegas, Five Years Later

The day after the shooting in Las Vegas, one of my students entered my class and immediately asked, “Can we read something on that shooting that happened?” I cautiously said that if they were interested, we could read an article the following day.  The student replied, “Didn’t that guy shoot all those people like this?” and proceeded to mime shooting people with an assault rifle, a la Tony Montana in Scarface, while making gunshot sounds.

I immediately stopped him.  It didn’t hit the student that what he was doing was crude and offensive.

“But why? That’s what the guy did.  He shot all of those people.”

The conversation was short, but appeared to have an impact. I reminded my student that what that man did was terrible, and could never be taken back. Those people’s lives were cut short, and the lives of their families and friends were changed forever.  Though we are thousands of miles removed from the situation, it is serious, it is scary, and it is never funny.

A few moments passed, then the student looked at me with wide eyes and took on a somber tone. “That’s not what I meant. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make it funny.”

I believed him, and just like any teenager, it is just a matter of life events and education to build perspective and empathy.  So, we took to the news.

Students and the 24 Hour News Cycle

Our students are swimming in technology, and, consequently, they are bombarded with the news.  While you won’t see your students looking up CNN, The Washington Post, or BBC News, they absorb their news from the sites and apps they do use: social media.  According to a 2017 Common Sense Media research survey, 39% of children reported they prefer getting their news from social media, topping the 36% that said that they get their news from family and friends. Now, this leads us to consider that a Pew Research Center survey from August found that two-thirds of adults get at least some of their news from social media - so even the students who are getting news from family and friends may have their news stories traced back to social media.

With Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram as the “new” news sources, our students are bombarded with the news at all times of day, whether they sought out the information or not. A simple Facebook feed scroll to see what friends are up to can quickly turn into a rude awakening of catastrophic events happening across the nation and even across the world.

And where do they take their questions, comments, and observations? Right to the classroom.

Addressing Sensitive News Topics in the Classroom

When touchy topics are brought to a teacher’s desk, there are many strategies that you may want to implement, but all begin with being clear and being honest as appropriate for the age of the students.

Give students time to share what they know

Open the floor for students to share what they have heard and to be honest in how they feel. If they are truly in need of support that cannot be given in the classroom, use your resources and send them to a school counselor or trusted adult to talk through their feelings.

Teach from kid-friendly news sources

Have a child-friendly news source on hand to refer to, especially if students are spreading misinformation about the event.  It is always important to evaluate what is appropriate to speak to students about, and many of these sources that focus on writing news for kids already process that information and produce content that gives just the right amount of information.  Here are a few sources you may want to use with younger students:

• Newsela: A news source with content available at varying lexile levels for grades 2-12 that also includes reading comprehension and writing assignments.
• Dogo News: Provides digital media for grades K-11 with audio files of articles and essential vocabulary highlighted so students can click for a quick definition, as well as comprehension and vocabulary questions.
• KidsPost: The Washington Post’s kid-friendly version with quizzes, games, and contests.

Address the “Fake News”

With more news popping up from varying sources, it is more important than ever to teach news literacy. Undoubtedly, students may come to class having heard things that are untrue. Show students how to identify fake news by considering the following:

• What source did this come from, and do they have any obvious biases?
• What is the URL or site name? Is it known for being a reputable news source?
• Does it have signs of low-quality writing, such as writing in all caps, with multiple exclamation points or question marks, obvious errors in spelling or grammar, or no sources listed for the claims given?
• Does the “About Us” or “Contact Us” sections have legitimate information and contacts with official emails that are not @gmail.com or @aol.com?
• Does the story feel either “too good” or “too bad to be true?” It probably is, and it is probably click-bait to get your attention and appeal to your emotions.

Teach and model empathy

Guide students by modeling a calm reaction and discuss perspective-taking.  It is fundamental for students to understand that people in other states or across the world are people just like them, and their experiences need to be respected.  In the case of the Las Vegas shooting, it was difficult for students to feel the weight of the event without seeing it from afar, as if it were a movie or a videogame.  

Reassure students of their safety

At the end of the day, students want to feel comfortable and safe.  Remind them of the safety measures that are in place in their own lives, but then also remind them of the importance of kindness and understanding.  There are many choices that our students will make inside and outside of the classroom, but the most important choice to make is to be kind.

Lyndsay McCabe is a special education teacher at Jones Magnet Middle School in Hampton, Virginia, and previously taught elementary and middle school special education in New York.  In her free time, she can typically be found reading, listening to music, and trying to identify Virginian wildlife.  You can contact her at lmccabe@hampton.k12.va.us.