For the Love of teaching is a podcast brought to you by teach stata we say teachers hours each week by bringing them quality downloadable teaching resources for their classrooms to make your classroom Buzz go to teach stutter.com Need a little motivation on a Monday where experience Primary School teachers and we get it join us for inspiration and encouragement to get you buzzing through the school week. This is the buzz. Welcome back to season two of The Buzz. Can you believe it Jill? We're up to season 2 exciting. We are starting this year off and we want to talk a little bit about the current Bushfire emergency. That is happening where we live in Australia. Yeah. It's a bit of a heavy topic but it's definitely something that we're all thinking about and conscious of at the moment definitely. And I think like you and like lots of us out there watching things. Even if we're not in the the affected areas where watching things on TV and you just can't help but feel just heartbroken and what's happening and the animals and their lives and the people from losing their homes in the whole communities. I mean, it's just devastating it is it's absolutely that's the right word absolutely devastating and if we're feeling all of these emotions and having all of these reactions, From the media coverage and also if people who are unfortunate to be in these actual locations where they have lost things where they're directly impacted we can only imagine what children are going through because everything for them is magnified And the emotions they don't have the kind of emotional regulation that we do as adults to be able to kind of keep going and pull it together, although and I was talking to a colleague this morning whose nieces were lost. Their home in South Australia, and she said that their resilience is actually really surprised their whole family. So kids can be actually really amazing at coping in these really traumatic situations at the time, but we just need to be conscious that yeah follow it affects many. That's right. That's right. Yeah, and you know, I think even as we're saying like children who aren't involved but they're seeing things on the news or I know anyone that I'm talking to when my kids are even with me and we're going up to the shops or something. People are like, oh have you seen the latest that's happened over. Saying you know, it's now moved down to here or they're hearing us talk about it a lot too. And you know, we are saying things like oh, it's so sad or you know, it's really devastating and I even know my five-year-old is hearing and and singing all these things know if he happens to see something and he's got so many questions that I want to make sure I'm answering correctly. I don't want to lie to him. But also I worry that the actual truth with yeah would be very frightening him. So I just it's one of those things that you think I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. But what is the right thing? Yep, exactly. Yeah. So I will mention we are having in the next couple of weeks. We're going to have some kind of experts maybe you psychologists and people who helped children through traumatic events talk to Emma one of our bloggers to put together a blog post for you guys about how to talk to your students about this because returning to school at the end of January, this is still going to be going on. We're still in the middle of My and all of these risk factors are still going so there will be a lot of questions for us to anticipate and think about what is what is too much information? What is the right amount of information? How can I make my students feel safe and comfortable and get back on track for their year of learning when there's no a variety of things happening? Yeah, and it might be something as well that you might like to say to your admin team. Look. Is there going to be a school? I response to this, you know you want to Sure that you're saying the right thing as well is a lack of a bit about this policy around. What's our what's our how are we helping here? We're going to have some picture books that we can read to the kids. How much are we going into it? I guess just then that you're armed with the information as well that you know, you'll give them the right information. Yeah, exactly. And I think that's great because this week too many teachers are heading back to school for their professional development days, and it could be a really good time before the students come back to have those conversations. Patience with your admins and your colleagues about yeah, whether it's going to be a whole school based plan of action or a year level based or because of course the amount of information that we're willing to give to children and help them out with and the strategies that were going to use are going to be different for all your levels. So yeah, we know that there's there's been a lot of images and some of the researchers that I was just reading some research yesterday on the ABC website and it was saying that with children and media-based Trauma they often Experience worst trauma when it's moving images. So video is is more detrimental to Children than still images. But having said that I've seen some absolutely horrific still images on social media and the last week and very confronting particularly. I think there's one I'm thinking of it. I don't know if you can get the same with the animals and it's just you know for kids to see that it really would bring home to them. What's actually happening and I It's that fine line of if you don't want to you don't want to lie and or pretend like it's not happening. But how far is too far? You know for a little for a little mind. Yeah really hard and this is something that we as Educators have to have to do it. Can you think of a time in your career when something an event happened that you had to work through with your kids maybe something that could have been a bit traumatizing or upsetting that you've had to yet work through together as a class look. Look, I think I've been very fortunate in that, you know. Yeah, I did have my classroom got flooded but it was it was fairly minimal. I guess, you know, we lost some books and things like that but be but we definitely it was just a big storm. We weren't in the school. We came in the next day and saw what had happened but it wasn't I don't think would have had the impact but you know, there is always things where we've had some Children who've lost a parents and it's luckily. I've been at schools who've really really great response have sort of got together and worked out and got some outside help to come and talk to the rest of the class to say, you know, these are what their student might need. This is how we could respond to some there may be some times where they may do some go out to do some different things and you might think oh, that's not fair. Why don't I get to do that, but we have to remember that their needs are different and the moment too. Potentially what your needs so yeah, I have been like and I think it was that external help as well. Just being able to go. I just want some backup. Yep what to do here. And and you're saying the ABC website. There's also some really other great articles where you can go and get some information also picture books. Yep for the little little he's as well can be really good sort of presenting it in a format that they know. Yes, but the the topic is is what If you're trying to reach I guess yeah, exactly. That's right. It's I guess it's about tailoring it to the the age and making things age appropriate for them. Even though some of what they've encountered at home during the holidays, you know, either incidentally. I mean this has been reported in on the radio. So they're hearing it in the car News News hours. They're hearing it like you said from parents conversations. And also of course on television, so it's quite consuming and the moment in the media. It's a huge event and an Unprecedented event so the fear and stress that it's causing adults is no doubt filtering down to kids because it is really scary. It's a scary thing happening and we're all kind of your charted territory. Yeah, but I even think of those kids have been evacuated from their towns, you know, what what a frightening situation as an adult. I've been evacuated from a town because of Phi and that was scary. Yeah, so I can that was before I had children so I can't even think what kids must go through to even think Do I get to come home where we going where we going to sleep? What are we going to eat can automate my place like that? You know all these things. Yeah. Yeah really would be and as we've seen last week the huge evacuation from mallacoota is still continuing but so far over 4,000 people have been rescued by the Australian Navy, which is the biggest peacetime evacuation in Australian history ever and the images coming from there are very upsetting confronting and I Yes, because of the world. We live in with social media. They're being shared and spread more often and more effectively than ever before. So we think about other events that have happened. I wasn't teaching yet when September 11 occurred but I did write a uni assessment on media and kids because when I was studying journalism, I was really interested in how the media affects kids and one of the things that came out of that was that they don't understand proximity. So if they see something in the US and they I think that we have a city like that. We live in Brisbane Adelaide and Sydney our city looks exactly the same as that that could be my parents office or that could be somewhere. I know and I think yes. I'm a pigsty is he thinking there's heaps of Bushland around where I live. This is this going to happen to me is it's a my parents going to get hurt or as my pet going to get left behind. So that's something that it is hard for children to grasp. Yeah how to make sense of these big world events in their little tiny world of safety and comfort. Yeah. Is it's really challenging? Yeah, and I think you know, so pleased that Emma's going to do this because we really just want to get some information in one place where and and there are great articles out there as well. So if you're looking for something, yeah, you know go to multiple sources because you make pick little things from here and there but as you were saying m is going to write just with some information on where to start. Yeah, and if these questions are asked yeah, you know how it is almost like panics. Times where question might be asking just like I don't know that's move on quickly get your books out because I don't know what to say. So exactly and that's looking like it's okay not to know. It's okay to be an expert on natural disaster. What is it? Exactly? So as much as we try to keep our children come I think one of the best things to do is model calmness and model how you want the children to react and stay calm yourself, even though that is tricky and then pause maybe go step. Out at break or whatever access your guidance counselor access as a teaching colleague who may have had experience in in trauma kind of recovery or and yeah gather some information or even like you said just do a quick Google because there is so much information. I noticed there's a lot of information out there for parents of school aged kids, but there's not much for teachers of school. Yeah, so that's what we're going to try and fill that gap for you. But in the meantime yet, definitely you can like you said Bits and pieces because talking to Children about these events is the same if you're a parent home if you're a teacher at school and that's where working together. And yeah, I'm filling in those gaps for them is going to really benefit them long-term. That's right. And there's kids, you know, they're going to have you're going to get different I guess thinkers. So there's going to be some kids who are just really deep things. They have been thinking about this and it's been on their mind and they've been worrying and they may have some really intense questions that they've been Really sitting on and think about and then you might have some other students who it's you know, not as pertinent for them or it may not be as much of a concern. So I guess as well, it's it's not everywhere. You know one size isn't going to fit all yeah. Yeah, that's such a great point. I completely agree even in my own family. Yeah. I know. My kids are so different. I'm gone three kids who are school-aged and one of my boys is particularly concerned and that's just him like he whenever something happens. He has all the questions. Yeah. It's It's Tricky even with three to isolate him and have some quiet time with him so I can imagine with that class students. When you get out Harry question. It's going to be you know, a bit of a strategy a strategic thing of how you answer that how you come and I guess comfort that child and help them get through that. But also how you protect the other kids who are hearing the questions as well. Yeah, and one thing I do just want to say as well as what we're wanting to do at teach that as we've sort of Taken. It a step back and said we want to talk directly to the teachers who have been impacted. All the schools have been impacted because we want to find out exactly what you need. So we don't want to just sort of jump in and do up a pack of things and send it and then have them be like what half this stuff. I didn't have or need we want to be able to talk directly to say tell us. What did you lose that you want or need and the specifics you got a favorite type of brand of sharp Bookshop. Brand hang on, you know Dexter next to feel so proud. Oh my goodness. Advertising's got to me, but you know what? I mean, like if you if there's something in particular that you had that you lost. Yeah, can we help in a hopefully a very directed way? Yeah. So if you are a teacher who's been directly affected by the fires, if you have lost stuff from your classroom, if you've lost your classroom, please do get in touch. You can email support at teach started.com. You can also message us through our message little Message box on our website which will pop up and greet you when you visit the website and you can also DM us on Instagram or Facebook and we will get to you ASAP with a little for contact you and we'll find out what you need. So yeah, we're all about helping teachers everyday, but in the face of a crisis like this at like we were saying it's not going to just be no this week this month. It's this is going to have repercussions for years. Yeah teachers, you know a so self-giving and Sacrifice so much of their time making creating resources building up their collections. So it's not just losing stuff. It's like, you know, if you lost your home, it's their emotional attachment. And yeah, well, yeah, we totally understand that go in gently. Yeah not just to overwhelm with yeah, here you go. And I also, you know, we have had contact with some teachers who are like, thank you. Just not yet. I just need to yeah process this I need to think about it. I need to work through. A few things. I need to work out my home situation and then I'll be back to you and I think that's wonderful, you know take the time you need and then we can talk. Yep down the hill here down the track. That's right. Exactly. Fantastic. Yeah, so some of the things kids might do if they are feeling stressed or anxious or upset be unusually worried asking a lot of questions feeling sad bit. And they might react with changes in their behavior. So a child who's normally very outgoing might become withdrawn. It's just a matter of and the hardest thing for teachers is we don't really know our kids yet. We don't need all yeah, or do you usually cry a lot during the day? Well, yeah, we don't know so it's going to be tricky to kind of gauge that but we want to support you as you return to school. So some of the suggestions that have been made Made just to be honest, but not overwhelm kids and I think that's what you were saying before like, where is that line? Yeah, it's easy to say I'll be honest but don't overwhelm them. But what is that? So I don't know. What do you think going going with them the minimum kind of answer and then build on it if they have more questions or how would you how would you start off with a quick like I'm thinking? Okay a question that my kids have asked at home is could is this going to happen to us is em how You how would you go about answering that? Yeah, I mean gosh that's it's I think you know for me and again, my son has asked the same thing and I really just spoken to him about well, you know, this is where the fires are at the moment and yes, we do live in there. So, you know, as you said there's trees around us and so you have was very honest with him said yes anytime fi can get somewhere but we are very lucky to have, you know, great Services here where we are in Brazil. Lisbon where they will they can come and help us and you know, we would all be together we would stay together with stay safe and but yeah It's Tricky and my son's 5 so for him to sort of wrap his head around that but he seemed to take comfort in that we would all go together. Oh, that's yeah. Yeah. Yeah and but as a teacher, you know, I think that would be saying well as your family, you know, it would stay with your family and they would you know be with whoever it was part of your family, but that seemed to comfort him. You know, he even asked me with about the animals would it have hurt them? Oh, it's just was like, oh my goodness like yes. Oh, you know how to talk about that, you know? Yes, it would have hurt them and you know, where they scared. Oh, yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah, and he thinks that he's very he's a very deep thinker my little one the things will come out with so, you know, yeah that was a bit of a thing where we had to had to I couldn't say no. Yeah. No, I didn't help. Oh, that's right. You're being honored to say, yeah. Yes, it would hurt them, you know and but some of them are being saved and they're being looked after and they're at special places where they've got all the things and but you know, maybe we could donate to those places to give them some more things and they might need or look what supplies they need. So I think he really wanted to help you. So if there's a way of getting involved with helping. Yep, and that's one of the recommendations to make sure you get your kids active and thinking about positive changes they can make so maybe your class could Run a fundraiser or start the Run letters writing letters were to the movie fire service or something or taking them who's lost things for they write a letter to those students sang with thinking of you or you know, that would be about that something that kids are very capable of doing and late last year. We sent a heap of letters through rural Aid to the farmers who were experiencing the drought and the messages that kids give are so real and gorgeous that we heard from her allowed there really lift. Our spirit so, you know even sending things to something rural townships or yeah, it would be really really helpful and something that's very easy to do. But another thing that is recommended to do with kids when you're answering their questions is to focus on all the positive work that's being done and to show kids all these amazing volunteers rural fire Services just even people in the community just everyday people and the amazing efforts that people are going to fundraising Oz is donating money. I mean You are he's a hard time to find money to donate but you know, it's just incredible to see how much the public is amazed helping. Yeah financially and it's it just blows my mind like all these are so generous and showing kids. You know that that that's a community that really is helping out whether you are in one of the fire affected communities or not. If you're an Australian, you know about this in your trying to help trying to figure out a way to help so so getting your kids involved if you're wanting to help Meaning to them why we're doing this or you know, what? Can we do? Yeah, but I like the idea of the connection with the schools because there is school. They can understand that some students lost their school. Yeah. So what can we do for those students? Well, that's right to them or lets, you know, make them could even make like a little video or something. Oh, that would be nice. Yeah. Yeah so easy to do as well didn't you get it to them immediately? Yeah. That's yeah, that's another great idea now, there is a really good behind the news Episode by ABC online and I Put the link in the comment section. Yeah. Oh my gosh. I love it. It's only three minutes long but it just goes into and it was made back in about October at the beginning of Bushfire season. They had already been quite a lot of Devastation even then but just really breaks it down in a way that's very child sensitive and appropriate without any graphic images, but just letting them know this is why this is happening to our planet. This is why is this happening to our people? So and even that can some for some students again? Who are you? Little bit of those deep thinkers. They need to understand why yeah, you know, why is this happening? How did it happen and even looking into the video? Is there a way that it could be stopped or you know, how could have been fixed a little bit more or exactly long-term things that we can change not just short-term things that we can help with but actually making changes for the for the long term to get to make sure that we either pause this where it is even start to make make it better. Yes. I may need to know that information. Yeah, and even if we you know how to play Actually even know at the moment. What's actually yep what how that's going to happen or if it's going to happen. So that's also part of the conversation is well, you know, they're actually working that out at the same time. So maybe we can keep an eye on it. And yeah, we see things we can talk about it or yeah. Yeah. Yeah exactly and also because like we don't want to make the media sound like this big terrible scary thing. The media doesn't amazing job for us, especially our national broadcast of the ABC like an incredible information is being dispersed, but we just need to know how to use it properly as adults teachers. Children that the news is amazing because it helps us to recognize current warnings. I think that that could be quite comforting to children to realize that all of these grown-ups in our world who are very very clever putting together this information to protect us so that we know when we need to leave if we are to leave and that could be an interesting unit of work. Yeah looking at how the media are and even social media things like that can be used in different ways. To disperse information other than just what people are doing or yeah, what you had for lunch as opposed to this could be used to actually help people to get information out there and but then also for maybe older grades you could even touch on how that can sometimes be misconstrued or misused and information is getting out that's not correct. Yep, and then it builds and it builds so I mean what an interesting unit for older students that look at that. The fake news shall we make one? Yeah, I think so. I think that's done. I mean like news like what they've been saying some of the things that have been coming out and it's spread and people are jumping on it and they're sharing it the tank. You know, that in itself is looking at that for students to understand that even in this type of thing it everything that you read. You may need to put a bit of a filter over or check some other sources other than social media so true to go. Okay. I'm reading this. Is it a hundred percent before? Where I go and jump hmm. I'm going to get a bit more information. So I mean that in itself gosh how many lessons have we got on that? If you as a teacher needs some counseling yourself, there's heaps of places that you can access that but beyond blue and Lifeline come to mind. So if you're having a lot of difficulty processing the events yourself, please do seek some help for yourself as well because this is a really traumatic time and stressful time for us professionally starting a new year. And have this already a lot. Yeah, it's already a lot and to have this coming in on top of that and it could become quite overwhelming so reach out to one of those services and and it could potentially be you know, rethinking your first couple of weeks of what you're going to be doing. If you need to change to sort of assist your students in settling in when they've already feeling and particularly in the areas that have been affected. It could be a different stuff to the year. Yeah just being flexible and it Have to be getting straight into pre-tests and assessments and things like you can just take a little while and it's a very busy time of year. But yeah just take look after yourselves and look after your students now just do what you have to do to get through the next little while. Yeah, and I think you know for those people who are affected and those teachers who lost their classrooms and their schools just know that where our thoughts are with you and you know, we really feel for you and you know, people can say oh and I've heard, you know, it's just Classroom but it's your room, you know and you've got all of your things in there and it's your memories. It's still there's just so much goes into our room. That's where we have our kids. Yeah, and they are our kids for a year, you know. So yeah, it's a big thing. Yeah. Well, if you do need to reach out to us, please do that through one of the ways that we mentioned before if you know someone who has been directly affected and could use some support or some help if we can help in some way. A are the nominate them by getting in touch or get them to get in touch themselves, and we will do our best to help you out. Hmm. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the bars, and we wish you the best with your start back to school. Yes, all the best. Bye. Bye. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the buzz by teach starter. We look forward to bringing you next week's dose of teacher inspo until then just remember you've got this
"Black Summer" is Australia's worst bushfire season on record. Lives, homes and livelihoods have sadly been lost. Communities have been left devastated. Schools have not been spared. Worst of all, it's not over - weather forecasters warn that drought condition combine with dry heat and wind, more fires are imminent.Among the unprecedented events of the summer so far, with the tragedy being reported around the clock in a 24-hour news cycle, we've also seen incredible acts of bravery, compassion, empathy and generosity.Teachers may be anticipating lots of questions and comments from students when returning to school.In this episode, Jill and I talk about some ways to reassure our young students and help them to feel safe in a tumultuous time for us all. We also reach out to fire affected teachers to connect with us at Teach Starter so that we can help.EPISODE WRAP UP:Media coverage of disasters can trigger a strong emotional response in people, and children can be particularly sensitive. They might:Worry the same thing might happen to them.Worry for their parents’ safety.Feel sad about images of animals that have suffered or perished.React with changes in behaviour.We want to support you as you return to school amongst this tragedy, and so in the coming weeks we will be bringing you more information about how to help your students navigate this tumultuous time, as well as helping you yourself.Emma is writing an article on how to navigate this time with your students. I’ll be interviewing her to see what she finds out from experts in this area.If you’ve been directly affected, we’d love for you to message the page and we’ll be in touch to help you out. Likewise, if you know a teacher who needs help, please flag them with us.For now, some suggestions include:Being honest with kids but not overwhelming them with too much information.Making ourselves available to answer their questions.Helping kids get back to their normal routines: playing and learning.Give them some ways to help (writing letters, fundraising).Show them all of the heroes – the amazing people doing good work to help out.There’s a great Behind the News episode by the ABC for kids here: https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/bushfire-season/11505884If you yourself need some emotional support, please contact Beyond Blue or Lifeline for counselling. 