Cynthia Trapanese, a teacher who spent 17 years as a pediatric chaplain, observes that we are all grieving right now, and that adults need to be aware of their own feelings of loss in order to help children and families effectively. During this period of isolation, children miss not only extended family, especially grandparents, but also their friends, classrooms, and the details of their school days. The impact of prolonged separation from school will be long-lasting. Cynthia is holding webinars for teachers and parents, and shares tips and resources with us.
References
Overview
00:00-01:05 Intros
01:06-02:05 Defining “loss”
02:05-03:37 Helping children stay connected while in physical isolation
03:37-05:36 Examples of what loss looks like in children’s lives
05:36-07:21 Responding to children’s expressions of how they are feeling
07:22-08:43 The importance of not trying to “fix”
08:43-10:52 Losses layered onto other Adverse Childhood Experiences
10:52-13:25 When adults don’t have answers
13:26-15:15 Being helpful to children when adults themselves are grieving and frightened
15:15-17:35 How the New School of SF is supporting teachers and parents how other schools can support teachers
17:35-20:32 Parents’ concern about students keeping up with academics during this time
20:32-22:06 How this experience can help reflection about the most important aspects of education
22:07-24:52 How teaching at Institute for Humane Education (IHE) impacts thoughts on the pandemic and impact on children
24:53-26:18 Integrating humane education about animals into 1st grade teaching
26:18-28:08 Integrating IHE “solutionaries” program into 1st grade
28:08-29:30 Outro
Transcription
Click here to see the full transcription of the episode.
We speak with Al Kurland, longtime leader of out-of-school-time programs in Upper Manhattan’s Washington Heights. Mr. Kurland founded youth programs that help teens to...
Dr. Carmen Mercado, CUNY professor emeritus, talks with us about the importance of self-study, sharing diverse perspectives in class, and reflective writing in her...
What boundaries should a school set on student speech, if any, in order to foster social-emotional learning, civil discourse, and friendship among students? How...
