During class discussions on Thursday we debated the uncomfortable process of dealing with young children in the times of tragedy. I believe disaster and is something that should never go ignored even at a very early age. This is an inevitable part of life, and children need to be taught the right way to deal with such occurrences. If we as teacher ignore bad situations, then kids will think it is okay to disregard such things in the future. Kids need to learn how to grieve, and handle bad times.
My Mother teaches kindergarten and a few years ago a little boy in her class was shot and killed by his own father. She was put in a very tough situation when she had to decide how to tell his classmates why he would never be returning to class. I thought my Mom handled it the best way possible, by confronting instead of overlooking the situation. Immediately after the tragedy she contacted by phone each parent in her class to tell them she would be discussing the situation in the class, and holding a small remembrance for him during the next following week. Nothing to elaborate but she wanted something to be done to show her children it was okay to be sad. She also contacted the school guidance counselor to come inside her classroom to discuss the situation and offer the children the chance to come and talk to her if needed. She had a good response from the parents, and left it up to them to decide if they wanted their child to participate in the events.
I thought my Mom handled this situation great, and have since thought I would handle such situations in this type way. Since I too hope to be working with younger ages.

I agree with you that a teacher should address such situations within her classroom. During our last class, on Thursday, I believe the majority of people agreed that teachers need to be open with their students but at the same time be careful. Teachers need to let parents know about events happening in the classroom whether or not it is a good or bad thing. In a difficult situation like the death of a student or 9/11 teachers not only should inform the students but the parents as well. Children often misconstrue, misunderstand, or misinterpret things said to them or around them. I believe, if possible, with the younger grades that teachers should forewarn parents, and then inform their students.
I also agree that teachers or other adults should not ignore devastating events. If a child's elder decides to deal with a situation by ignoring it, the issue is never addressed. The child then never learns the correct way to deal with death or another difficult situation. To teach by example is the most important and effective way.

I also think it is important to address these situations rather than ignore them. Katie: I admire your mother for the way she handled this situation. What really caught my attention was that she brought the guidance counselor in to the class as well. Sometimes I feel like teachers forget that the guidance counselors are there for extra emotional support in times of crisis, not just to help students choose their course of study, keep up with scholarships, etc. (I know that is geared toward high school counselors, but you get the point). Anyway, what I'm trying to point out is that teachers have a community (other teachers, principal, counselors, parents) that they can reach to for help, and I hope that when I become a teacher I remember to reach out to these valuable resources.

I will agree that it is imperative to address a situation of tragedy in the classroom setting. However, I think that it should be addressed differently depending on the age grouping. If the subject were something like 9/11 and I were in a class full of young children, I probably would have given the parents the opportunity to address the situation if they wanted to before addressing it in my classroom. I would have addressed it the next day. For the older students, I probably would have turned on a television, talked about it with the class, or tried to apply it to the lesson. If it were another situation, such as the death of a student, I would probably do the same things. I can't totally claim that I would do these things for certain, but rationally I would probably go along these as best I could in a time of tragedy.