Helping Healers Heal Self & Others – A Resource Compilation

​As 2021 began, it quickly showed us it would be one for the history books. The attack on Capitol Hill this week was a blatant reminder of how much work there is still to be done to combat white supremacy culture and the major inequities in our Justice System.  

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As Mr. Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would always say to me, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping” … and with that, what I am most grateful for and proud of during this time is the work I see being done by our staff to support our students, and the resource sharing that quickly spread this week. Finding ways to connect with our students and process what happened is an important step towards change.

Before we go more into that, kindly remember that it is just as important to support our students as it is to practice your own self-care.  This is a marathon, not a sprint, so take the time needed to take care of YOU.  Take that walk, meditate, talk to a friend/family/colleague, move your body, access EAP services, take a break from social media, sing a song REALLY loud. Do you what you gotta do to take care of YOU

Now back to the resource sharing for students. We took a moment to collect some resources below. Please feel free to share these links with fellow educators or use them in your work with students in the days to come.

• Step by Step Guide to Teaching with Current Events in your School
• 3 Classroom Activities: 3 ways to teach about the insurrection (PBS)
• Resources for Teachers on the Days After the Attack on the U.S. Capitol – Beyond the Stoplight
• Talking to Kids About the Attack on the Capitol – National Education Association
• Can you Spot the Difference – Woke Kindergarten
• Non-Verbal Check-In Prompts – Some students will likely need and want space to discuss and ask questions. One check-in idea shared when discussing social emotional learning is using thumbs to share how you feel physically or emotionally, such as using a graph and indicating where you are using fingers.
• Singing Songs – UE Coach Jenna Evans noted that when she dropped into Ms. Flores-Mejia’s class, they were singing a Mindful Life Song;  they can be found on this webpage or YouTube link. If interested, these are geared towards different age groups: Tk-2 emotions and heartfulness, Grade 3-5 Body Scan or 6th and up Emotions and Heartfulness
• This website has resources for teachers on the days after the attack on the U.S. Capital, and talks about creating spaces for zoom breakout rooms.
• A teacher put together a social studies resource sharing guide that digs into transition of power, responding to tragedy, etc.
• Books about kindness, feelings and how important our words and actions are to one another are far and wide. Mo Williems did an election night activity on doodling with music with feelings (it would require markers/crayons and paper). He also wrote a book, “The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too.”

Thank you for showing up each and every day. Your work is beautiful and inspiring.  You truly are the change we wish to see in the world.

Your Loyal Ops Team Member,
Linzy Gustafson
*** Special shout out to Jenna Evans, Jenny Ventura, Amber Fretwell and Robin Detterman for their contributions to the resource sharing. 

Blog Post Written By: Linzy Gustafson, Assistant Director of Implementation