Minnesota teachers give students time, space to process Texas tragedy

Hannah Grimley added a "Worry Jar" to her classroom at Sand Creek Elementary in Coon Rapids this week after the horrific school shooting in Texas.

When her third graders arrived Wednesday, she told them they could write down anything that was bothering them, then circle one of two options:

I want to talk to someone.

I don't want to talk to someone.

"Five students within the first few minutes had written about the shooting and opted not to talk about it," Grimley said. "They just wanted me to know."

Grief seeped into Minnesota schools this week as teachers and students sorted through their feelings after an 18-year-old barricaded himself in a fourth-grade classroom where he shot and killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

Educators said they wanted to give their students space to process the events and provide a safe space for them to unpack their feelings — if they wanted to.

Ira Sanders began each of his government and economics classes at Roseville Area High School on Wednesday by asking his seniors if they wanted to discuss the news. In St. Paul, Tom Gardner spent the day processing the attack and planned to speak with his fourth graders at Galtier Community School the following morning.

Educators should approach those conversations by keeping in mind how children process these tragedies, said Cynthia Zwicky, who teaches in the undergraduate education program at the University of Minnesota. She said educators should give students ample time to process their feelings and create environments where kids feel safe discussing difficult topics.

"It's about following the lead of the child and making sure you know what they want to know and what they need to understand," Zwicky said.

Sanders said his students largely avoided talking about Tuesday's school attack on Wednesday. This is his 16th year at Roseville Area High and it's the quietest his classroom has been in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

They were less reserved after earlier school shootings, at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in 2018.

"My off-the-cuff recollection is that they were much more talkative about it because it was so new," he said. "It was a raw thing for them back then."

This week, Sanders said, it felt like students needed more time to process. He and other educators have found themselves needing time to sort through their own feelings, too.

Gardner spent Wednesday working out how he would discuss the topic with his students the next day.

Zwicky said her own students at the U — elementary teachers-in-training — also spent Wednesday asking how educators can responsibly guide conversations about traumatic events. She advised them to foster a comfortable classroom environment throughout the year so that students feel safe opening up when things get tough.

"What are we doing during the good times to create that space for talking during the hard times?" she said.

Zwicky said teachers should prepare themselves for what to do when "real life" meets the classroom. Part of that, she said, is educators giving themselves permission to pause and sort through their own feelings.

Sanders spent much of Wednesday discussing the Uvalde shooting with his teacher colleagues in a text message thread. The general mood that day among the group — many of whom have lunch together — was somber.

"People are sad. People are hurt," Sanders said. "It's a horrible tragedy."

Even though students didn't speak up when Sanders offered his classes the opportunity, he briefly touched on his own feelings before starting the lessons. He told students he felt sad. And he reminded them the school had a couple of extra counselors available if they needed someone to talk to later.

"I just wanted them to know they're not alone," Sanders said.

Staff writer Mara Klecker contributed to this report.