Students are feeling and sharing strong emotions as they process the outcome of the presidential election. Teachers are hearing from students excited about Trump’s win and from those who are upset or scared for themselves, their families, or their friends.
Educators often take on the responsibility of fostering tolerance and acceptance of differences among students and making sure every child feels safe.
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School teacher Baylee Howard told the New London Day that she asked her eighth-graders to write down their feelings the day after the election—as she does after every election.
“The most-repeated words of the day were words like ‘afraid,’ ‘fearful,’ worried,’ ‘anxious,’” she said.
Howard reminded her students what they’d learned this fall about the electoral process and the steps for transitioning to a new president.
“Once we processed [that] this is how an election works … I think it was a much more calm feeling after they exited the classroom,” she said.
Resources for teachers
- This NEA article offers suggestions for how to facilitate difficult discussions and what to tell students worried about the outcome of the election.
- NEA also offers resources for ensuring safe, welcoming, and bias-free schools.
- Educator Jennifer Gonzalez offers ideas for what teachers can do after the election.
