Discussing violence with children, resources from SCOE

Parents, are you wondering how to talk with your children about this week’s violence in Washington DC? Here are a couple of recent bulletins from Sonoma County Office of Education.

‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’

This book offers young readers an introduction, through fiction, to the serious and heartbreaking reality of refugees who have to flee their homeland, who must brave untold hardships and separation from loved ones in hopes of finding a new home. The story’s protagonist, an unnamed first-person narrator, befriends Ahmet, a child newly arrived at school who is a Syrian refugee. The protagonist later organizes an effort to enlist help from the Queen to locate Ahmet’s missing family. The author, Onjali Q. Rauf, provides further information about the status of “refugees” and an age-appropriate explanation of how they differ from “migrants” or “immigrants” (who generally move to a new country by choice). Rauf also provides a list of organizations for readers who would like to help.

(I found this ARC among books that were donated by a library vendor.)

‘The Eleventh Trade’ by Alyssa Hollingsworth

When Sami and his baba (grandfather) escaped to America from Afghanistan, the only possession from home that they managed to bring with them was Baba’s rebab, a traditional Afghan instrument.

Baba, who was a renowned musician back in Afghanistan, makes his living playing the rebab in the subway to earn tips from rush-hour Bostonians — but one day, someone steals the rebab, snatches it right out of Sami’s arms.

Sami feels responsible for costing Baba his only livelihood, as well as losing the only thing they had that reminded them of home.

Sami tracks the rebab to a pawnshop and makes a bargain with the owner: give him 28 days to come up with $700 in order to redeem the instrument. But the only thing Sami has of value is a Manchester United keychain. Would it be possible for Sami to trade-up items in order to reach his goal?

Children’s books for resistance to climate of empowered bigotry

The current U.S. President, with his expressions of prejudice, uniquely empowers people to engage in bigoted behavior openly — and the worst and longest-lasting legacy of the “Bully-in-Chief” may be lessons in how-to-hate that adults are passing on to children. At Bustle, contributor Aisha Saeed recommends six picture books she is reading to her children to help them navigate current events.
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‘Mockingbird’ by Kathryn Erskine

Caitlin, an 11-year-old girl, is struggling to understand and deal with her older brother Devon’s death in a school shooting — an event that staggered her entire community.

When she discovers the concept of “closure,” Caitlin decides to pursue it for herself, her family and community.

Caitlin is autistic and, as a reader on the spectrum, I could relate to Caitlin’s difficulty understanding social situations.

Like Caitlin, I had no friends when I was going to school and could imagine that her struggles when interacting with peers, could easily have been my own.

Why isn’t bullying an ‘Adverse Childhood Experience’?

As featured by PBS’ Next Avenue: a survey of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) finds that effects of childhood trauma can persist into 50s and beyond.

As a survivor of bullying, I can corroborate that the effect lasts well into adulthood. But ACES focuses exclusively upon trauma committed against children by adults. Systemic ostracism and bullying by a child’s peers can also be devastating, but the questionnaire makes no mention of it.

Post-election, young people feel less safe

As a former Challenge Day volunteer and a survivor of school bullying, I want to amplify the sentiment in an email message from Challenge Day, its post-election statement.

‘Talking to Kids About Racism and Justice’

Parents may struggle with how to help children cope with recent incidents of violence, and even more with how to broach sensitive conversations about racism and justice in our society. Here are possible resources.

America’s parents face explaining recent violence

America’s parents face the difficult task of explaining this week’s violence to children — the shooting deaths by police of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile followed by the shooting of a dozen police officers in Dallas. For the Los Angeles Times, Sonali Kohli shares insights offered by Suzanne Silverstein, director of the Cedars-Sinai Psychological Trauma Center, for talking with children about this shocking week of violence. Kohli also shares approaches taken by parents Richard Milner, Antoinette Barrett and Tyrone Howard.

School shootings: APA suggests ways to help children cope

The situation at work for me today, while producing my regular pages for the Lake County Record-Bee, is to post links to headlines as they become available about a school shooting in Newtown, Conn. The American Psychological Association shared tips for helping children make sense of shootings.

Link verified as of June 6, 2020