Name the reality of the world right now
Acknowledging people are grieving and dealing with forms of oppression, although violence is not the best way to share grief.
We all have the right to express ourselves through the form of protest, but a peaceful protest is the best way to communicate our personal beliefs in order to bring about change.
Students may be experiencing trauma / sadness – providing students with a safe space to share how they are feeling, acknowledging their feelings, process their feelings in a judgement free zone
Give students an outlet to feel like they can process or “do” something. See ideas below.

Tips for talking about Racism and Protesting

Our team here at Rocketship is invested in helping all of our students, staff, and parents cope with the trauma they may be experiencing with the racial violence and protests responding to racism in society. This is intended to provide guidelines and information about how to speak with your students about their understanding of the world, racism, and protests. The following lists some tips for how to respond and support, and what you may expect.

Guidelines for listening and talking:

Be truthful. Name the realities of what is happening in the world around them. Use simple and age appropriate language for your child.
Be patient. Listen to your child. Answer their questions. It is OK to say you don’t know.
Be aware that your child may repeat questions. This is normal.
Allow for a variety of reactions. Normalize that all people grieve / process differently.
Reassure them that there are adults at school who care about them and who can help them if they feel sad.
Let children know who they can go to at school if they feel sad / angry / confused, and who they can talk to at home. This may be calling a teacher during this time of distance learning.
It’s OK to let children see you cry / feel sad. It gives them permission to do so as well.

Teacher Activities to help students process and dive into activism and caring from Teaching Tolerance Resources (from Teaching as Activism, Teaching as Care

Provide journal responses, or space for free writes, for students to reflect or share their feelings on what is happening. Allow students space and time to process difficult feelings and emotions that are coming up for them now.
Check in with families and students whose lives may be even more difficult right now, asking them what they need.
Create and send care packages to family and students.
Choose texts that can open up a conversation around what is happening right now.
Provide space and time for mindful moments for students (as many students may be completely worried right now).
Create project-based assignments and lessons that allow students to use their social media platform to bring light to injustice, disparity, and to communities and their leaders.
Develop writing assignments wherein students write to public officials to raise awareness about their communities.
Teach about elections and the importance of elections, given the disparities that are deeply exposed now.
Have students write letters soliciting donations for families or other children who may be in need.
Allow students to guide what their learning might look like now. Carve out time to listen in to students’ thoughts, feelings, fears and frustrations, as well as their sources of joy.

Take Action: Steps to Encourage Reform

National Resource List with links to community bail funds, memorial funds, political education resources, organizations to put on your radar as well as general advice/tips for people attending protests or using social media as an organizing tool by @botanicaldyke

Support Black-Owned Restaurants and Pop-Ups in the Bay Area by @hooleil

More Donation Recommendations from NY Magazine
Get Informed, Take Action, and Get Engaged, resources from the Obama Foundation,