In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the nation's schools responded with overwhelming compassion and generosity, welcoming displaced students into new communities and helping provide various items and services. But one year later, the needs of displaced students still are great.
Britta Ostermeyer, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family and Community Medicine at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine, has worked with many such students and their families -- especially in the months just after the storm. Ostermeyer says meeting the emotional and social needs of displaced students will be a long-term effort for schools and communities. She offers these eight tips for educators.
- Watch students for signs of sadness, withdrawal, anxiety or depression.
- Ask students questions about their feelings, rather than waiting for students to volunteer such information.
- Stay informed about students' home lives and living arrangements by asking about family and domestic situations.
- Find out how well students are making or maintaining new friendships.
- Ask students what they would wish for if they had three wishes, as some students may find it easier to indirectly express their needs or wants.
- Plan school projects that foster community and well-being and help students with problems. A peer buddy-system is a good way to bring students together and address school-related problems.
- Arrange to see students' parents to learn about concerns or issues students' families may be facing at home.
- Ask students if they know of another student who is having problems, as some might be more comfortable expressing concerns to peers than to teachers or counselors.
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