We are keenly aware of the difficult times facing educators and their students. Every education employee – teacher, counselor, social worker, para educator, school secretary, custodian, food service worker, school psychologist, social worker, school principal – will be asked complex questions by students. At the same time, you may be confronting your own anxiety and concern about the war. This page contains links to reliable, researched web sites and articles that may help you to discuss the war in Iraq with your students. These sites do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of our organization. Note that the location of the web sites may change during this time. The following are current on Jan. 14, 2008.

Talking with Kids about the News—Children Now: Children may feel frightened and insecure when they see television news reports about the war. This web site offers resources to help initiate conversations with students about TV news.

Dealing with War and Terrorism in the Classroom—Education World.com: Education World.com, a professional development web site sponsored by American Fidelity Insurance Company, offers strategies for discussing war and terrorism with different age groups. American Fidelity is an underwriter of NEA Member Benefits personal finance/insurance programs.

Tolerance.org—A web project of the Southern Poverty Law Center: This web page offers ideas for educators about how to talk to children about war and suggests ways to help children learn about what happens when divisions among people develop in our nation.

Teaching Materials on Arab Culture, History, and Religion—Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC): Need reliable teaching materials on Arab culture, history, and religion? Here is a selection of resources and lesson plans from the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a grassroots civil rights organization.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Resource list for talking to children about war.
Resources from "Connect for Kids," a partner with the National Education Association and other organizations working for children and families
Reactions and Guidelines for Children Following Trauma, from the American Psychological Association (geared to elementary, middle/junior high, and high school students and includes guidelines for both teachers and parents)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security resources
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) information on diseases that could be used as biological weapons