Days After Mass Tragedies
Gun violence has become so routine that some students no longer remember specific shootings. On days after instances of mass tragedy, teachers try to create space to process grief as they work to be present with students in the aftermath of collective shock.
Overview
Mass tragedies — school shootings, acts of terrorism, public violence — arrive without warning and leave students unmoored. The normalization of gun violence in American life has made this a uniquely difficult “day after”: students may arrive numb, hypervigilant, or oscillating between both. Teachers are not counselors, but they are often the most consistent, trusted adults in a young person’s life.
Days After Mass Tragedies asks teachers to resist the instinct to “move on” and instead create a humanizing space for grief, memory, and honest conversation. DAP in this context is not about having answers — it’s about refusing to act as though the tragedy didn’t happen, and trusting students enough to sit with them in the difficulty.
Key themes
- Trauma-responsive presence over scripted curriculum
- Creating space for grief without requiring students to perform it
- Distinguishing between processing and politicizing
- Supporting teachers' own emotional labor and sustainability
Activities & Resources
Classroom-ready protocols and tools for teaching on days after mass tragedies.