Dear Waldorf community, friends, and families,
On behalf of AWSNA, we are holding the families of Uvalde, Texas as they grieve from the unimaginable nightmare of the shooting at their childrens’ school, Robb Elementary, where the lives of 19 children and two teachers were cut short. This comes just ten days after a mass shooting targeting and killing ten Black Americans at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY.
We are stunned by yet another act of violence that has brought deep and unnecessary pain to a community. We are holding all of you in our member schools and institutes as you end yet another year with tragedies unfolding. We are grieving with you. We are grieving as parents, teachers, friends, and families. We are grieving while bearing witness to stories like this one again and again and again.
AWSNA reaffirms our unwavering commitment to educate children to become adults who are able to impart purpose and direction to their lives through imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility for the respect and dignity of every life. It is also our responsibility to not become numb to these acts, and to support and strengthen the development of a society that no longer resorts to violence. Let’s all, as individuals and organizations, find our unique contributions towards a peaceful and just world.
We thank you for showing up each and every day as parents, teachers, friends, and families. You are tasked, again, to guide your school communities through something so unimaginable and horrific. We will continue to do what we do best and educate our students through the healing art of Waldorf education in conversation, story, and togetherness, in the warm embrace of our strong communities.
With much support,
Rebecca, Stephanie, Melanie
The following resources may be helpful in addressing these events for ourselves and with our students and children.
Take Action
March for Our Lives: Sign petitions, email your representatives, raise funds
Wear Orange: National Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 3 – 5)
NPR: How to Support Uvalde, TX
Therapy and Mental Health Support
PBS Kids: Helping Children Navigate Scary News Stories
American Counseling Association: Gun Violence Trauma Resources
Helping Kids After a Shooting (American School Counselor Association)
Helping Children Cope with Terrorism–Tips for Families and Educators (National Association of School Psychologists)
Media Consumption
Children and the News (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute)
Helpful Verse