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The nation is grappling with tragedy this holiday season, just as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow dealt with tragedies during Christmas seasons long ago that elicited his famous “Christmas Bells” poem. The poem concludes with a renewed hope for peace among mankind, a feeling that undoubtedly permeates the nation after the horrific events at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. We continue to keep the families and community of Newtown in our thoughts and prayers, and have put together a list of resources to help parents, schools, and children cope with this tragedy.

I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

 
News of the horrific events at Sandy Hook elementary school shook the nation, and children around the country are sure to have questions and will look to parents and teachers for reassurance and guidance. Here are a few resources to guide questions and concerns:

–Support Sandy Hook Elementary and Newtown from ConnCan is more of a local resource that offers ways to support Newtown in their time of need as well as resources to help talk to children.

–Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)

–School Crisis Resources from the NEA

–Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers from the National Association of School Psychologists

–Talking With Kids About Tough Issues from Children Now

–How to talk to your kids about gun violence from Today’s Parent

–Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting from the American Psychological Association

–Resources to Help Parents, Children and Others Cope in the Aftermath of School Shootings from the American Academy of Pediatrics

–A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope from the National Association of School Psychologists

–Children and Grief from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

–Talking to Children about A Shooting from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

–Caring for Kids After A School Shooting from the Child Mind Institute