by TESOL International Association |
Resources for Educators to Support Students, Families, and Themselves in Times of War and Conflict
In our connected world, tragic events can have a far-reaching impact on our communities and our students. As educators serving multilingual learners of English we need to have the resources, knowledge, and skills to navigate through tumultuous times and support ourselves, our students, and their families.
TESOL has compiled these resources from various organizations to aid educators in the classrooms and beyond. We will continue to seek out and add to this list and invite your suggestions at advocacy@tesol.org.
Provide resources to aid educators to support and increase the fortitude of students.
- American Psychological Association: Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and day care providers of preschool children (2023)
- American Psychological Association: Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of elementary school children (2023)
- American Psychological Association: Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of teens (2023)
- Common Sense Media: How do I talk to my kids about violence in the news? (2019)
- Common Sense Media: Explaining the News to Our Kids (2025)
- UNICEF: How to talk to your children about conflict and war
- Teaching Controversies: Teaching Controversial Issues: A Framework for Reflective Practice
- Teaching MLs podcast with Tan Hyunh: Ep. 173. How to support Muslims MLs w/ Farhana Shah (2023)
- Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies: Various resources
- TESOL: Using The 6 Principles to Support Language Learning in Times of Crisis (2021)
- British Council TeachingEnglish podcast: How and why should we teach English in crisis and emergency situations (transcript)
- Psychology Today: How to Support Children During Times of War and Conflict (2023)
- TESOL Connections: 9 Ways Educators Can Support Students and Themselves During Wartime (2024)
- EducationWeek: How to Help Students Cultivate Hope When Worrisome News Is Stressing Them Out (2022)
- Facing History & Ourselves: Fostering Civil Discourse: Difficult Classroom Conversations in a Diverse Democracy (2024)
- AP News: Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events (2026)