Teachers

Various methods can be employed to teach teachers what they need to know about the tsunami and how to disseminate this information with various parties. Some methods that can be used to teach them include: Tsunami educational kits which can be made available either online or printed and bound then made available as handbooks. The information in these kits would mostly target the students they teach and the content will be discussed in the next paragraph.

  1. Presentations may also be held, where people with a good understanding on the tsunamis and procedures to be followed in the event of one and afterwards are invited to shed light on a few issues and thus help teachers gain knowledge.
  2. Another method worth thinking about would be the sending of various teachers as representatives of their schools to other countries which have a stronger base in disaster management systems and letting the teachers know how their counterparts elsewhere do things. In addition, if this is not possible, then teachers from those other places can also come and share their knowledge with the teachers of Peru and Micronesia. This would create some sort of exchange program, where both parties gain from each other and if this was to be made a regular event, for example once every three years, then chances of gaining more form it would be increased.
  3. Training camps and seminars can also be held especially during school breaks when the teachers can engage themselves fully in these type of activities without the worry of their students falling back behind. This would greatly help, especially if the government makes it compulsory and caters for such programs. On returning to their schools, such teachers would be given the task of educating fellow teachers who did not attend the program.
  4. They should also be encouraged to keep in touch with world current affairs and this would help them in staying afloat when it comes to the latest developments in tsunami studies. They can do this through listening to the media and reading relevant literature. It would be recommended that if certain bodies come up with new strategies, they document them and send them to schools so that teachers are also involved. In some schools where funds allow, purchases of things such as TVs would be encouraged and this would serve as an incentive to encourage them to keep up with world current affairs. There is a whole bunch of things that teachers can teach but some of the main groups to target would be the parents and their students.Some of the ways to reach the parents would be over open days where parents are invited to come and discuss the academic progress of their kids with the teachers. During such occasions a short presentation by members of the teaching staff would be applicable. Alternatively, during school Annual General Meetings teachers could also give short speeches. The other thing to do would be to send the kids home with letters to the parents, disseminating such crucial information(.www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia)
Some of the things to tell them, would include how to cope with disasters such as tsunamis and give them tips on how best to help their children cope. For example some tips to give parents on how to help their kids cope would include:
  1. Switching off radios and TVs whenever they show disturbing images and tell horrifying stories in the presence of kids.
  2. Listening to their kids carefully and making them feel that whatever they say is appreciated.
  3. Giving the kids reassurance and psychological first-aid should the kids be traumatized.
  4. Getting professional psychological help for their kids should they be unable to single-handedly tackle their children's depression.
  5. Expecting the unexpected especially when it comes to the extent to which the kids have been affected. The teachers should also recommend that the parents give the children room for recovery and not be so quick to expect them to learn how to cope.
  6. Giving their kids extra time and attention.
  7. Be models for their kids in the way they cope.
  8. Watching their own behavior toward the whole situation. For example if they are frustrated, they should not vent out their problems for the kids and if they feel that they want to cry they can do it away from the kids.
  9. Helping kids return to normal activities.
  10. Encouraging their children to do volunteer work as it makes them feel more useful and puts their mind away from all the mental turmoil.
    (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/1605)
Some of the things that the teachers can teach their students include : Information about tsunamis for example what they are, what causes them, what earthquakes are and what causes them, how fast earthquakes travel, health related issues such as resulting diseases and how to cope with them, social studies pertaining to how disasters are reported by the media and what they feel about it and language arts under which they can discuss use of literature as a coping mechanism, especially for those at higher learning levels. They can also teach them how to express feeling about tragedy using art, and apart from serving as a release it would also serve as a way to identify children who will need more in depth psychological help. (www.staff.esuhsd.org/-balochie/studentprojects/peru)(Atwater, B., Cistemas, V., Bourgeois, J., Dudley, W.C., Hendley, J., Stauffer, P., (1999) Surviving a tsunami: Lessons from Chile, Hawaii and Japan.) The methods to use would include :
  1. Making the kids write letters for example to imaginary authorities about aid and development issues and this would help stimulate their thinking and encourage them to be open minded and explore potential fields in disaster management.
  2. Inviting people in fields to do with tsunamis come and lecture the children on such issues as how to escape.
  3. Engaging the kids in simulating activities such as designing a rebuilding and rehabilitation program for a village. This would help them reason and expand their scope of knowledge on issues on the tsunami. Some of the things they would be encouraged to explore would include key sectors for rehabilitation, activities to undertake, resources needed, and risks and strategies to manage the risks. This would enable the kids to come up with creative methods on how to deal with the situation and be prepared in the event of such an occurrence.
  4. Holding practice drills in school as this would ensure that they are always prepared at all times. As an incentive those who do it best may be rewarded with some gifts or presents to encourage the others to know what they are meant to know.
  5. Posters may also be set up in their classes by the teachers and these used as teaching aids in disseminating information about the tsunami.(Washington Emergency Management Division (2003) How the Smart Family Survived a Tsunami- Elementary Ed- K6)

(www.nationmaster.com/country/pe/Education)This would not be so hard to implement as most schools have time that is devoted to social studies. For example, in Peru, the time devoted to lessons in social studies amounts to about 23% of the total learning time. This would make it easier to get some time from these lessons and use them in teaching the children.

Sources:

  1. www.micsem.org/photos/education
  2. www.staff.esuhsd.org/-balochie/studentprojects/peru
  3. www.nationmaster.com/country/pe/Education
  4. www.citel.cas.org/Tele-Education/Peru
  5. www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/1605
  6. www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia
  7. www.nsta.org/education/&category_ID=290
  8. Washington Emergency Management Division (2003) How the Smart Family Survived a tsunami. Elementary Ed K6
  9. Atwater, B., Cistemas, V., Bourgeois, J., Dudley, W.C., Hendley, J., Stauffer, P., (1999) Surviving a tsunami: Lessons from Chile, Hawaii and Japan.