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Lions, Tigers, and Bears | Learning Magazine | Professional development

*As featured in a past edition of one of our magazines*

Lions and Tigers and Bears—Oh My!

Fears are part of growing up, but there's a lot you can do to help your students face them.

Tina cries and cries when there's a fire drill at school. You have to coax her into walking out with the other students. Then, for the rest of the day, she can't get her work done, she complains of a stomach ache, and she wants to call her mother. One time, she didn't even come to school the day after a fire drill because she was worried that the alarm would ring and there would be a real fire. How can you help Tina to be less afraid?

Fears are a normal part of childhood. Research tells us that the average child is frightened of four to 20 things and that these change during the stages of childhood.

Fears aren't necessarily bad. Reasonable fear of dangerous things and people helps keep children safe—it stops them from accepting rides with strangers or walking out into busy streets. The problem comes in when children have unreasonable fears that make them anxious and cause them to avoid places, people, and situations that are important in their lives. These can be at home, at school, or both.

You know that part of your job is to create a classroom and school environment where children feel safe. Recognizing the fears that are typical of an age group can help you do that.

What's scary?

Grades K–2

  • the dark
  • monsters, ghosts, "bad" people
  • animals (dogs, snakes, bugs)
  • getting hurt
  • thunder, lightning, fire, tornadoes
  • being alone
  • being away from Mom and Dad

Grades 3–6

  • tests in school
  • not doing well in school
  • looking different from other kids
  • death
  • thunder, lightning, fire, tornadoes
  • the dark
  • getting hurt

What you can do

During the course of the school day, there are many ways that you can help your students face their fears. Try the following:

For all students

  • When a child becomes frightened, listen and respect his or her feelings. Be interested but casual in your own response to the feared situation, object, creature, or person.
  • Never use threats of danger to discipline children.
  • Help your students learn what is truly dangerous and how to protect themselves.
  • Encourage parents to avoid TV programs and movies with scary content.
  • Use spontaneous classroom events as a way to talk with children about their feelings and fears. For example, a bee may fly in the window or a thunderstorm may begin. Students can describe to one another how they cope with these kinds of events.

For younger students

  • Read and discuss stories about the dark.
  • Discuss fire drills ahead of time. Tina might be less worried if she knew more about fire drills—the sound of the alarm, the importance of marching outside quickly and quietly, the presence of fire trucks and firefighters as part of the practice. A classroom visit from a firefighter or a field trip to the fire station can be exciting and can help reduce a child's anxiety.
  • Study natural phenomena like thunder, lightning, earthquakes, and tornadoes. Talk about where they occur, how often, and how people protect themselves.
  • Do projects to become familiar with common bugs and snakes. Give children the opportunity to collect or hold these critters.
  • Create lessons about safe street crossing, bike riding, in-line skating, and playground behavior.
  • Invite a speaker from a local animal shelter to talk about what children should do if they encounter a strange animal and how they can protect themselves.
  • Discuss monsters, ghosts, and other pretend phenomena.
  • Invite a police officer to talk about staying away from strangers.
  • Teach children how to use the phone to get help in an emergency.

For older students

  • Emphasize the importance of effort and improvement in school rather than success or failure.
  • Teach test-taking skills.
  • Demonstrate relaxation techniques, such as taking a deep breath and stretching, and describe when to use them.
  • Read and discuss stories about people's individual differences.
  • Study natural phenomena like thunder, lightning, earthquakes, and tornadoes. Talk about where they occur, how often, and how people protect themselves.
  • Use books and current events to talk with students about death and how people handle grief.
  • Continue to reinforce safety lessons taught in elementary school.

A fear too far

When a fear doesn't seem appropriate for a child's age, is very intense, and endures for several years, it could be a phobia. The youngster might need help from a mental-health professional if the phobia is interfering with schoolwork or life outside of school.

Professionals usually work with the child, parents, and teacher to understand the nature of the fear, how it developed, and why it continues. A key issue in deciding on formal treatment is how the child's life will be improved if he or she masters this fear. The following techniques are often used:

Modeling. This involves showing the child how a child of the same age, a parent, or you would handle the feared situation positively.

Desensitization. This approach involves exposing the child in small steps to the frightening experience until he or she is able to handle it.

Positive reinforcement. The child is rewarded for mastering the fear. This is often used in combination with other techniques.

Self-control. This involves providing the youngster with things to stay calm or teaching the child a problem-solving strategy to assist in coping. This is most effective in combination with other techniques.

Fear not

One of the most important things you can do when you're trying to help Tina and your other students with their fears is to examine your own fears. How do you overcome them? This understanding will help you develop even more ideas for creating a classroom environment in which children learn to face their fears and can take one more step toward maturity.

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