This guide for teachers in times of trauma was updated after the events of September 11, 2001–the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These traumatic events could cause refugees to experience trauma or become re-traumatized. For many refugees, their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs are the places where they will find their primary, in-depth contact with Americans with whom they can feel safe and where they can ask questions. Teachers and administrators are grappling with how to best assist refugees, especially those from countries where war, trauma, and uncertainty are a way of life. This paper provides some tips for working with refugees in the classroom and for paying attention to the needs of teachers and others in programs and agencies who serve them. Some brief information on the experience of “crisis” is also included. Major headings in the paper include the following: “The Balance: Providing Information and Class as Usual”; “Debriefing with Teachers andOther Staff”; “Caring for Oneself”; “What is a Crisis.” Also included is a list of 16 Office of Refugee Resettlement-supported treatment centers for torture victims around the United States. (KFT) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (ERIC No. ED456678)
