Teachable Moments

Receding Waters, Lessons Learned

Displaced Gulf Coast students may be settled into their new schools, but Hurricane Katrina still offers lessons— and opportunities to grow—for all of us.

By Cindy Long

Canzetta Hollis told her students to welcome the evacuees with open arms.

The school year had scarcely begun when principal Canzetta Hollis called an emergency assembly at Austin Middle School in Galveston, Texas. On a sweltering September morning, a crush of pre-adolescent students, giddy about an upcoming school dance, packed the hot auditorium. But once inside and seated, they didn't giggle or whisper. They didn't yawn or stretch or even fidget in their chairs. They quietly listened to their principal, telling them about a group of new children who would be starting at their school over the next few days. The new students, she explained, were hurricane evacuees.

Five days earlier, Hurricane Katrina had roared ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. A Category 4 storm, Katrina would prove to be the most devastating natural disaster in recent U.S. history. The storm unleashed its fury along the Gulf coast, leaving little behind but roiling floodwaters, splintered wood, twisted metal, and debris fields miles long. When tens of thousands fled the disaster zone, many headed west into Texas.

Principal Hollis was ready. She knew she'd be enrolling school children of the families sheltering at Galveston churches, hotels, and apartment complexes, and she made arrangements to have supplies and uniforms waiting. She wanted to be sure her students were ready as well. On the morning of the assembly, she told them exactly what behaviors she expected. She used words like helpful, welcoming, friendly, and thoughtful.

"Moments after the assembly, one of my students walked into my office and handed me three dollars," Hollis said. "That's when I knew they were listening, that they really heard me." She soon set up a "Giving Jar" outside her office that was filled to overflowing day after day.

It Could Have Been Us

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the Galveston Hurricane. That Category 4 storm struck September 8, 1900, killing as many as 10,000 people and wiping away three-quarters of the island city of Galveston.

Hollis, a Galveston native, is well-acquainted with the island community's storm history and knows how vulnerable it is to the capriciousness of hurricane season. In fact, just two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, another storm, Hurricane Rita, took aim at Galveston. Fortunately, the city was spared the brunt of the storm, which proved to be less violent than Katrina.

"It could have been us," she said. "And we are using the history of the Galveston hurricane along with Katrina [and Rita] as a lesson for our students, asking 'What if a major hurricane hit here? What if you had to leave home and go to a new school? How would you like to be received?'"

Teachable Moments

There are lessons for everyone in the weeks and months following a disaster like Hurricane Katrina—we've learned, for example, about the necessity of comprehensive evacuation plans, especially for a city's most vulnerable populations. But educators in particular are provided with a host of "teachable moments," opportunities to stop, take a break from test preparation, and ask students, "what did we learn from this?"

While learning about hurricane formation and natural disasters make excellent science lessons, the best lessons seem to be those about the nature of giving and humanitarianism—learning to be altruistic, empathic, and selfless when others are in need.

From holding car washes and assembling care packages to writing letters and donating books, students from around the country are learning that they are able to contribute to the recovery and do something meaningful to help others.

"By providing children with ways to get involved, they overcome their feelings of helplessness and learn that it's possible to give back," said Teri Mahoney, a licensed social worker and NEA crisis counselor in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

In Mahoney's Owen J. Roberts school district near Philadelphia, the students live far from the Gulf Coast, but she points out that, no matter where they live, after a major disaster like Katrina, most children will feel an impact. "Those who live closer to the Gulf might wonder why they were spared the brunt of the storm," she said. "And those who live farther away might ask why their part of the country wasn't hit. But if they take time out to get involved, they learn there are ways to express their concern."

And as the holidays approach, Mahoney said it's important to remind students that even though the major headlines have disappeared, there is still work to be done on the Gulf coast, and that many residents are still displaced. Lesson plans can include how New Orleans and other cities and towns on the Gulf Coast are rebuilding. Pen pal programs can allow students to keep in touch with children who have yet to go back home. Class projects, such as a holiday fund-raiser or toy drive, can focus on service learning and the spirit of holiday giving—some educators might even go so far as to arrange a class trip to help with the rebuilding and cleanup over break.

The simple act of making and sending a handmade holiday greeting card, Mahoney said, can teach students that the need for support doesn't go away overnight. More importantly, the children who receive those handcrafted cards will learn that, even though months have passed, people still care.

Lifelong Lessons

Denzel Franklin now plays in the Austin Middle School band.

For the children who fled the storm and had to start anew, the lessons from Hurricane Katrina are the hardest to learn, but it's an education in survival and resilience they will benefit from throughout their lives. They've learned that everything can change in an instant, that life can be scary and dangerous, and that sometimes even adults don't know what to do. Yet, they've learned that there is kindness in the world, that it's possible to put the pieces back together, and that making friends and a fresh start in a new school can be as easy as joining the band.

"I love music," said Denzel Franklin, now a seventh grader at Austin Middle School who plays a variety of instruments, including the tenor bass and saxophone. "I was asked to play with the band. I'm glad they like music here too."

Back in September, Principal Hollis had to cancel Austin Middle School's much anticipated fall dance to accommodate area shelter residents who were using the school's facilities for showering. But the students didn't consider it a sacrifice. To them, it was another opportunity to help. And to learn.

To donate to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund and for updates on NEA relief efforts, visit our Web site at: www.nea.org/disasterrelief.

photos top and bottom: Sam Pierson; photo middle: courtesy of FEMA

Related Resources

NEA Hurricane Relief Page