Alicia Stenard's guest appearances

Alicia Stenard

Other Voices

Lights Out Bedtime Stories for Boys and Girls

Jane Yolen

John Hughes

John Kelly

John Green

Samuel Johnson

Sydney Smith

Sophie Blackall

David Roberts

John Gonzalez

Phyllis Johnson

Roald Dahl

David Williams

Meg Rosoff

Lemony Snicket

David McDonald

OwlTail

"How do I teach my students a lockdown drill without fear?"As a kindergarten teacher I struggled with teaching my students the procedures of a lockdown drill. I knew they needed to react quickly and quietly, but I worried about frightening them. Being prepared is essential, but it wasn't necessary to put terrifying images into their minds for them to take the drills seriously.I became frustrated at the lack of materials available that would protect my students from being traumatized by the implications of a lockdown drill. As a teacher, that reality was difficult enough, but it felt wrong to place that emotional burden on my students.I decided to write my own lockdown story. It worked like a charm!  My story created a sense of urgency, without creating a sense of fear.The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story is a frolicking tale of circus animals, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a fun-loving teacher.In this book children are protected from the harsh realities of lockdown drills while learning life-saving procedures.Teachers can use this book to teach and practice lockdown procedures without putting frightening images into the minds of their students.Parents and grandparents can use this book to reinforce lockdown procedures learned at school.The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story is a light-hearted story about a serious subject for children ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, second grade

"How do I teach my students a lockdown drill without fear?" As a kindergarten teacher I struggled with teaching my students the procedures of a lockdown drill. I knew they needed to react quickly and quietly, but I worried about frightening them. Being prepared is essential, but it wasn't necessary to put terrifying images into their minds for them to take the drills seriously. I became frustrated at the lack of materials available that would protect my students from being traumatized by the implications of a lockdown drill. As a teacher, that reality was difficult enough, but it felt wrong to place that emotional burden on my students. I decided to write my own lockdown story. It worked like a charm! My story created a sense of urgency, without creating a sense of fear. The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story is a frolicking tale of circus animals, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a fun-loving teacher. In this book children are protected from the harsh realities of lockdown drills while learning life-saving procedures. Teachers can use this book to teach and practice lockdown procedures without putting frightening images into the minds of their students. Parents and grandparents can use this book to reinforce lockdown procedures learned at school. The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story is a light-hearted story about a serious subject for children ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, second grade

The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story by Alicia Stenard Read by E3D

Alicia Stenard believes that a topic percolating just below the consciousness of the American public — school lockdowns — needs to be addressed. As a longtime Albany teacher, she worried about the effects lockdown drills had on her students’ psyches. Not only did the drills distract from learning but they could leave lasting scars, leading kids not to trust school as a safe place. Still, Stenard could see that the drills are needed. So she came up with a solution. She told her kindergartners a story — serious enough to get them to do the drills promptly but not frightening. It worked so well, she wrote a book, “The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story,” to share with other teachers. The book is colorfully illustrated by Greg Matusic, the father of one of Stenard’s former students. The story, Stenard says, works for kids up to age 7 in the stage of Magical Thinking that allows them to believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. Her story tells of escaped circus elephants who roam a school seeking the children’s peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches but, as the students perform their lockdown drill, the elephants, monkeys, and ponies are safely lured away by clowns bearing peanuts. In this week’s podcast, Stenard shares more than her light-hearted story; she shares her deep concerns about modern children’s anxieties and also shares ways parents as well as teachers can help their kids deal with stress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alicia Stenard believes that a topic percolating just below the consciousness of the American public — school lockdowns — needs to be addressed. As a longtime Albany teacher, she worried about the effects lockdown drills had on her students’ psyches. Not only did the drills distract from learning but they could leave lasting scars, leading kids not to trust school as a safe place. Still, Stenard could see that the drills are needed. So she came up with a solution. She told her kindergartners a story — serious enough to get them to do the drills promptly but not frightening. It worked so well, she wrote a book, “The Elephant in the Room: A Lockdown Story,” to share with other teachers. The book is colorfully illustrated by Greg Matusic, the father of one of Stenard’s former students. The story, Stenard says, works for kids up to age 7 in the stage of Magical Thinking that allows them to believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. Her story tells of escaped circus elephants who roam a school seeking the children’s peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches but, as the students perform their lockdown drill, the elephants, monkeys, and ponies are safely lured away by clowns bearing peanuts. In this week’s podcast, Stenard shares more than her light-hearted story; she shares her deep concerns about modern children’s anxieties and also shares ways parents as well as teachers can help their kids deal with stress. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Teacher Alicia Stenard, addressing school lockdowns