As an educator who works with English language learners (ELLs), you may find that your students are impacted by current events, whether at the local, national, or international level. Here are some tips for navigating those issues.
Gathering Information
1. Take some time to learn about what’s happening
Take some time to learn about the events that are happening through trusted sources. Look for impacts of these events within your local community, which may be complex. Keep in mind these events may introduce new uncertainties for your students and families.
Note: For background information on students from Venezuela, see this 2023 blog post from Immigrant Connections.
2. Connect with family liaisons
Check in with colleagues who work closely with families, such as family liaisons. Find out how families are responding to these events and whether they have any immediate concerns or questions. Avoid making assumptions about families’ opinions, experiences, or political leanings – reactions to these events may vary within the community.
3. Avoid putting students (or families) on the spot
Never put students or family members on the spot to speak about their own perspective or as a "representative" of a particular country, culture, race, or other identifying characteristic. Keep in mind that ELLs and immigrant students and families:
- Bring their own unique histories, perspectives, and emotions to current events
- May have experienced related traumas
- May have family impacted by events unfolding in their home countries
Educator voices
"Our families have no obligation to speak on behalf of an entire population. We can't expect them to inform us about things that as Americans we should probably already know about. The most important thing is ensuring they feel welcome and have a safe space to share their story if and when they choose to."
— David Kauffman, Executive Director for Multilingual Education in Austin Independent School District
In the Classroom
4. Let students know you are available to talk if needed
Rather than asking your students for their opinions, you may wish to acknowledge the events privately and let them know you are available to talk if you think they would feel comfortable with you doing so. Provide a space for processing their thoughts, such as in a journal, or invite a small group of impacted students for an informal chat if they have expressed interest in discussing the events.
- While some students may wish to engage in group discussion, others may feel uncomfortable drawing any attention to themselves or their family's situation.
- Remember that some students may not wish to discuss these events right away. Letting students know that you are there to listen when they are ready is an important first step.
- If students do wish to talk, listen with care and empathy. Students may have personal questions and considerations about their own safety, their future, or that of their families for a variety of reasons. Acknowledge the challenge of this uncertainty without providing false assurances.
5. Proceed with caution in classroom discussions.
Consider whether these events are appropriate for the classroom as a whole. If you have some routines in place for navigating classroom discussions and challenging topics and your students are generally respectful of each other, you may have some of the tools in place you need.
However, if your class has not yet navigated challenging topics, emotions are running high, or there is any possibility of bullying, the events impacting your students may be too fraught to discuss. It’s also important to keep in mind that students may have widely varying concerns and perspectives about these events.
Finally, keep in mind that students themselves may bring these topics up even if you don’t! Try to anticipate how you might manage that kind of situation. For example, if student interest is high, you could give students a chance to write in journals and tell them that the class will be returning to this topic after you've had time to read the journal entries and create a plan.
6. Use care in discussing issues related to immigration.
Talking about topics related to immigration may cause extreme anxiety for students. At the same time, immigrant students may welcome the chance to discuss a topic that affects them so directly.
- If you are planning a lesson related to immigration (even if in a historic context), proceed with care and extensive planning.
- Recognize that you are not an immigration expert.
- Tell students you are open to their experiences, but any information that students share about immigration policies must be informed by research.
- Consider talking privately with your immigrant students beforehand on whether they feel comfortable with the topic.
- Do not ask students to share their experience directly.
- Never refer to a student's immigration status publicly or privately.
- Remember that all students have a right to a public K-12 education regardless of immigration status.
- Remind the class that students can discuss the merits of immigration policy while maintaining a respectful tone about the people involved.
- Keep in mind that families navigate a wide range of complex immigration issues that may also be impacted by current events, changing policies, global events, and personal circumstances.
7. Prevent bullying or harassment of ELLs and immigrant students related to current events.
- Communicate to your class that all students are valued members of the classroom and bullying or disrespectful speech, including against ELLs and immigrant students, will not be tolerated.
- Share the importance of these messages with other colleagues.
- Keep in mind that students may have already experienced bullying or harassment due to a number of factors, including their ethnicity, language, or religion.
- Include immigration as a characteristic that is protected against discrimination and bias.
- See helpful ideas in 8 Tips to Protect ELLs from Bullying in Your Classroom and School.
Social-Emotional Support
8. Determine whether other supports are needed.
If students or families need additional support, consider pulling a team together of family liaisons, parents, and mental health professionals to discuss culturally appropriate forms of support; counseling; or ongoing social-emotional support.
Ask administrators and mental health colleagues or partners for help in establishing some more robust support for students who are under tremendous strain and perhaps feeling high levels of anxiety.
In addition, share information about these supports with families, and look for ways to provide ongoing updates of information in families' home languages.
9. Connect with community organizations.
Find out which local organizations have ties to your community and can offer support. Connect with these organizations, such as social services, university faculty and students, and local businesses. They may have valuable insights, ideas, and opportunities for partnerships.
10. Remind ELL/immigrant students and their families that they are valued members of your class, school, and community.
- Continue efforts to make students feel welcome.
- Share those ideas with colleagues and administrators as you hear them. Encourage the whole school community to look for ways to welcome all families.
- Don't lose sight of the strengths that ELL/immigrant students and families bring to their schools and our communities every day. The better you know your families, the more deeply you can tap into those strengths.
Related Resources
- Navigating Tough Topics in the Classroom: Tips for ELL Educators
- Building Bridges Through Storytelling: What Are Your Students' Stories?
- Immigration Guide
- Responding to a Global Crisis
- Discussing Political Violence
Responding to Current Events
- Creating a Safe Space for Students to Discuss Current Events (Edutopia)
- Current Events in Your Classroom: Ideas for Middle and High School (Facing History)
- The best way to teach current events? Let students lead (KQED)
Teaching Social Studies and History to ELLs
- Social Studies and History Instruction for ELLs: Resource Collection
- Preparing an Engaging Social Studies Lesson for ELLs
- Primary Sources, the Library of Congress and English Learners
Teaching Big Topics
- What are good strategies teachers can use to explore "controversial" topics? (Ed Week)
- Fostering Civil Discourse: How do we talk about topics that matter? (Facing History)
- Building Perspective Through Meaningful Discussion (Edutopia)
- Journals in a Facing History Classroom (Facing History)
- A Journal Can Be Anything (Teaching Tolerance)
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