Teaching under attack: The dilemmas, goals, and practices of upper-elementary school teachers when dealing with terrorism in class

This article investigates how 12 upper-elementary school teachers dealt with the occurrence of a terrorist attack in their city during hours and immediate aftermath. All were interviewed shortly after about goals, dilemmas, pedagogical strategies employed classroom. We found that day tried to focus on providing both emotional support adequate information pupils. While doing so, encountered four types dilemmas: perceived lack knowledge concerning terrorism general, worry increasing fear among pupils by discussing terrorism, conundrum balancing different (and contrasting) perspectives pupils, clear management or guidelines issued. The findings are discussed through lens pedagogy for political trauma, case is made expanding this historicizing approach. Such an approach may provide (depoliticized) framework reference enables them help understand reflect upsetting contested topic terrorism.