Disaster 101

At the Clarke Middle School in Lexington, yesterday began with a moment of silence for the estimated 140,000 victims of the earthquake and tsunamis in southeast Asia.

Guidance counselors kept doors open for children who wanted to talk. In geography classes, teachers discussed where the tsunamis occurred and pointed out the parts of the world prone to such disasters.

"The kids are just sort of amazed with it all," said principal Pamela Houlares. "You try to balance that with the information and just inform them with what is happening, as opposed to getting too much into the death and corpses."

The Lexington students, like other children across the state, returned to school yesterday for the first time since the tsunamis hit southeast Asia. They had seen the daily images of lifeless bodies, colossal waves, and ruined villages on television. In schools around the region, teachers walked a careful line, incorporating information about the natural disaster into lessons and comforting students saddened by the human toll.

"It's definitely a somber day," said Linda Butler, assistant principal at Weston Middle School. "It's time for a lot of reflection and kids talking about feeling blessed."

At the Weston school, a social studies teacher explained to sixth-graders how earthquakes, a precursor to a tsunami, form. Explaining to children the science of what happened is a first step, Butler said.

"Then, of course, the emotions are extremely important, helping kids feel safe and not feel helpless," Butler said.

Some students who had traveled to India and Sri Lanka with their families for the holidays have not yet returned to school, she said. School officials, who have been in e-mail contact with some of the families, have not heard that any of the students or their families were injured in the disaster.

At Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Lowell, students lost aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins in the tsunamis. Most of the students' families are from southeast Asia.

"In each classroom, teachers are allowing children to share their feelings, and they are sharing in their grief," said the principal, Sandra Dunning.

In second-grade teacher Elise Bennett's classroom, the 16 students sat on the floor, peered at a tiny globe, and peppered their teacher with questions about what they could do to help.

"We got to help the kids in Thailand," said Nina Ros, 8.

"This is all they were talking about," Bennett said. "It's been nonstop."

At the Edward Devotion K-8 school in Brookline, one of the first thing principal John P. Dempsey did was check the rolls, making sure every student was accounted for. One family who went on vacation in India has not contacted the school, he said.

"We think they were in a different part of Asia, and they're OK," he said.

But anxiety was high at the 700-student school where students returned with thoughts of death and destruction.

"Over the past couple of weeks they've read about it in the newspapers; they've seen pictures on television," Dempsey said. "They want to know how they can help. "

In Framingham, students at the Mary E. Stapleton Elementary School in kindergarten through fifth grade are working on a plan to make donations.

"They are reacting the best way they can, " principal Charles McInnis said. "This is a hopeful generation, and they want to help others."

Stuart J. Goldman, director of psychiatric education at Children's Hospital, warned that younger children are easily disturbed by graphic television pictures of the destruction. While adults pay more attention to words, he said, children focus on images.

Goldman urged adults to discuss the tsunamis as they would any major world event and give children a chance to talk about their fears.

"Most kids, particularly the younger kids, are going to have some concern about whether this can happen to me and the people I love," Goldman said. "I think that parents need to be reassuring that . . . this is a rare thing that happens once in a great period of time, and they really don't need to worry."

Kathleen Burge can be reached at kburge@globe.com.