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In his article, "Coping With Stress and Surviving Challenging Times," (Exchange, July 2003) Alan Cohen, the research coordinator for the Community Stress Prevention Center in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, describes "BASIC Ph," a model for helping teachers and children cope with stress.  In introducing this tool, Cohen oberves...

"...humans from birth are born copers.  They do their best to manage.  They survive.  Young children usually remain in remarkably good spirits in tough times.  It does not mean that young children don't realize something is wrong.  They catch on very quickly.  However, just because some of them don't show signs of anxiety, it doesn't mean all is well and we can ignore the problems.

"Even within a group of very young children we can identify different styles of coping with adversity.  There will be those who are very aware of what's going on (their parents talk about it openly, have the television on freely, and encourage discussion).  There will be those who have some vague idea that something is not right in their world;  there may be disruptions to routine, there are worrying tones of voice, and there are messages floating around above them, without a parent or caregiver ever having taken the time to explain directly to the children what is going on.  And, of course, there will be those who are blissfully unaware that anything out of the ordinary is taking place.  This could of course be the routine to which they have become accustomed from birth, or indeed they may be dreamers in their own happy world.

"To add to the complexity of the picture the teachers and caregivers themselves have their own personal coping styles.  Some may address problems by learning the nature of the difficulty and coming to grips with it.  Others may seek outside professional help.  A third sort might prefer to ignore the problem in the hope it will go away -- or reason that time helps everything and their belief in a just society will help them weather the storm.

"One particular feature of work in a kindergarten, definitely in Israel but most likely in many places worldwide, is the fact that kindergarten staff are usually on their own for many hours.  Sure, they can call people on the phone, they can meet colleagues after work, they can attend training sessions from time to time;  but in the end, it is usually just two or three of them and the children.  And in an emergency and disaster that is when they feel most alone.  Even the thought that they will be with just one or two other adults when a crisis happens is not reassuring."

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