9/11: Getting real in teacher education

Innovative teacher education programs recognise the need to equip teachers with 'new knowledge' to support children and to prepare them for a changing future. This knowledge includes mental health education that encourages resilience in teachers and children, and futures studies. This paper reports the results of a study carried out in a regional Australian city on the effects on children and teachers in Australia of the events of September 11, 2001. The purpose of the study was to determine teachers' perceptions and the way they adapted in the face of this traumatic event and to determine how competent teachers felt in dealing with the situation. The results indicate the importance of this 'new knowledge' in teacher education programs.