In my teaching career I’ve survived a couple of ‘End of Days’ events. Notably, the lining up of the planets in about 1996 which freaked a couple of my students out. Then I managed to survive the double whammy of the turn of the millennium coupled with Y2K. The hoo har around these events also freaked a few of my kids out. You have to wonder why the media airs and gives credence to such trite.
Anyway, my response to the very real fears in some students is to start with a bit of humour. I always bet them $100 that the world won’t end. It is nice to see them mull it over for a while & smile. Funny thing is they never take me up on the bet 
Once the ice is broken we can get on with the serious business of exciting students about Science and enhancing their ‘crap detectors’ (as our Robin Williams advocates). The media will always go with sensationalism over fact so it our role to help kids dig through the crap.
So let’s light this candle and get the bets happening about another ‘End of Days’! hehehehe