Teacher attitudes on coping with grief in the public school classroom

Reid, Jon K.; Dixon, Wayne A.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6807(199905)36:3<219::aid-pits5>3.0.co;2-0

Cited by 33 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…In a study conducted in Oklahoma a couple years after the Oklahoma City bombing, for example, 57% of teachers (n = 67) reported feeling minimally prepared to deal with the topics of death and dying with their students, and 26% felt completely unprepared. Furthermore, while over 85% of teachers had not received formal instruction or enrichment on dealing with death or helping children understand death, 57% had been called upon to discuss this difficult subject with their students (Reid & Dixon, 1999). Similar findings were reported in a study conducted by Pratt, Hare, and Wright (1987), where they concluded that while teachers feel that death is an important subject to speak about, most were ill-equipped to handle the topic in an academic setting.…”

Section: Teacher's Ecologysupporting

confidence: 72%

Building Resilience in Schools in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Baum¹,

Rotter²,

Reidler³

et al. 2009

Journ Child Adol Trauma

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The Building Resilience Project (BRP), a project that was developed in Israel in the wake of terrorism and war, was implemented in Biloxi, Mississippi one year after Hurricane Katrina. The BRP is a teacher-based intervention that focuses on empowering teachers to cope with their own stressors and those of their students in the aftermath of trauma. This article examines the ecological model of the BRP, and offers a description of the teacher workshops while also providing the rationale for implementing a teacherbased intervention in Biloxi. Feedback and follow-up data from participants' selfreports is presented, as well as recommendations for future implementation.Keywords natural disaster, trauma, school-based intervention, teacher workshop, postdisaster intervention, resilience building, disaster mental health, crisis intervention In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept the Gulf Coast of Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, killing over a thousand people and leaving even more homeless. In Biloxi alone, at least 53 people lost their lives, and 25% of the homes were completely destroyed, while most of the remaining homes were severely damaged. Rhoads, Pearman, and Rick (2007) described residents' poor health and insufficient access to care before and after the hurricane. Many of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina experienced posttraumatic symptoms and those who survived face significant roadblocks on their path to recovery. In Mississippi, many businesses had to be closed, causing wide-scale unemployment and subsequent migration. School communities also suffered, as significant numbers of their student body and faculty left. Rebuilding efforts have been slow and painful and were often hampered by government and insurance company bureaucracies. As a result, most residents along the Gulf Coast have been exposed to trauma and loss, both from the hurricane experience itself and the concomitant long term stress associated with the rebuilding process.For children, exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, terrorism, and community violence is often linked to psychological distress, as children lack both the ability to process the trauma and the resources to effectively cope with their experiences. Like adults, children can develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid

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Section: Teacher's Ecologysupporting

confidence: 72%

Building Resilience in Schools in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Baum¹,

Rotter²,

Reidler³

et al. 2009

Journ Child Adol Trauma

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show abstract

“…Training may be needed to develop understanding and awareness of loss and bereavement and its wider effects on children (Rowling & Holland, 2000). It is not typically included in initial teacher training and in the preparation of the classroom teacher (Reid & Dixon, 1999). Whilst some awareness of the issues could be included in initial teacher training, perhaps teachers when qualified would benefit from refresher courses in the area of children and loss to best combine theory with the actual practice.…”

Section: British Journal Of Guidance and Counselling 415mentioning

confidence: 99%

How schools can support children who experience loss and death

Holland

2008

British Journal of Guidance & Counselling

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Scenes of public grieving such as followed the death of Princess Diana bear little resemblance to the 'taboo' status of death and bereavement at an individual level. For schools and the support services with whom they work, responding to pupils' experiences of loss and death, especially of parents, is challenging. This paper draws on research and curriculum initiatives in one region in England to examine the current situation in schools. It then explores ways in which schools may be both more responsive when a death occurs, and more proactive in creating environments in which both pupils and their teachers are better prepared for the challenges which it poses.

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“…Indeed, some researchers advise that an explanation regarding death from a schoolteacher is useful for children (Stuber, 2001) and others have proposed that teachers of newly bereaved children attend the funeral with that child as a source of support (Black, 1998). Certainly many teachers may be rightly perceived as an important contact in the student's bereavement experience (Reid & Dixon, 1999) at a time when parents may be under considerable emotional pressure. Although it is agreed that children's behaviour may be very different following bereavement and that many factors would impact on children's responses (Lowton & Higginson, 2002), British teachers' reactions to managing bereaved children within their classes are largely unreported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Bereavement in the Classroom: A Conspiracy of Silence?

Lowton

Higginson

2003

Death Studies

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This article reports the impact of students' bereavement and their subsequent management in primary and secondary school classrooms in Southeast London. Thirteen school staff working in inner-city schools took part in in-depth interviews that focused on the impact of bereaved children on the school and how teachers responded to these children.All respondents had previously had contact with a local child bereavement service that aims to provide support, advice, and consultancy to children, their parents, and teachers.Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using ATLAS-ti. Three main themes were identified from analysis of interview data. Firstly, British society, culture, local communities, and the family were significant influences in these teachers' involvement with bereaved students. Secondly, school staff managed bereaved students through contact with other adults and using practical classroom measures such as ''time out'' cards and contact books. Lastly, teachers felt they had to be strong, even when they were distressed. Surprise was expressed at the mature reaction of secondary school students to deaths of others. The article recommends that future research needs to concentrate on finding the most effective way of supporting routinely bereaved children, their families, and teachers.

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Teacher attitudes on coping with grief in the public school classroom

Cited by 33 publications

References 4 publications

Building Resilience in Schools in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Building Resilience in Schools in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

How schools can support children who experience loss and death

Managing Bereavement in the Classroom: A Conspiracy of Silence?

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