Responding to a Bereaved Child in the School Setting.

In helping children cope with death, teachers must facilitate children's passing through the physiological and psychological processes of grieving. Standard protocols can be established in order to develop a range of possible crisis intervention methods. The teacher's first role in the moments of shock and confusion which follow a sudden death is to help children feel safe. The teacher should explain the situation in terms children can understand, and thus establish a basis for dialogue about the incident itself and about the emotions children are feeling. Three main tasks should be part of any crisis response: (1) acknowledging the event's reality; (2) establishing an environment in which children feel comfortable in talking about their feelings; and (3) providing appropriate curricular materials and learning opportunities so that children can comprehend what has happened. Teachers should (1) be good listeners, (2) share information about the event and about their own feelings openly, (3) answer children's questions truthfully, (4) reinforce children's understanding that death is a difficult thing with which to cope and that confusion and anxiety at times of death are normal, and (4) acknowledge that death is part of life. Contains 13 references. (JW)