Loss Grief and Growth Education Resource

1. Loss Grief and Growth Education Resource Workshop for teachers

2. Developed with sponsorship from:

3. “Death neither obeys the school timetable nor appears on it... it enters the classroom without knocking.”www.winstonswish.org

4. The story... Yves Berthiaume – story of his father dying when he was 12 and the teachers who supported and mentored him

5. “We need to address the needs of kids” Yves Berthiume Developed tours of the funeral homes

6. “The most frequent question from teachers…” “How do I support grieving students?”

8. Written by teachers for teachers

9. Loss Grief and Growth honors the relationship between students and teachers.

10. Teachers are connected with students: • before, during and after the loss occurs. • when some have forgotten the needs of a grieving child.

11. Loss Grief and Growth honors teachersas: • mentors, • creators of a safe environment, • communicators inviting expression of feelings and fears, and • creative leaders of teachable moments.

12. Loss Grief and Growth honors children “We are powerless to control the losses and catastrophic events our children may experience, but by honouring their inner wisdom, providing mentorship, and creating safe havens for expression, we can empower them to become more capable, more caring human beings.” Linda Goldman

13. Introduction

14. One of the myths of our society is that it is possible to insulate children from the traumas of loss, death, bereavement, and grief.

15. Loss is a part of life….

16. Types of losses • Divorce • Moving • Developmental • And out kids are exposed to death

17. Death in the family • grandparents, • parents, • siblings, • pets, • friends …

18. Death in the media • News - global community violent/sudden/tragic/terrorist/war/conflict • Movies, games • fictional/unreal

19. Death in the school community People • peers • teachers, • support staff • custodial staff • family members of peers

20. and school curriculum.

21. Death in the community “Not only do we grieve as individuals, we grieve as communities. Our lives are so intertwined that each of us is affected by a death in our community.” Dr. John Morgan

22. Grief • is a normal healthy response to loss. • is a whole person response.

23. Drawing grief

24. Grieving • is the process of integrating the loss into ones life • and making meaning of life’s experiences.

25. Grieving • is not something to “get over” • is not something that needs to be “fixed”

26. Grieving • New losses can trigger old losses. • we regrieve at future levels of growth, development, and future life events.

27. Misconceptions about grieving • There is a right way to grieve • There are stages of grief • Grief is/should be time limited • “It is time to get over this” • “When will she “get over” this?”

28. Factors which influence grieving

29. The age and stage of development

30. Family

31. Social Support System

32. Personality traits

33. Gender

34. Grieving styles

35. “Intuitive” grieving style… • The “typical grief response” e.g. crying, talking. • Sadness is the primary emotion. • Grief is processed through feelings.

36. of the loss the grief and the griever “Disenfranchised grief “ Recognition

37. Little talk, lots of action.. Grief is processed cognitively rather than emotionally. If expressed, an emotion is more likely to be anger than sadness. “Instrumental” Grieving Style

38. Type and nature of death

39. Cause of death

40. Cultural and Religious Beliefs

41. What you might see…

42. In Elementary and Middle School: • Children grieve in “doses”. • Grief may be expressed through play.

43. Children may temporarily regress to a time of safety and security.

44. Children may struggle to pay attention or stay focused.

45. A child’s quality of work may change for better, or worse.

46. A child may complain of fatigue and illness more often than usual.-> nightmares may be disrupting their sleep. School attendance may become sporadic.

47. What you might see in High School… An inability to focus or pay attention. Changes in academic performance. Complaints of fatigue and illness. Sporadic school attendance.

48. a greater volatility of emotions. • there may be an increase in risk taking behaviours in grieving teens.

49. Grief is not “an excuse”, it may be the hardest work the student has yet faced in life!

50. Developing an understanding of death Through the course of developmental stages and life experiences, children begin to grasp the meaning of death.