Helping Students Cope in the Classroom

Books | Web sites | Organizations | Periodicals | Videos

Books

Nonfiction

Death and The Classroom: A Teachers Guide-Revised Edition. By K. Cassini & J. Rogers. Compassion Books.

Compassion Books
This book, Death and The Classroom, is a teacher's textbook for situations in which a teacher comes face-to-face with death in the school setting and must face his / her pupils' questions and fears. From information on the many normal ways that children express grief and deal with terminal illness and sudden death, to suggestions for memorial services in school settings this book makes a down-to-earth presentation of the ''how to's'' (a teacher's delight), with suggestions that are powerful, but easy to follow. Paperback, 108 pages.

Grief At School: A Manual for School Personnel. By Helen Fitzgerald. American Hospice Foundation, 1998.

American Hospice Foundation
In recent studies over 80% of school personnel working with children felt completely unprepared or inadequate to address the subject of death with students. This manual offers tools for school personnel to bridge that gap. It includes four chapters outlining the major components of a school grief program. Each chapter offers background information, suggested activities and tools for on-going progress evaluation. An excellent resource. Spiral bound, 82 pages.

The Journals Of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High. By Debra Klinsporn. Thomas Nelson, 2000.

School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-This biography of the first student killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, was adapted by her mother and Klingsporn from the teen's writing and diaries. Scott emphasizes her relationship with God and her commitment to Christian living, and the book provides spaces for readers to do their own journaling, prompted by questions and headed "Just Between God and Me." The text is illustrated with facsimiles of the young woman's journals, poems, songs, and drawings. Chapter 11 offers her unedited writings, to provide an ending more upbeat than Chapter 10, which is her chilling journal entries for the morning of April 20, followed by her mother's essay on her own journey toward forgiveness. It is clear that the teen had some talent for writing and sketching. She was serious about her faith and her search for God. The problem with the book lies in the adaptation and fictionalizing of her journals. When she talks about Anne Frank or how she believes that she'll never marry, one must wonder if this is actually what Rachel wrote, or if it has been elaborated on by the editors to increase the effect of foreshadowing. The first-person narrative makes it more readable, but also begs the question-is this Rachel as she was, or as her mother remembers her? Probably a little of each. Buy where student writing, Christian witnessing, and Misty Bernall's She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall (Plough, 1999) are popular, or for a comprehensive collection on the events at Columbine.-Amy A. Healey, Loyola Academy Resource Center, Wilmette, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Grief Comes To Class. By Majel Gliko-Braden. Centering Corporation, 1992.

Compassion Books
This very useful booklet is to assist school teachers and counselors in being positive, significant support for bereaved students. It also will be a good resource for parents and provide help for students as they re-enter the school environment following a death experience. Paperback, 48 pages.

Helping The Grieving Student: A Guide for Teachers. By The Dougy Center Staff. Dougy Center, 2003.

Dougy Center
This exceptional book gives information about the many and varied ways school-age children often manifest grief in school settings. Special considerations for violent deaths are discussed. Teachers are taught six basic concepts of grief and are given clear suggestions on what they can do to help a child be successful in school while ameliorating the challenges grieving children face. This teacher's guide was developed by those who have worked extensively with children who have experienced the death of a loved one in many ways, including illness, accidents, suicide, and homicide.

When Death Impacts your School. By The Dougy Center Staff. Dougy Center, 2000.

Dougy Center
A valuable resource for school personnel who are faced with a death or tragedy in their school community. This guidebook includes suggestions for how schools can help students—by addressing concerns, organizing memorials and offering support. It also includes instructions for developing a school intervention plan after a death, how to address issues related to suicide and violence and how to know when outside help is needed

In the Presence of Grief: Helping Family Members Resolve Death, Dying, and Bereavement Issues. By Dorothy S. Becvar. Guilford Publications, Inc., 2003.

Choice
Captivating discussions offer insight into creative coping strategies and rituals. A useful section explores healing rituals....This volume is highly recommended for readers at lower/upper-division undergraduate levels and above and for general readers. .

Teens Together Grief Support Group Curriculum - Adolescence Edition: Grades 7 - 12. By L. Lehmann, S. Jimerson, A. Gaasch. Brunner-Routledge, 2000.

From Book News, Inc.
For use by professionals in schools, hospitals, or elsewhere, this book presents 10 lesson plans designed to help adolescents deal with the death of someone close to them. The three authors are specialists in the field and have background in psychology and family therapy. Among other affiliations, Linda Lehmann and Ann Gaasch are associated with the Center for Grief, Loss, and Transition in St. Paul, Minnesota; and Shane R. Jimerson, with the U. of California in Santa Barbara.

Mourning and Dancing for Schools: A Grief and Recovery Sourcebook for Students, Teachers and Parents. By Sally Downham Miller. Health Communications, Inc., 2000.

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Fiction

Tears of a Tiger. By Sharon Mills Draper. Simon & Shuster, 1996.

School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-A hard-hitting story of the unraveling of a young black man who was the drunk driver in an accident that killed his best friend. Andy cannot bear his guilt or reach out for help, and chapter by chapter his disintegration builds to inevitable suicide. Counselors, coaches, friends, and family all fail him. The story is artfully told through English class assignments, including poetry; dialogues; police and newspaper reports; and letters. From time to time, the author veers off into overt lessons on racial issues, but aside from this flaw the characters' voices are strong, vivid, and ring true. This moving novel will leave a deep impression- Kathy Fritts, Jesuit High School, Portland, OR.

With Their Eyes: September 11th -- The View from a High School at Ground Zero. By Annie Thoms. HarperCollins Publishers, 2002.

School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have changed the lives of all Americans. The students, faculty, and staff of Stuyvesant High School, located four blocks from Ground Zero, responded creatively with a unique work of reader's theater. In with their eyes, student actors transcribed monologues culled from interviews with their fellow classmates, teachers, custodians, and cafeteria workers. The pieces describe the pain of watching people jump to their deaths from office windows, the terror of being separated from their families, the lingering aftereffects of being temporarily housed in a different school, and the post-traumatic stress that nearly paralyzed all 3200 students. The monologues echo the individuals' everyday speech, including the "ums," "likes," and "you knows," which, while sometimes jarring to read, make them dramatically immediate and realistic when performed. This unique book rings with authenticity and resonates with power; it can be used in the curriculum or as an independent piece of theatrical art. Pair it with Michael Cart's excellent 911: The Book of Help (Cricket, 2002), Mitch Frank's Understanding September 11th: Answering Questions about the Attacks on America (Viking, 2002), or Mitchel Levitas's A Nation Challenged: A Visual History of 9/11 and Its Aftermath: Young Reader's Edition (Scholastic, 2002).-Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Rising Tiger. By Kate DiCamillo. Candelwick Press, 2002.

VOYA
Another winning novel by the author of Newbery 2001 Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2000), this story of loss and healing follows twelve-year-old Rob Horton as he grieves for his dead mother and learns that to survive the cinch around his heart, he must let his pain go. In the opening scene, Rob finds a caged tiger in the woods, a beautiful golden animal that paces away his captive days. At school, Rob befriends the new girl, Sistine, and she insists that together they must set the tiger free. The tiger as the symbol of Rob's pent-up grief will not be lost on young students. Neither will they miss the wisdom handed down throughout the story by the chambermaid at the motel where Rob and his father, the motel handyman, live. Willie May knows that the horrible, itchy rash on Rob's legs is the manifestation of his anguish. She tells him, "You keeping all that sadness down low, in your legs. You not letting it get up to your heart, where it belongs. You got to let that sadness rise on up." By the end of the story, Rob is finally able to say his mother's name aloud, and he demands that his father say it too—a simple act that begins the healing process for both of them. This short novel will be especially useful for those students dealing with the loss of a loved one, but fine stories are rare, and this one will be read eagerly by all audiences. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2001, Candlewick Press, 116p, $12.99. Ages 12 to 14. Reviewer: Leslie Carter SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)

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Web sites

Helping Students Cope with Trauma and Loss
http://ci.columbia.edu/w0521/index.html
A nine-week, interactive online course from Columbia University. This online course developed for educators is taught by Helene Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Continuing Distance Education at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

Teacher's Role
http://www.aea9.k12.ia.us/05/coping/coping_teacher.php
A Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency web site that breaks down what procedures should be followed at school based on how the grieving student's loved one died.

Medline Plus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bereavement.html#children
Collection of articles about general bereavement questions including grief symptoms in children and adults and ways to help with grief and loss in children, teens, and adults. Also provides issues specific to teenagers and children coping with death.

National Association of School Psychologists
http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/griefwar.html
The National Association of School Psychologists are "effective partners in the commitment to help school children and youth achieve their best." The site provides information on ways to help children coping with a death including grief symptoms in children dealing with a death. Further information on grief and loss in children is offered through the publication, "How to Help Children Deal with Loss, Death and Grief.” Additional articles are also available.

National Mental Health Association
http://www.nmha.org/children/prevent/loss.cfm
The NMHA provides information for parents, educators, and others who may help children coping with death or loss. Provides a list of grief symptoms in children and adolescents as well as a list of ways to help with grief and loss in children and adolescents. Information on other organizations and resources that can provide useful materials is also available.

Resources for Educators
http://www.fernside.org/resource/educat.html
Article by Fernside a non-profit, non-denominational organization serving grieving children and their families.

BeliefNet
http://www.beliefnet.com/features/onourownterms/bereavement.html#teen
BeliefNet is a multi-faith online community. This page contains resources on teen grief.

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Organizations

Center for Grieving Children, Teens & Families, The
Erie Avenue at Front Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134-1095
Phone: 215-427-6767 Fax: 215-427-5971
http://www.grievingchildren.org
Provides grief support groups for children ages 6-18, educational programs, conferences of grief and loss, and workshops for school professionals working with children.

Children’s Hospice International
Phone: 800-24-CHILD
http://www.chionline.org
Provides education, training and technical assistance to those who care for children with life-threatening conditions and their families.

See the organizations page for more bereavement services.

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Periodicals, Articles, Pamphlets

Naierman, Naomi. Reaching Out to Grieving Students. Educational Leadership. October, 1997. 55(2): 62-66.

This article explains how educators who understand the grief process and its manifestations in children can provide the continuity, security, and support that grieving students need.

Lawhon, Tommie. Teachers and Schools Can Aid Grieving Students. Education. Spring, 2004. 124(3) 559-566.

Provides information for teachers and other school personnel so they can recognize changes that some grieving students will be facing; to encourage school personnel to establish a procedure for working with and parents and bereaved pupils.

When Death Impacts your school
Lessons excerpted from the book Helping the Grieving Student: A Guide for Teachers and When Death Impacts Your School: A Guide for School Administrators. Includes tips for dealing with grieving students and DOs and DON'Ts.

Healing Magazine - A Time to Grieve, A Time to Grow
A magazine from Kidspeace, a student assistance program that helps school children mourn and move on. This is a reprint of the Spring/Summer 98 edition.

Bereavement Magazine
A magazine that functions as a "support group in print." Articles, stories and poems are written and submitted by the bereaved for the bereaved and are professionally edited for publication. Professionals in the field of grief intervention contribute in each issue. This magazine is published six times a year.

Helping Children Cope: Teacher Resources for Talking About Tragedy
An article from Education World that discusses the critical role that teachers play in how children handle traumatic events.

Coping with the sudden death of a pupil
An article from TeacherNet that contains information for teacher's about helping students cope with the death of a classmate. This is a UK site but the information is relevant for teachers in the US as well.

Death at School
Adapted from Janice Harris Lord this article discusses how a teacher should help their grieving students. It gives information about how to treat students based on the cause of death.

Pennsylvania Department of Education - Safe Schools
The Crisis Response Committee was developed in response to a number of incidents in schools and the need to assist schools in prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies. Below are a few examples in which schools participate in crisis response efforts:

• Suicides (parents, students, staff)
• Sudden deaths of staff members or students due to illness, accidents, others

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Videos

Grief at School: A Training Guide and Video . By Helen Fitzgerald. American Hospice Foundation. Video 35 minutes, Guide, 45 pages.

American Hospice Foundation
Fitzgerald has over 20 years experience working with grieving children. Here she demonstrates how to help children in schools through storytelling, memory boxes, various art and poster projects, tape recorders and much more. Using this video and training guide schools can provide valuable inservices in formats that fit their scheduling needs. Outlined is a 5 session program that includes, 1) Preparing Educators for Grief At School, Understanding Grieving Children and Teens, 3) A Classroom Curriculum on Grief & Loss, 4) Developing and Implementing a Crisis Plan, and 5) Developing School-Based Support Groups. https://www.americanhospice.org/school4.htm

A Teen's View of Grief: An Educational Videotape for Bereavement Caregivers.

Center For Loss
This fresh new video on teen grief, written by and featuring Dr. Wolfelt, explodes with in-depth information in its beautifully produced forty minutes. Throughout, Dr. Wolfelt's teachings are interspersed with comments from actual bereaved teens. http://www.centerforloss.com

Grief at School: Addressing the Needs of Grieving Students. (CD-ROM).  American Hospice Foundation,

American Hospice Foundation
The American Hospice Foundation announces a new self-study course/tool kit entitled Grief at School: Addressing the Needs of Grieving Students. The course includes a CD-ROM designed for school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers, school nurses, classroom teachers, and school administrators. Developed in collaboration with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the course is endorsed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA), and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). https://www.americanhospice.org/ce_school.htm

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