--- The Grieving Student A Guide for Schools by David J. Schonfeld, M.D., FAAP Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles and Marcia Quackenbush, M.S., MFT, MCHES Advisor, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement Baltimore • London • Sydney Excerpted from The Grieving Student A Guide for Schools, Second Edition by David Schonfeld, M.D., & Marcia Quackenbush, M.S., M.F.T., C.H.E.S --- Contents - About the Downloads - Applications Beyond K-12 - Serious Illness: When Death Is a Concern - Memorialization and Commemoration - Taking Care of Yourself - Afterword - References - Index --- About the Authors David J. Schonfeld, M.D., FAAP, Director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, has provided consultation, technical assistance, and training in the areas of pediatric bereavement and school crisis preparedness and response for more than 3 decades. He has provided more than 1,000 presentations on the topics of crisis and loss, including presentations at national and international meetings throughout the United States and abroad. Marcia Quackenbush, M.S., MFT, MCHES, is a licensed family therapist and certified Master Health Education Specialist. She has more than 20 years of clinical mental health experience, much of which has been focused on children, adolescents, and families of people living with life-changing conditions or people coping with terminal illness. --- About the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement The NCSCB was founded in 2005 with generous support from the September 11th Children’s Fund and the National Philanthropic Trust and currently receives generous support from the New York Life Foundation. The Center has provided support to schools and communities across the country and abroad. --- Foreword I have spent more than 16 years working in America’s urban school districts. For almost half of that time, I served in a variety of roles in the Chicago Public Schools. When I was in Chicago, gang activity and shootings occurred in high-poverty ZIP codes. This created an indescribable level of pain, grief, and heartache that still echoes through our community today. The Parkland shooting certainly gave me the ultimate challenge to put these convictions to the test. My own family came to this country from Jamaica. Many of these units were occupied by immigrant families like ours. I was taught the power of forgiveness which gave me and my siblings the psychological freedom to focus on the future. Talking with students and educators about their own lives and challenges has shaped my perspective on public education. --- 1 Why Schools and Educators? Isn’t This Someone Else’s Job? INTRODUCTION The emphasis of this book is to help students who are grieving. One of the most effective ways to do this is to help all children understand more about death as part of their ongoing learning about life. Schools and educators are an important influence in the lives of children. --- SCHOOLS ARE A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT Students look to educators for support and guidance with a variety of issues. Schools are familiar and provide a safe setting, making them ideal for learning more about death. --- Who Are "Student Support Personnel"? A range of school staff may be available to offer guidance to teachers and administrators working with grieving students, as well as to provide support to students themselves. These include school counselors, psychologists, nurses, and social workers. --- EDUCATORS’ DISTANCE FROM THE LOSS CAN BE A BENEFIT When a family is touched by a death, children need support beyond the family. Families appreciate educators’ expertise and look to them for advice during challenging times. Educators can offer an informed perspective due to their distance from the loss. --- UNDERSTANDING WHAT TO DO The introduction to this book acknowledges that death is a challenging topic. Educators may feel apprehensive about having conversations with students concerning death. However, the same strategies that allow educators to be effective in other areas of teaching work very well when talking about death. --- LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: HELPING ALL STUDENTS The foundation for helping children understand death begins with all students, not just grieving students. --- Key Concepts - Children benefit from learning more about death and grief. - Schools are an excellent setting for this learning. - Educators can help all students learn about death through planned coursework, teachable moments at the class level, and teachable moments with individuals or small groups. --- COUNSELING / CRISIS MANAGEMENT / EDUCATION “This guide is the best and most informative resource available to help teachers, administrators, and school mental health staff understand and support grieving students.” --- ABOUT THE AUTHORS: David J. Schonfeld, M.D., FAAP, Director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine, has provided consultation, technical assistance, and training in the areas of pediatric bereavement and school crisis preparedness for over three decades. Marcia Quackenbush, M.S., MFT, MCHES, is a licensed family therapist and health education specialist.