Podcast | Grief in the Classroom

Coping with death and dying as a young person is not easy. How can teachers better equip themselves to best support pupils going through such a trauma?

Teacher training and bereavement in the classroom
The onset of the pandemic, and learning to live with its effects has led to a difficult 18 months for young people, not just in primary and secondary schools, but in higher education as well. The health emergency created by Covid has unavoidably reminded all of us of the nearness of death and how we as a society look after ourselves and others.

But children are resilient. How often do we hear that? Nevertheless coping with death and dying as a young person is not easy, especially the first experience of the loss of a loved one or friend. One of the questions that were considering is how does this play out in the classroom? And how can teachers equip themselves to best support their pupils going through such a trauma?

The Art of Dying Well’s James Abbott spoke to Anna Lise Gordon, director of the Institute of Education at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham for episode 26 of our podcast, entitled Grief in the Classroom.