ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Professor Stevenson looks at some ways in which schools now respond when one or more students must deal with the aftermath of a traumatic loss. Schools have moved away from a primary focus on basic skills to enable students to make their way in society (such as math, reading and writing); schools now teach “values” and attempt to help students develop an understanding of themselves and their place in society. Starting in 1972, secondary schools even had courses to help students to deal with loss and grief. Such an ability to understand and to cope with a loss can have a profound impact on learning. What was once known as “death education” has been expanded into understanding loss and its effects in a larger context. The meaning and two types of “crisis” (group and individual) are presented, as well as responses used by educators and counselors in helping students to cope with the impact of such crises on their lives. What the school seeks to develop is a type of “resilience” on the part of students. One course that has been used as “crisis support” for over 25 years, “Contemporary Issues of Life and Death,” is examined and shows what such programs can accomplish.
