Talking About Death and Bereavement in School
How to Help Children Aged 4 to 11 to feel Supported and Understood
by Ann Chadwick
Paperback
Price: £11.99
Publisher:Jessica Kingsley Publishers from Gardners Books
Published:Autumn 2011
ISBN:978-1-849-05246-7
GoodBookStall Review:
This slim volume is a really worthwhile read for anyone, teacher, governor or minister who has to deal with the death of a parent or pupil in school. Though only 74 pages long it is filled with insights and examples that are very much to the point in helping to deal with young children facing the trauma and loss of someone near to them either at home or at school, even if that is only a beloved family pet.
There is a wonderful incident described on page 17 which although it makes one want to chuckle also gives pause for thought on how children ‘hear’ words which an adult may take for granted.
Again, as a Minister myself and speaking often to congregations on the subject of the use of our Lords name as an expletive and the lack of knowledge about who he actually was and is in today’s secular world, there is a very telling paragraph on the subject which struck me forcefully. That a child who has only knows the words God or Jesus Christ or even the word Heaven by an exasperated, abusive or angry adult and then is told that ’Granny, Grandpa, Mum etc’ has gone to ’Heaven, been taken by Jesus, gone to God’ etc, is going to be in a very confused state of anxiety and stress.
So all in all this book as I stated before is a very, very worthwhile one to read for anyone who has dealings with junior school children.
Reviewer: Christine Mundell (09/01/12)
This slim volume is a really worthwhile read for anyone, teacher, governor or minister who has to deal with the death of a parent or pupil in school. Though only 74 pages long it is filled with insights and examples that are very much to the point in helping to deal with young children facing the trauma and loss of someone near to them either at home or at school, even if that is only a beloved family pet.
There is a wonderful incident described on page 17 which although it makes one want to chuckle also gives pause for thought on how children ‘hear’ words which an adult may take for granted.
Again, as a Minister myself and speaking often to congregations on the subject of the use of our Lords name as an expletive and the lack of knowledge about who he actually was and is in today’s secular world, there is a very telling paragraph on the subject which struck me forcefully. That a child who has only knows the words God or Jesus Christ or even the word Heaven by an exasperated, abusive or angry adult and then is told that ’Granny, Grandpa, Mum etc’ has gone to ’Heaven, been taken by Jesus, gone to God’ etc, is going to be in a very confused state of anxiety and stress.
So all in all this book as I stated before is a very, very worthwhile one to read for anyone who has dealings with junior school children.
Reviewer: Christine Mundell (09/01/12)
