Classroom Guidelines and Strategies
Key actions and strategies:
Teachers are extremely important members of the response process after a tragedy impacting the school community. The following points are some critical steps and strategies teachers can use during the initial stages of a response. Strategies may vary based on the nature of the tragedy, the school and greater community factors, and the amount of information available.
Initial considerations:
- Confirm as much factual information ahead of time about the tragedy to avoid speculation and rumors. Be certain about family wishes for what can be shared around the cause of death.
- Identify the resources, supports and logistics available such as where a student support room or care-room is located, who can help cover classroom duties if needed, and the schedule for that day (or multiple days).
- Maintain the regular classroom structure, management and predictability as much as possible.
- Avoid any memorialization such as showing the deceased’s picture on the overhead, or starting a collection of materials at their empty desk.
Personal factors:
- Teachers are impacted by tragedies alongside their students. It is important to be self-aware and recognize your personal capacity to support your students during the response process. Engage additional support if assistance is needed.
- Be honest with your students, but avoid oversharing or boundary violations in your professional capacity.
- Be willing to express your own feelings without loss of self-control or classroom management, which can add to traumatic experiences.
Sharing about the tragedy or loss:
- Ensure that the classroom is a safe place to express feelings. Acknowledge that people, including other staff members, will have different reactions to grief and loss.
- Share the official announcement or script. Avoid adding personal information or sharing information beyond what is factually known and can be shared.
- Explicitly discourage students from engaging in rumors or gossip.
- Use clear language such as “died” or “died by suicide” rather than vague terms like “passed away” or stigmatizing language like “committed suicide.”
Facilitate student engagement:
- Be prepared with some talking points or ways to engage students in productive conversation. For example:
- Ask students what they have heard and clarify any facts.
- Allow space and time for responses. Support students in sharing memories of the deceased and reflecting on their feelings about the loss.
- Share what is going to be communicated to parents so students can know what to expect if questions arise at home.
- Share any information known about the schedule, process for visiting the care-room, whether they will still be expected to do classwork, or other logistics for that day or coming days.
- Be ready to answer questions about what is appropriate for memorialization, or what they can do to express their sympathies to any family members. See Memorialization section.
- Do not spend excessive time on discussion. Keep it flexible, but time-limited. A return towards normal routines and classroom activities is the goal.
Vigilance for student responses:
- Expressions of grief and loss are natural. Be on the lookout for responses from students that are out of the norm or excessive given the circumstances. Communicate with appropriate staff promptly regarding any students who may require additional follow-up.
- Students who already have a range of risk factors may be at additional risk during times of crisis or tragedy.
- The age and maturity level of students will impact their visible expressions of grief. Be prepared to address individual needs and direct students to additional support as appropriate.
Differential activities for elementary and secondary students:
- Most age groups may enjoy quiet activities such as drawing, journaling, art projects, or reading.
- Both age groups may exhibit a range of emotions of short spans of time, from tearful outbursts to joking and laughing.
- Elementary:
- Have materials available for drawing or art projects.
- Have small group activities such as quiet games or puzzles available if students want to work together.
- Teacher or other adult supports may be helpful for working with a small table or discussion group of specific students.
- Secondary:
- Students may wish to gather in groups in different areas of the classroom. Try to avoid allowing groups of students to leave the classroom at the same time, particularly if unsupervised.
- Have grief journals or writing prompts handy to share fond memories or write a letter to the family. Have a place to gather materials. Be ready to address or follow-up with written statements that may suggest additional risk factors in a student such as thoughts about their own death.
- Have regular classwork available for students to engage in. Some students may desire to have the distraction of the work or wish to return to their normal routine more quickly than others.
Follow-Up:
- Throughout the day, monitor students for unusual behavior or signs of additional trauma or distress.
- Make a note of these students and communicate with appropriate response team leaders or other staff who can provide additional support.
- Watch for significant behavior changes over the coming days and weeks.
- Be vigilant around important anniversaries or holidays.