Supporting the bereaved child: Teacher's perceptions and experiences in Greece

The purpose of this national survey was to explore the general perceptions of Greek teachers (n = 1792) about bereaved children, and investigate the experiences of those who had a student who grieved over the death of a relative (n = 590, 33%) and those who had a class which grieved over the death of a classmate (n = 215, 12%). Findings suggest that most educators are perceptive of children's grief responses and changes in academic performance and behaviour. They consider their role significant in supporting bereaved students, but feel inadequately prepared and request specialized knowledge and skills. Educators who had a student who grieved over the death of a relative expressed considerable difficulty in openly discussing the loss with their student, yet described changes in their own and in the peers' attitudes towards the bereaved student. While the death of a family member was likely to be perceived as a private affair, the death of a student was experienced as a community loss that disrupted school life, and educators were more likely to discuss and engage in collective activities that commemorated the death of the child.