I'm writing to let you about some work I will be doing with your child's classroom this week around responding to classmates who are experiencing death and dying outside of school. Many Great River families this fall have been facing the death or severe illness of a loved one, perhaps this includes you. There is one student in Minnesota whose younger sibling has just entered hospice and this family's experience in particular is why I am developing the following intervention.
I will be giving a lesson in Minnesota on Thursday about how we support each other in community when someone loses a loved one and the ways that we take care of ourselves in our emotional responses. This will include some discussion of death and may bring up an emotional response from all students in the classroom. The essential message will be around cultivating gratitude for each other and the lives our loved ones have lived as we consider the mysteries of death.
If your child comes home and talks about this lesson, please take the time to sit with them and process their response. I've been scouring my resources for a solid guide to talking with your children about death with little success, I did find this article helpful:
I will be available to all the children in Minnesota to support as needed throughout this week, please let me know if your child may need support.
Best,
Saleha
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Saleha Erdmann, MSW, LICSW
Great River School
Social Worker
Erik and Patrick
Co-Guides Minnesota River Classroom
Great River School
St Paul, MN
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