Luto na escola: uma realidade a ser enfrentada

Abstract

This study aims at understanding how schools deal with children and teenagers experiencing bereavement by the loss of close relatives, trying to understand if they offer the adequate and necessary support to these students. The narrative of the researcher’s personal bereavement experience as a mother and teacher is presented in the beginning of the study. The theoretical framework was built from a brief historical overview on the meaning of death and its changes since the Middle Ages until the 21st century, while also highlighting the consequences of such changes to the contemporary society according to Philippe Ariès. In regards to bereavement, the theoretical framework is based on the works of Colin Murray Parkes and John Bowlby, as well as LELu from PUC-SP and LEM from IPUSP coordinated by Maria J. Kovács and Maria H. P. Franco respectively. Finally, to understand the children and the teenager in their growth processes, their relationships with the school and the place of affection, the study used the theory of Henri Wallon. The study undertook a semi-structured interview with a mother who lost one of her children and who agreed to describe the grieving experience of her two other children, a child and a teenager, in their relation both with the family and school environments. The analysis highlighted the importance of the school’s care for the child and teenager bereavement and the need to introduce the theme in schools, offering tools for a reflexive approach by educators. The results of the analysis put in evidence that educational institutions and professionals face various difficulties in offering adequate support to the bereaved child. At the end of the study, there is a suggestion of resources, including books, movies and animations on bereavement, to assist educators in establishing a dialogue with bereaved and nonbereaved children that promotes respect, the sharing of feelings, and that also legitimates the bereavement process