The Disenfranchised Grief of Teachers

Abstract

Much attention has been paid to the need for support for grieving young people. Teachers have often been identified as supportive, emotionally detached adults who can perform this role. This expectation of them, in their professional role, creates tension with their beliefs, expectations and experiences in that role and their personal lives. The tension is often centered around the issue of control, control of personal grief reactions and orderliness and predictability in the school environment. Teachers' grief can be hidden—disenfranchised because their relationship with a student is not recognized by themselves or others. The loss experienced by their perceived professional failure of “duty of care” also may not be recognized. Additionally, teachers disenfranchise themselves by their “intrapsychic” beliefs about their professional role. The experiences of a number of teachers will be used to exemplify how traumatic incidents impact on them and how their view of themselves as teachers is influenced by their professional and personal grief experiences. For them, it is the school context that creates multiple affect-laden responses. This is of vital importance for employers, whose responsibility to employees involves provision for their welfare in the workplace.