Addressing the death of a classmate

[HellesBellesThinksSometimes]

A girl in one of my classes died unexpectedly last night. She has been in my class since year nine. I don't know what to do on monday. I don't know what to expect from her classmates. I have her class period 2. What do I do? A normal lesson? Try to keep everything as normal as possible? Should I mention her or her death at all? Or only if the students mention her?

Your boss will give you guidance

Alex school starts in eleven and a half hours and not a sausage...

How was it today?

A boy at my school died suddenly last year. Lessons were sort of unofficial lay suspended for the year group. The school offered counseling sessions for friends, and others went to lessons, but nothing was forced in the way of work.
When I had his year group, I let them talk (and cry) among themselves, and also had games (I have a stock of Top Trumps and similar in a cupboard) for those that didn't want to talk. They were year ten students.

Thank you for thinking of me. It was weird.

It is a big school so I wasn't expecting everyone to be prostrate with grief but, except when it would have been her lesson, it was very much an ordinary day. Even then, the students seemed to want to be normal. She was mentioned a few times but they got on with work, chatted, etc. I suppose it has been five days since most of them found out but I was still quite taken aback.

Announcement email didn't come til halfway through p1 and included details of drop-in support services for her year group.

Helles , your description of how things went ties in with my experiences of similar tragedies.

It sounds like you prepared well for all eventualities, and hence behaved as a professional. Well done.

Her class was subdued for the first half of today's lesson but by the end of the lesson were telling funny stories about their friendship with her. I think, next week, we'll have a new seating plan - I have let them choose their seats so far this week.

Quick update:

Overt grief has lessened over the week as has my own pain at the loss of a student.

The funeral is tomorrow. Seven of the school staff, me included, are attending plus dozens of students.

The inital cause of death was revised after the post mortem to sudden adult death syndrome.

Thanks for the support last week