Retrospective perceptions of the death of a parent during adolescence

This qualitative autobiography explored the educational experiences of three adults who were bereaved in adolescence by the deaths of their fathers. Part of the purpose of this study is to make meaning of the school experiences of the participants after their fathers died. Three stories of bereavement are told to illuminate the needs of the participants at school. These needs are to communicate about their bereavement, to receive acknowledgement of their father's deaths and to feel affirmation from their peers. Data reveal that teachers and school personnel rarely addressed participants' needs. More could have been done to help the participants work through their bereavement while at school. For example, media such as art, literature, and music are explored in this study as means to work creatively with bereavement. These media are called sign systems, and are presented in this study as resources teachers can draw from to raise awareness of the human experience of bereavement. Suggestions for incorporating sign systems in the classroom setting are offered to integrate discussion about bereavement and grief with school curriculum. A Representation of Data Interpretation web is presented to illustrate the stories of the participants, and how three bereaved people work through bereavement together. The findings of this study suggest that bereavement is not a malady to be euphemized and covered up, rather, open communication about bereavement in the school setting can increase empathy and understanding about the lives of our fellow human beings: their struggles and successes