Lit Review

Heather M. Haagen
Bluebonnet Writing Project
August 5, 2007

Abstract

Andrea is not the typical ten year old girl. She was in my class last year, and I found her to be an ideal student. But, most importantly, Andrea is a survivor. During the course of last year, Andrea went through many trials. Her father was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He was given a 10% chance of survival. As the year progressed, her father fought that cancer with all he had. I watched him shrivel away as the cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation took effect. When it was just me and her, she’d tell me some snippet about what her father was going through- another check up, another bout of chemo, etc. During this same time, Andrea’s grandmother and childhood friend succumbed to cancer within weeks of each other. She brought in the funeral bulletins. She would come in and talk to me about what she saw and felt. She’d write in her journal to me about her fears. I couldn’t tell her it would be okay. It wasn’t and it might not ever be. My heart ached for her. What could I do to help her?


Lit Review – Using bibliotherapy and writing to deal with grief
Heather M. Haagen

In North America, death and grief are not spoken about readily or easily. In many families, children observe three important, albeit flawed, life lessons: do not talk about death or acknowledge grief, be strong and put on a smile no matter what, and get over it and move on as fast as possible after someone dies… Although it is difficult to watch someone in pain, the truth is there will be pain with grief (Johnson, 2004).

So, how do we deal with grief for our students? Bibliotherapy and creative writing are two excellent options to allow the children opportunities to deal with their loss (Berns, 2004; Cook, Earles-Vollrath, and Ganz, 2006; Pass, 2000; Jones, 2006). The greatest benefit to bibliotherapy is that it allows the child to identify and explore another character’s thoughts and emotions in a similar situation (Herbert and Kent, 2000). Aiex (1993) explained nine reasons for the use of bibliotherapy:
To show an individual that he is not alone.
To show an individual that there is more than one way to solve a problem.
To provide a person the opportunity to share a problem.
To help a person identify a constructive plan for the problem.
To help develop a person’s self concept.
To relieve emotional or mental stress.
To engage the person in meta-cognitive thinking.
To introduce new activities or hobbies.
To increase a person’s understanding of the world around them.

In order for bibliotherapy to be successful, the book used in bibliotherapy must directly relate to the issue that the child is facing (Cook, Earles-Vollrath, and Ganz, 2006). “We know the peace within that comes from a text we have connected with on an emotional level- healing a hurt, explaining a wrong, making us feel loved, allowing us to be imperfect. Consequently, it is important that, as our school systems set up curricula around new standards, we teachers make sure that our students’ emotional and intellectual needs are considered” (Pass, 2000).

Writing, in conjunction with bibliotherapy, can be a very effective method for handling grief. A student teacher, Vaziliki Antzoulis, shares about her use of poetry with her Brooklyn students in the first few days after 9/11:
“… [I] selected poems with themes of relevance for the students. I designed a poetry unit to help students deal with the grieving process and allow them a way to talk about what they were feeling through the analysis and discussion of poetry. Students read each poem closely and we analyzed and discussed them. Each poem was followed by a writing assignment, where students experimented with one or two stanzas of poetry. In the end, each student chose one poem to revise and compiled a portfolio of drafts, reflections, and one revised poem. Throughout the unit I saw students embrace poetry and take risks in their own writing. Many wrote in their reflections how their feelings about poetry had changed and they realized it wasn’t only about figuring out a meaning but also about feeling poetry and thinking about different issues. (2003)”

The need for a curriculum that is both relevant and relatable for all students is compelling. “We cannot hide behind our books and poems, but instead we must utilize such materials to make sense of the world… Now more than ever we need to write to discover our feelings, to have our voices heard, and to deal with our pain (Antzoulis, 2003).”

Conclusion

When I picked this topic, I was processing through what Andrea had gone through over the course of our year together. But, when I sat down to write this paper, I was facing my own grief. Two weeks before school was to start, the school I had worked for three years had suddenly closed. I was out of a job, but even more, I was grieving for the loss of a family I loved dearly. Attached you will find two of my writings, as well as a young woman’s writing as we were both grappling with our losses.

Here are some samples of my writing the day I found out:

My heart is breaking. The school that I love so much is no longer. It’s the school of my childhood. It was the school of my future. It was where I wanted my children to attend. And, it’s gone. Yesterday I had a job and a plan, today I am grasping for straws. I don’t want to move on. I want to stay there with the people I love so much. My teaching partners are like family to me.

A few hours later…

I’m looking down at St. Alban’s and I see trees, buildings, and lots of concrete. And, oh my goodness, there’s a castle there, too! But, today, the place looks sad. There are people running in there looking anxious and concerned. There are people hugging each other. I see boxes moving out of the building. The people look defeated. I wonder what makes them so sad. What is going on? Why are their hearts breaking? What could be so wrong? The school looks different today.

Here’s a recent alumni’s thoughts’ after hearing the news:
Hey Mrs. Y,
You know me pretty well, and instead of freaking out, I think I need to write something...
~ N.
"When you try to master something, it will always either end in success or defeat. However... it is in the attempt that we learn the true value of what we have." -Oki. There is no other quote that can express the gravity of the school's closing. We have fought, survived, and in the end... yes, lost our school. However, it has been through all the good and difficult times that we have come to realize just how far we have come, and how precious our community has become to us. Through the years, we have forged a family amongst each other; students becoming more than classmates, rather like old friends and close as siblings... and teachers becoming more than educators, rather like parents and mentors…

Through personal experience, we have discovered the importance of writing through grief. We were both taught this as a child and it is now carrying us through this difficult time. Writing allowed us to grieve and say what we could not normally. It helped us to let go.

Bibliography

Aiex, N.K. (1993). Bibliotherapy (Report No. 82). Bloomington, IN: ERIC
Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication. (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED 357-333).

Antzoulis, Vasiliki. (2003). Writing to heal, understand, and cope. English
Journal. Vol. 93, No. 2 November 2003.

Cook, Katherine E., Earles-Vollrath, Theresa, and Ganz, Jennifer B.
Bibliotherapy. Intervention in School and Clinic, Vol 42, No.2, November
2006, 91-100.

Herbert, T.P., & Furner, J.M. (1997). Helping high ability students overcome
math anxiety through bibliotherapy. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education,
8 164-179.

Johnson, Kay. (2004). Grief in North America: a death-denying society.
International Journal of Palliative Nursing, Vol. 10, No.11.

Jones, Jami L. (2006). A Closer Look at Bibliotherapy. Young Adult Library
Services. Volume 5, Number 1, Fall 2006.

Pardeck, J. T. (1995). Bibliotherapy: An innovative approach for helping
children. Early Childhood Development and Care, 110, 83-88.

Pass, Olivia McNeely. (2000). Peace from within: Teaching Texts That Comfort
and Heal. The English Journal, Vol. 89, No. 5, A Curriculum of Peace (May,
2000), pp. 90-94.