“It was weird to see Mr. Khan crying too. But that made it easier for me to know it’s OK to cry”. - Student

Children learn how to grieve and care for their feelings by watching the adults in their lives and by trying things out for themselves. Teachable moments arise whenever you take the opportunity to model ways of responding to someone who is struggling or upset. 

When someone dies, as long as students are not put in a position of needing to take care of your feelings, it’s okay to shed tears or show sadness in front of them and still maintain your role of the caring adult. Opportunities for this modeling occur when you’re informing a class that an illness or a death has occurred, or anytime that you respond to a student’s grief.