Learning about funerals

Steve Beaven
At Mt. Hood Community College, funerals are part of the curriculum
http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2011/03/at_mt_hood_community_college_f.html
3/1/2011
Topic: Unconventional subjects in school

The heading pretty much sums this up. The director of the Funeral Service Education Program explains the activities that outline the program. Students learn how to prepare a body after it has died; they learn some themes of business in funerals, and the psychology of death. Intended audience: Any student interested in the process of arranging a funeral and preparing the deceased for eternal sleep.

Key Points:
Students explore the scientific elements of a dead body
Students explore the art behind decorations for a funeral
Students learn the process for starting a business in funerals
Students learn about the psychology of death and how to cope with it

Relevance: I thought this was an interesting video and an interesting subject to teach in school. We know that sex (intercourse and gender related issues) can be a taboo subject in school, and administrators and teachers are always trying to find ways to teach the subject matter appropriately, but one thing that no one really touches on is death. People die every day but no one ever really studies the biological and psychological aspects of death in schools, not unless you take it as an elective like course in college or something. Should we be teaching these kinds of things in K-12 schools? Maybe just middle school and high school? A student can be excused from class because a family member died, but we don’t really teach anything on coping with death or helping a peer deal with a recent death in the family or friend. Just a thought.