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When grief teaches: A trauma-informed autoethnographic study.

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Title: When grief teaches: A trauma-informed autoethnographic study.
Authors: Wang, Lei1 (AUTHOR) leiwang01@arizona.edu
Source: International Journal of Education through Art. Mar2026, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p35-48. 14p.
Subject Terms: *Teaching methods, *Psychology of teachers, *Grief, Autoethnography, Secondary traumatic stress, Narrative art, Art
Abstract: This article explores the intersections of personal grief, secondary trauma and compassion fatigue within the teaching profession, drawing from my experience as a K–12 art teacher who returned to work shortly after a family loss. I use visual autoethnography and arts-based research to examine how trauma shaped my pedagogical presence and emotional capacity. Through mixed-media artworks, woodcut, painting and digital collage, artmaking became a site of inquiry and reflection, allowing emotions that resisted language to surface visually. Grounded in trauma-informed pedagogy, this research highlights the often-invisible emotional labour of teachers and repositions artmaking as a reflective method for sustaining well-being and professional growth. It contributes to discussions about teacher care, emotional resilience and the ethical possibilities of art-based reflection. Ultimately, this study offers both personal and pedagogical insights into how visual storytelling can serve as a tool for healing, meaning-making and humanity in emotionally demanding educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Education through Art is the property of Intellect Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: When grief teaches: A trauma-informed autoethnographic study.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+methods%22">Teaching methods</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+teachers%22">Psychology of teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grief%22">Grief</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Autoethnography%22">Autoethnography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+traumatic+stress%22">Secondary traumatic stress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Narrative+art%22">Narrative art</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Art%22">Art</searchLink>
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  Data: This article explores the intersections of personal grief, secondary trauma and compassion fatigue within the teaching profession, drawing from my experience as a K–12 art teacher who returned to work shortly after a family loss. I use visual autoethnography and arts-based research to examine how trauma shaped my pedagogical presence and emotional capacity. Through mixed-media artworks, woodcut, painting and digital collage, artmaking became a site of inquiry and reflection, allowing emotions that resisted language to surface visually. Grounded in trauma-informed pedagogy, this research highlights the often-invisible emotional labour of teachers and repositions artmaking as a reflective method for sustaining well-being and professional growth. It contributes to discussions about teacher care, emotional resilience and the ethical possibilities of art-based reflection. Ultimately, this study offers both personal and pedagogical insights into how visual storytelling can serve as a tool for healing, meaning-making and humanity in emotionally demanding educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Education through Art is the property of Intellect Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1386/eta_00221_1
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Teaching methods
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      – SubjectFull: Psychology of teachers
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      – SubjectFull: Grief
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      – SubjectFull: Autoethnography
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary traumatic stress
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              Text: Mar2026
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