Integrating Students into the Classroom After Hospitalization  

Kids with chronic or life threatening illnesses are often out of school for an extended amount of time. This being the case, integrating back into the classroom after the hospital can be highly anxiety provoking for many students. Feeling awkward among peers, answering difficult questions, falling behind in academic work are only a few of the many challenges that face these students after their hospitalization. This website is designed for parents, educators, and other professionals working with these students going back to school for the first time after their hospital stay. Videos, PDFs, and web resources are provided below to ease the transition for students, as well as, to spark a conversation among peers. You can begin by clicking on any links below to learn more. I hope you find this website informative and helpful during this tough transition back to school.  

The Transition Back to School 
learning-livingwcancer-school_.pdf
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speaking_with_children.pdf
File Size: 1097 kb
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childhoodleukemialymphoma.pdf
File Size: 1943 kb
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Tips From Parents

"Be certain to meet at length with the principal, teacher, and school nurse... well in advance of school. Let them know your child's special needs and limitations, but also reassure them that she won't break. Make sure they know that you expect her to be treated just like the others to the extent that is possible. My daughter was not happy about meeting everyone in advance, but when she realized that she knew stuff they didn't know she felt a sense of control. She sort of enjoyed showing them all her tubie and how it worked. She also enjoyed knowing that she was going to be the only kid in class on the first day who already knew the teacher."


For The Peers 
Common Questions from Peers
Explaining cancer at a developmentally appropriate language. 
What is cancer? "Our bodies are made of lots of cells. Cells are so small that you can only see them under a microscope. Normal cells are the kinds of cells that we need. Normal cells keep the body working correctly. Cancer cells do not look like normal cells, and they don't work like normal cells. Cancer cells grow very fast. They crowd out the normal cells. When cancer cells grow, they get in the way of the normal cells. Cancer cells stop our bodies from working right."
So when kids get cancer get special medicine called chemotherapy. This medicine fights the cancer cells and some of the normal cells. This medicine makes kids feel really sick sometimes and can even cause Sally to lose her hair. After she is done taking the special medicine her hair will grow back.
What did Sally do to get cancer? 
Sally didn't do anything to get cancer. Our bodies are all different. Sometimes doctors don't know why some kids get cancer. 
Am I going to catch cancer?
No you can't catch cancer.  It's not like the cold or the flu. It's ok to touch and hug Sally. 
Talking to Kids about Cancer 
Children's Books on Cancer

Children's Videos on Cancer