Think back to your years as a k-12 student...

It is likely that during some point in your years as a k-12 student that your school arranged a fundraiser, made cards, or made an announcement about a student who had fallen seriously ill. Think about how your class was addressed about this issue. Did your teacher provide a safe space for you and your peers to ask questions about the student? Was the affected student integrated back into your class when they were ready?

Oftentimes, adults want to protect children from the reality of death and illness. However, avoiding tough discussions about the reality of illness and death often leads to confusion and misconceptions in children.

In this lesson we will talk about how to handle a student's chronic illness in the classroom.

At the end of this lesson readers will be able to...

• Define terminal illness

• Explain why terminally ill children should attend school

• Identify two or more strategies for addressing a child's peers about their illness

Why do Terminally Ill Children Need School?

According to author Shiminski-Mahe, creating an environment and routine that is as close as possible to the child's life before their illness is essential to making the child as comfortable as possible during their last few weeks (2014). A big part of this routine is school. Terminally ill children should be encouraged to keep their friendships in order to help them live their lives to the fullest. The best way to help them keep these friendships is to assist the child is transitioning back into the school environment whenever possible (ACS, 2021).

How to address the class...

Some parents believe that teachers should undergo training to integrate terminally ill children back into the classroom (Stavrou,Demetriou, 2021).

Here are some suggested ways to address a child's peers when integrating back into the classroom according to the staff at Teachervision...

• Address the class when the affected child is not present

• Start your conversation by asking any children if they have noticed anything different about their classmate or if anyone knows what is happening to that classmate

• Assure younger students that their classmate's illness is not contagious and neither is death

• Assure younger students that their classmate will not suddenly die in front of them

• Encourage students to interact with their classmate just as they did before their illness. If the affected student has any health restrictions such as, they are unable to run, inform the rest of the class.

• Come up with creative ways students can include their classmate despite possible restrictions

• Be sure to answer any questions students may have

(Teachervision, 2001)

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is a terminal illness?

A. A medical condition contracted from a parasite

B. A medical condition that is present at birth

C. A medical condition that requires surgery

D. A medical Condition that will result in death

2. Mrs. Thea has just learned that her 3rd grade student Carlos, who has been battling aggressive brain cancer, will be integrating back into class. She is informed by Carlos's parents that his treatments are not working and he is expected to die within the next few months. What is the best step for Mrs. Thea to take next?

A. Ask Carlos to give a presentation about his experience with cancer when he returns

B. Instruct Carlos's classmates to exclude Carlos from any activities that may be strenuous

C. Plan a time to have an open discussion with her class before Carlos returns to school

D. Write a lesson plan about childhood cancer for Carlos to complete with his classmates

Answer Key:

1. D

2. C.

References

1. Staff, C. R. E. A. T. E. D. B. Y. T. V. (2001, September 18). Intervention strategies for terminal illness. TeacherVision. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.teachervision.com/death-dying/intervention-strategies-terminal-illness

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2. Ainsa , T. (1981). Teaching the Terminally Ill Child . Education , 101, 397–401.

3. Stavros Stavrou, & Loukia Demetriou. (2021). Views of parents and teachers on ways to improve the primary school’s response to children with chronic diseases. Journal of Psychology Research, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.17265/2159-5542/2021.02.005

4. Returning to school after cancer treatment. American Cancer Society. (2017, September). Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://www.cancer.org/treatment/children-and-cancer/when-your-child-has-cancer/after-treatment/returning-to-school.html

5. Cancer in children and adolescents. National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.cancer.gov/types/childhood-cancers/child-adolescent-cancers-fact-sheet#:~:text=However%2C%20despite%20the%20overall%20decrease,further%20reduce%20childhood%20cancer%20mortality.

7.Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Terminally ill definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terminally%20ill

8.Nyambe , D. M. (2022, February 10). Dora Moono Nyambe on TikTok. TikTok. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.tiktok.com/@doramoononyambe/video/7063155684073917701?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1