Keeping the Education Journey Going When a Child is Going Through Cancer

No child should ever have to face cancer, and when it happens, schools can sometimes struggle to know how to react. For the initiated, tackling a sick child’s educational journey can be an experience rife with worry, doubt, and second-guessing at every turn.

What should be changed? What needs to stay the same? How much contact is too much? What kind of technology do they need? Is FaceTime enough? How will they reach their targets?

If similar questions have run through your mind, read on to discover how to help your student strike the right balance between learning, staying connected to their friends, and fighting cancer.

Keeping up Connections
Keeping unwell children connected to their classmates is important for both social and educational outcomes. By remaining present as much as possible, students are able to keep their school identities and remain connected to those all-important in-person conversations.

For high-achieving students, the thought of not being able to complete their education is yet another worry to add to an ever-expanding list. That’s why it’s critical that schools can reassure students of their position, and remind them of the safeguards and allowances put in place to help them succeed.

Since they are immunocompromised, visitations are limited. This has been especially true since the COVID-19 pandemic. Tools like iPads and video conferencing software can be key to keeping students engaged and actively learning along with their classmates.

COVID-19 has proven just how possible at-home learning really is, and students, teachers, and parents alike are far more familiar with it than pre-pandemic. For immunocompromised students, this can only be a good thing.

Be Aware of Boundaries
While it’s tempting to want to check on the student’s progress often, it’s also important to give their family as much space as possible. They’re going through an incredibly challenging time, and some days will be better than others. Texting the family is a great way to keep abreast of the child’s schedule and wellbeing without constant energy-draining visits or calls.

Hospitals, appointments and facing cancer is hard. There will be days when lack of sleep, dealing with tests, worry, treatment, and comforting siblings all become too much. On these days, school will naturally fade into the background – and that’s okay.

Anyone dealing with cancer needs support, not extra pressure and stress. Although clearly an important part of their lives and future, school is always a secondary concern below the more important task of fighting their battle with cancer.

The same is true of any siblings who might be struggling with feelings of intense stress or depression as a result of their sick sister or brother. Teachers and school leaders must bear this unimaginable position in mind, even if their trauma results in bad behaviour.

The important thing is that when the child is ready, the school is flexible enough to help them pick up where they left off.

Making a Difference
Fundraising efforts can be a positive experience for both the child and their classmates, acting as a way to show rather than tell how much the entire school community cares.

Fundraising and rallying around a good cause can help communities give back via memorable events. Fight Cancer Foundation’s Footy Colours Day, for example, is a national community fundraising event in September that helps kids with cancer keep up with school.

Thousands of Australians rally together by wearing their favourite team’s colours and hosting an event at their workplace or school to raise much-needed funds, helping sick children to continue their education while enabling them to chase their dreams.

Facing cancer is never easy, especially when that person is a young child and student. Rallying the school community around the cause is just one way to add a small ray of happiness to an incredibly difficult situation.

Registrations for the Fight Cancer Foundation’s Footy Colours Day 2022  are
now open, with Australians encouraged to take part by hosting a ‘Footy Colours Day’ event at home, work or school. The national community campaign raises money to support educational programs for children undergoing cancer treatment. It’s designed to prevent them falling behind in their schoolwork while providing a sense of normality amid uncertainty.