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Show and Tell
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As discussed in the Homework section of the booklet, a seriously ill child should be allowed the right to share specifics about the life-threatening disease on his/her own time. Sometimes, though, a typically quite child will surprise you by bringing a radiation mask to school for instance. All the preplanning in the world connot prepare you for these situations. Respond with honesty and caring concern, and you will disserve no one. Building time into each day for all of your students to share is one way to handle these needs. Whether it's called Show and Tell, Circle Time, or Current Events will depend upon the grade level. Designating a specific time each day will afford each child in your room the opportunity to share something special and will keep the rest of your day focused on curicular pursuits. This sharing time should be strictly voluntary and children should feel comfortable with the right to "pass" if they have nothing they wish to share. Bringing a radiation mask to share along with the rocks or newspaper articles brought by the other children will normalize things for all of the children. Providing sharing time for children, healthy or sick, can be a very rewarding experience--a chance to really connect with your students. This time will also provide your special child with a safe place to share his/her thoughts or feelings. Another way to allow for sharing that includes all the children in your classroom is through creative writing. Many children who suffer from feelings. Creative writing fits beautifully into any language arts curriculum and again does not single out the sick child. Letting the children share their stories in class, if they choose to, opens the door to further communication and understanding. Most health curriculums regardless of the grade level relate in some way to the body and how it works. In corporating the part of the body affected by the illness into a health unit can be very informative for everyone. For example, if the child has a tumor in the brain stem, you could have all the children in your classroom to make a salt dough model of the brain, label the parts, and then learn the function of each part. This will hopefully allow the at-risk child a chance to show off his/her fellow classmates where his/her tumor is and how it affects the brain's ability to function. This can be a really profound learning experince. Integrating this special situation into existing curriculum allows for you to cover those areas that are required as well as meet the needs of your special student. It's a real balancing act, but it can be done with proper planning. But, what if the child is too sick to come to school to make a salt dough model? If a child is homebound, what then? [Keywords: empty desk] |
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