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Workshop 17

Integration or reintegration of the sick child into mainstream school

Objectives
 
History and Status of Workshop 17

17
help
families cope
with the strain
of cancer
In this short article you’ll find my brain-storming, ideas and suggestions of what I believe this WS is
about. It is an invitation to share your ideas, suggestions or even research results! We could start a
debate about it in our own chat room on HOPE website. As you know sharing ideas and experiences
are the best tools of learning.

THE ROLE OF A HOSPITAL TEACHER:
The hospital teacher is able to examine and describe the problems of a sick student, so that an action
plan can be made to optimize the teaching circumstances, so that the educational barriers that may exist
will be diminished.
(Mr. O.H. Mourik: Professional Profile for Hospital Teachers, Ziezon 2008).
This short quotation from Mr. Mourik’s book is in my opinion the best description of a
hospital teacher, who is now taking roles of an educator, facilitator, consultant, advisor.
And I’m sure you are able to describe many more roles, that you are engaged in daily …

FACTS ABOUT MODERN MEDICAL TREATMENTS:
Students with multiple health problems – therefore:
􏰁 Shorter hospitalizations with often invasive treatments ,
􏰁 Multiple (per year, over many years ) hospitalizations,
􏰁 Longer stays at home while on medications or convalescents …
􏰁 Longer or shorter but multiple school absences.

PROBLEMS WHILE INTEGRATING/REINTEGRATING INTO MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS:
􏰂 Long term illness and treatment’s side effects (Cognitive abilities!),
􏰂 Lack of knowledge and skills due to illness or/and long hospitalizations – Fear of unknown???
􏰂 School friends in mainstream classroom are not prepared for their ill school friend,
􏰂 Miscommunication or no communication at all between teachers at mainstream school and
hospital school,
􏰂 Mainstreams school is not educated in appropriate manner with student’s illness, treatments
and side effects …
􏰂 Mainstream school is not technically equipped or doesn’t have skilled professionals to deal
with particular student’s new special needs.
􏰂 Miscommunication or no communication at all between parents and mainstream school.

SOLUTIONS????
Is there a magical stick to solve all these problems? You are shaking with your head, I can see you. Of
course there isn’t! This is a long term process that requires all the skills and knowledge of a
professional hospital teacher.
Here are just few examples of a good practice …
􏰂 Multidisciplinary team approach to each individual chronically ill student,
􏰂 Well prepared and conducted and also regular communication between parents, students,
hospital teachers and medical staff,
debate about it in our own chat room on HOPE website. As you know sharing ideas and experiences
are the best tools of learning.

THE ROLE OF A HOSPITAL TEACHER:
The hospital teacher is able to examine and describe the problems of a sick student, so that an action
plan can be made to optimize the teaching circumstances, so that the educational barriers that may exist
will be diminished.
(Mr. O.H. Mourik: Professional Profile for Hospital Teachers, Ziezon 2008).
This short quotation from Mr. Mourik’s book is in my opinion the best description of a
hospital teacher, who is now taking roles of an educator, facilitator, consultant, advisor.
And I’m sure you are able to describe many more roles, that you are engaged in daily …

FACTS ABOUT MODERN MEDICAL TREATMENTS:
Students with multiple health problems – therefore:
􏰁 Shorter hospitalizations with often invasive treatments ,
􏰁 Multiple (per year, over many years ) hospitalizations,
􏰁 Longer stays at home while on medications or convalescents …
􏰁 Longer or shorter but multiple school absences.

PROBLEMS WHILE INTEGRATING/REINTEGRATING INTO MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS:
􏰂 Long term illness and treatment’s side effects (Cognitive abilities!),
􏰂 Lack of knowledge and skills due to illness or/and long hospitalizations – Fear of unknown???
􏰂 School friends in mainstream classroom are not prepared for their ill school friend,
􏰂 Miscommunication or no communication at all between teachers at mainstream school and
hospital school,
􏰂 Mainstreams school is not educated in appropriate manner with student’s illness, treatments
and side effects …
􏰂 Mainstream school is not technically equipped or doesn’t have skilled professionals to deal
with particular student’s new special needs.
􏰂 Miscommunication or no communication at all between parents and mainstream school.

SOLUTIONS????
Is there a magical stick to solve all these problems? You are shaking with your head, I can see you. Of
course there isn’t! This is a long term process that requires all the skills and knowledge of a
professional hospital teacher.
Here are just few examples of a good practice …
􏰂 Multidisciplinary team approach to each individual chronically ill student,
􏰂 Well prepared and conducted and also regular communication between parents, students,
hospital teachers and medical staff,
􏰂 Well prepared and conducted and also regular communication between mainstream school
teachers and hospital teachers,
􏰂 Tailor made individualized programs with a clear but adaptable action plan,
􏰂 Long term/ Regular communication between parents, mainstream school and hospital school,
􏰂 Visits of hospital teachers at mainstream schools and advising.

WHAT ABOUT YOU???
What are your experiences? Examples of good practice?
The problems that seem like a Gordian knot to you?
Have you done any research about how successful integration/reintegration of your students was?
Could you share the results with other hospital teachers?

I’m inviting you to join the HOPE’s Workshop No. 17 on website since you have many but different
experiences but also many hospital teachers encounter with these problems daily.
And we are going to meet face to face in Munich in 2010 and have a long and fruitful WS!!!

Mojca Topic Hospital School Ledina, Ljubljana, Slovenija mojca.topic@siol.net
.
Coordinator: Mojca TOPIC (Slovenia)

Ledina - Hospital School
Komenskega19
1000 Ljubljana
Tel. ++/386/1 432 73 54
Fax ++/386/1 231 8776
Email: mojca.topic@siol.net
Scheduled:
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