Cancer in the classroom 6: When an adult family member has cancer

When the person who is cancer is not one of your class students, you have no direct responsibility for the adult. Your main priority is the well-being of the child, both educationally and emotionally.

In the earlier video we saw how important it is to get a view of the family circumstances so you can lessen the day-to-day impact on the child.

We as teachers need to consider how we can help the child with practical challenges such as homework, lunches, uniform preparation and the like. Although you may find with some students, practical support is less important than making them feel comfortable and providing flexibility.

Remind the child that they are cared for and the school is there to support them during this difficult time.

If you have permission, it may be appropriate to tell the class something like this: Sarah's dad has cancer, Sarah is worried about her dad. He's in hospital at the moment and he's receiving treatment, and he's in safe hands with the doctors and nurses there.

Again, this can spark group discussions, and it may be best to prepare questions in relation to cancer and death.

Making your class feel comfortable about being able to talk about cancer is the most important thing.