SickKids program helps kids keep up with schoolwork
Children who miss classes because of medical care receive education through teachers in hospital
Former students returning to visit teacher Mary Belkas at the Hospital for Sick Children come back with more than just stories of life beyond the classroom.
“They often look so different from when I taught them. Their hair has grown back, they’ve grown taller, they’re not sick,” Belkas said, calling it one of the best parts of her job.
“Months and even years later, they still drop by and they give you a big hug.”
Belkas is one of six elementary teachers working at SickKids, where three secondary and one French teacher are also based as part of the Toronto District School Board’s Section 23 program, serving students in specialized settings such as hospitals, group homes and custody facilities.
Teachers began working at SickKids nearly 20 years after the hospital was founded in 1975.
Any child between the ages of four and 18 qualifies for the schooling program if they are at the hospital on a regular basis or there for an extended period of time.
“There are some kids who come in for dialysis, for example, two or three times a week, and they’re sitting here all day,” said Karen Sappleton, senior manager for child and family-centred care and health equity at SickKids.
“If we can provide them some schooling, even if it’s 45 minutes, it’s still better than just sitting there and watching their iPad.”
This school year, the teachers have worked with 122 children in the elementary program and 64 secondary students so far. Some students, including those in the epilepsy, substance abuse and eating disorder programs, are taught in a classroom setting of up to eight students.
However, the majority of their instruction happens bedside, and can mean the student and teacher have to drown out the sharp staccato of an IV pole beeping, Belkas said.
“They are just so resilient, they may be on a chemo drip, or may have just finished throwing up, or hooked up to a dialysis machine, but they do school to the best of their ability,” she said.
Ryan Peterson, one of her Grade 2 students, was diagnosed with a rare esophageal disorder that causes him to not be able to eat or drink.
He’s fed intravenously for about 20 hours every day and has bouts of cyclic vomiting. He has been coming to SickKids ever since he was three months old, his mother Rebekah said.
“A lot is put on me as a parent to help my child to be able to learn as much as he can, which obviously I want to do, I want that responsibility,” she said.
“But with having a child who has such complex health needs, I’m basically his full-time nurse at home. And I have three other children.”
“For me, it’s a huge relief when we’re in the hospital to know that I’m exhausted (but) it’s OK, he’s still going to get some academic work done through the school program here with Mary,” she said.
Working with children who are chronically or terminally ill took an emotional toll on Belkas when she started teaching at SickKids six years ago.
“It’s tough to see the wear and tear on the kids,” she said.
“They never do give up. But they are just tired of being here.” She has also had to say goodbyes. “I have had students who have passed away and obviously, it’s very sad. That’s the hard part of the job.”
Julie Birrell, who has been teaching in the eating disorders and substance abuse programs for the past three years, says it’s important to herself and her colleagues to take care of their mental health, ask for help when they need to and find support in each other through challenging times in their students’ lives.
“The other thing is recognizing what you have control over, because often in the regular system or here, you’re dealing with students who have issues that are so multifaceted,” she said.
“No one person is going to fix it. And knowing that is important, but it’s sometimes hard to.”