What you can do if a co-worker or parent of a child in your classroom has cancer

As a teacher, you may have contact with colleagues or student's parents that have been diagnosed with cancer.  It can be an emotional and stressful time for them and their families but it can also impact you, the students you work with and their studies.  It may be helpful for you to seek support and learn more about their cancer diagnosis and the issues that may be affecting them.  Learning more can help you decide how to best work with this student and your colleagues.

Here are some examples of what you can do next:

Learn more about cancer and cancer treatment options:

• Learn what to expect from their specific diagnosis.  Talk to your colleague or your student's parent.  You can also do your own research to gather more information.
• Visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation's website at www.livestrong.org/cancersupport to learn more about diagnosis and treatment for different cancer types.

Find resources to support your student, colleague and their family:

• Learn more about cancer and the common issues that impact someone diagnosed with cancer at www.livestrong.org/cancersupport.
• Order a free LIVESTRONG Survivorship Notebook at www.livestrong.org.  You can provide this to your colleague or student's family as a way for them to learn more and guide and organize their cancer experience.
• Contact LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare at 866.467.7205  for emotional support, counseling and referrals to local resources.  They can be helpful to you, your colleague, your student's family and anyone else affected by cancer.

Provide support for your students in the classroom:

• Teach the appropriate grade level of the LIVESTRONG at School Curriculum to your students to help them learn how cancer affects an individual and what they can do to help.
• Go to the For Professionals section of the Lance Armstrong Foundation website (www.livestrong.org/forprofessionals) to learn about training opportunities available to you as a professional.
• Recognize that if a student's parent has cancer, the student's behaviors may change. Supporting them through this difficult time is essential to their coping.

While there are many great resources that exist, both on the Internet and in your local library, that address cancer-related issues, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.  The suggestions above provide you with a starting point of how to access information and encourage you to learn as much as you can in order to support your students and yourself during what can be a stressful, emotional experience.