School, college, and other issues

Returning to school/college can be both an exciting and anxious time for you. You may have already managed to attend school/college while you were on treatment or maybe you had some home teaching.

Hopefully, before you return to school/college there will be an opportunity for you, your parents and a member of the hospital team to have a meeting with your teachers. This meeting will give you the chance to talk about any worries you may have and it will also be an opportunity to tell the school/ college about your treatment and how it affected you.

How can I get ready for going back to school/college?

You may feel worried that you have missed a lot of school/college and feel there are gaps in what you have managed to learn while you were on treatment. You may be wondering how you will fill the gaps and start working on all the same subjects at the same level as your friends and classmates.

Remember:

• If you have had home teaching you will have covered a lot of the same work as your classmates but perhaps not all of the subjects
• When you work with a home tutor one-to-one you achieve much more in less time than it would take in a classroom, so you may be ahead in some subjects
• Continuing with extra tutoring at home or at school/college will help you get back on track
• Talking to your parents and teachers about things you are having trouble with will help them come up with a plan that will give you what you need in school/college
• School/colleges are used to helping pupils who have been ill and should be able to set up any extra help you need

Physical appearance/activities

There may be some visible signs of your cancer and treatment, while other effects of the cancer are not visible.

Thinking about the things on this list may help you with going back to school/college:

• Would you like a teacher or someone from the hospital to talk to your class/year about your illness, so people know why you look/feel different?
• Do you need to wear a hat or scarf to school/college?
• Are there any activities you cannot take part in?
• If walking is difficult for you, will the teachers allow more time between classes?
• If it’s hard to get around or you are in a wheelchair, will the teachers move the classes around so that you can get to them?
• Do you need to sit in a certain place in the classroom in order to make it easier to hear or see what’s happening?
• Could you go back to school/college part time if you get tired easily and find a full school/college day too much?

What about friends?

Telling friends about your cancer is the best way to overcome any uneasiness they may have about what has happened to you. Be sure to tell your friends that cancer is not ‘catching’ so they know that no one can ‘catch’ the cancer from you!

Be as open and honest with teachers and friends as you can, they are there to help you as much as you will let them. It may be helpful to find one teacher who you can talk to who will make sure your return to school/college is as smooth as possible.

Build on the friendships you already have, and look for people who may be new friends. Try joining a group or club or a sports team.

There are people who can help you with these things if you want. You will not have to talk to friends on your own. Teachers themselves are there to help you. Your parents and hospital staff will also support you in talking about any of these things.