The children’s hospital school - the significance and specifics of the school curriculum for children with malignant diseases

On 26th January 2004 the Hospital School began its educational program for pupils at the Children’s Hospital Zagreb by teaching school-aged pupils, in grades ranging from grade 1 through grade 8 in its ten wards. The School staff is a skilled team comprising 15 professionally qualified teachers (4 lower primary education teachers and 11 upper primary education teachers), who are employees of the Izidor Kršnjavi Primary School. The teachers devote special attention to the pupils on the oncology ward. The teaching is adjusted in relation to the medical condition of each pupil, including psychological, psychosomatic and surgical factors, by using contemporary teaching methods and facilities. The teachers facilitate a cheerful and stimulating, warm and caring, supportive and positive learning environment by marking special occasions such as birthdays with birthday party festivities, theatrical plays, creative music, art and writing workshops. The children look forward to these special activities which are important to the pupils’ overall health care, since they distract them from dwelling mentally on their malignant illnesses by maintaining positive mental attitudes. The aims of the Children’s Hospital are as follows: to relieve the stress of separation from the family and the pupils’ primary social surroundings, to lessen the stress of hospitalization, to enable continuity in the pupils’ learning of the school curriculum, to enrich the experience of their hospital stays by making the stays appear more pleasant, enjoyable and interesting and thus shorter, to facilitate the reintegration of pupils back into their respective schools, to prevent gaps in their knowledge, to enable educational advancement to the next grade without undue stress arising from taking comprehensive examinations at the end of the school term or from being retained at the same grade level. The Hospital School contributes to the child’s self-confidence and positive self-image. In addition to its legal justification, the School contributes immensely to the humanization of the hospital treatment for children affected by malignant diseases by providing them support through the school curriculum and continuous coordination and cooperation of the School staff with the medical staff.

Keywords: NEOPLASMS; CHILD, HOSPITALIZED
Category: Review
Volume: Vol. 53, No 4, october - december 2009
Authors: Lj. Vinković
Reference work:
DOI:

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