|
|
|
The Hospital School
November 28, 2009 |
Okay class, time to get out your pencils and paper. But this isn’t just any normal classroom…
“They can only take so many hours of watching Sponge Bob on TV and cartoons,” says
teacher Tom Mango. This is the Hospital School at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest
Florida. Mango holds one-on-one classes with kids who are confined to their rooms.
“I make an offer at the beginning. I introduce myself. I tell them who I am and
what I do and I say, “Would you like school today?” and they kind of roll their
eyes and I say, “Well, we could do math, reading, spelling, go through all the subjects
and then if they want to engage, I let them pick or we decide together what we’re
going to do,” he says.
Here, Tom is helping 10 year old Ulices Beltran with fractions while he recovers
from an appendectomy. “It’s a nice safe opportunity for them to practice that kind
of stuff. It works out good for the kids and it works out good for me.”
Sometimes class time does come with a little opposition. “I try to tell kids, you
know, because they’ll say, “School?!?!?!” And I’ll say “Your doctor is not only
interested in healing you physically,” says Mango.
For children who are forced to stay in the hospital for long periods of time, Tom
plans his lessons based on packets provided by that child’s teacher.
All books and school supplies are made possible through donations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
