Teaching in a Hospital

[BigDaddyTeacher]

OK - here goes...
I am a home/hospital teacher, meaning I am posted at a children's hospital surgery recovery ward. It is my job to move from room to room, and help students keep up on their school work while recovering from whatever ails them.
As you can imagine, it can be difficult to keep a child focused on world history, algebra, Catcher in the Rye, etc., while he/she has tubes, tests, procedures, and the like.
I am doing pretty well, but would like to know if there are any other teachers in my position, and what ideas you have - including what doesn't work.
Keep in mind, that I am working with all grades (K-12) and all subjects (when possible).
I look forward to hearing from you!
Dennis

[Jack Furr]

Sounds like you have a tough job there. While I have not worked in a hospital for a while (back in the stone age I was a respiratory therapist), it sounds like a job for a portable computer set-up. Learning games with sound and flashing lights. Video clips from a place called UnitedLearning.com (http://www.unitedlearning.com) that do actually go along with state standards and all grades. These have worksheets amd pre/post tests. Many of the text books are available on CDrom and have web sites where you can "play" educational games that go along with curriculum, this would possibly be more desirable/cheaper than the actual text book. They can be easily copied from the teacher/school. Connecting to the internet can be done in most hospitals, but if you have a wireless card you could reach it temporarily on each floor. I know that you already try to network w/ parents and teachers of these children. Email would be an important link to the schools/parents/teachers.
Good Luck! :)

[Unregistered]

Well I have a question Im a Elementary Education canadiate I lookin forward to become a teacher in the hosptial but my only problem is that I dont know where to start far as inter and other important things that I will need to know in the long run. Muy question to you is how did you go about your position in hospital school teaching. I need to know more about where Im heading ther is no one in my schook that interested in my field of teaching so I feel alone can you help me?OK - here goes...
I am a home/hospital teacher, meaning I am posted at a children's hospital surgery recovery ward. It is my job to move from room to room, and help students keep up on their school work while recovering from whatever ails them.
As you can imagine, it can be difficult to keep a child focused on world history, algebra, Catcher in the Rye, etc., while he/she has tubes, tests, procedures, and the like.
I am doing pretty well, but would like to know if there are any other teachers in my position, and what ideas you have - including what doesn't work.
Keep in mind, that I am working with all grades (K-12) and all subjects (when possible).
I look forward to hearing from you!
Dennis

[Unregistered]

First of all, learn how to speak and spell correctly!

[Unregistered]

I have an interview for the same position and wanted to know how well you liked your job?
I am only certified k-3 and I was wondering if that would be a problem when it came to teaching other students who may be on my unit, such as high school students.
Please let me know what you wish you knew when you took the job and if this would be a good career path for a first year teacher?

Thanks!

[BigDaddyTeacher]

I have an interview for the same position and wanted to know how well you liked your job?
I am only certified k-3 and I was wondering if that would be a problem when it came to teaching other students who may be on my unit, such as high school students.
Please let me know what you wish you knew when you took the job and if this would be a good career path for a first year teacher? Thanks!

I'm not sure what the rules are where you live, so I'm wondering about the K-3 credential. Out here in SD, our multiple subject covers K-6. In the hospital position, I taught K-10 - only because of the special circumstances. Depending on your own educational background, you may/may not feel comfortable teaching the subjects for the higher grades. Or, your district may not allow you to do so - check with your Office of Education regarding your credential before you get in there.

As far as being a good career path for a first year teacher...I really enjoyed it. I spent two years in that position, and it really began to grow on me. Personally, I believe it helped me become a better teacher, especially when it came to lesson planning and presentation. I've been in a classroom for three years now, and I am still using ideas I came up with at the hospital.

One caution - it's difficult not to get attached to some of the kids, especially the repeaters and long-term care ones. When they die - and I had several that did on my 'watch' - there were periods of depression that almost made me quit and move on. However, I'm glad I stayed for the two years. (I only left because they were folding the position into the Special Ed. Department, and I did not have a SpEd credential!)

Hope this helps - let me know if I can answer anything else for you.

BDT

[Unregistered]

Are you employed through the school system or through the hospital? I am trying to find a job here and don't know where to call for employment opportunities. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education but my college was not accredited. I also have 4 1/2 years experience teaching and longer in tutoring. Is a state cert. required most of the time?

[Chocolate_New_Orleans]

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education but my college was not accredited.

what, your University of Phoenix degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on? I'm shocked I tell ya, shocked

[stephenteacher]

You have to approach teaching in-home (or hospital) differently.
You are not going to do a 50 minutes lesson on each one.
Even though I hate assigned silent reading, then answering questions
at the end, you may need to do stuff like this just to keep up.
When you work one-on-one, you can do quite a bit in a short
period of time. If policy allows oral work and being signed off,
go for that. I did the in-home thing for a while. I had to get creative.
For PE, they wrote a 3-4 page essay on the rules/basics of a sport.
That would count for about a week's worth of PE. You can do something
similar for all the other subjects. Read a chapter on history, then
write something about it--an essay, a critique, a what-if, etc. Even an
oral presentation.

When you think about it, this is the kind of assignments you should
be giving anyway. Not just a memorize facts things.

Stephen Carr

Teachers Resources, Teaching Tips, Teaching Articles (http://teachersindex.com)

[tjmartens]

no my degree was not from university of phoenix. I went to a private college. Anyways, still wondering how to go about applying for the hospital teaching position. If anyone has some information to help me out with that that would be great. If i need to get my state cert. does that take long? Guess that might depend on the state. I'm in North Carolina. Also, do all hospitals have teachers. Or just children hospitals? Thanks