Dear public school teachers and schools,
I want to ask you to please try to be more supportive to your students with medical needs. A lot of students in this country do not have the support and help that they need in school because of medical issues and problems that they have and cannot control. These issues range high and low, from disabilities to just illnesses, but still require help all the same. Offering more support programs could go a long way, as well as being more inclusive when it comes to your absence policy and people who simply cannot control how much school they miss.
Now, you may not have the resources or funding to do this, but that’s where the teachers could come in and offer help. Simply setting up annual meetings, or helping set up a plan to organize or complete work for your student could help them more than you know. I go to a small private school called Bancroft, where I have had extensive aid and support to help me deal with my own health problems, which have caused me to miss a lot of school. The school teachers and administration have been supportive and understanding, offering me easier ways to catch up and continue with work. All of this has made my experience much easier, but I know that if I was at a larger or public school, I would probably not be able to get this treatment. There are countless public schools out there that simply do not have the funds necessary for this kind of support, which would make this already very difficult situation for me into a living nightmare for someone less fortunate. Other kids might not be able to get the one-on-one support I can, or they might not get as much leeway for their schoolwork as me, which is extremely unfair for them.
There is not a lot of awareness for this topic either, which most likely has contributed to the lack of major support in the public school system. According to the American Cancer Society, as many as 6,000 children ages from 15 to 19 are diagnosed with cancer every year, and yet all I can find when searching up any form of physical illness in school in the New York Times are articles about pride, mental health, or school shootings. While all of these topics are newsworthy, awareness needs to be raised along with acceptance and support directed towards those who are suffering from these various physical conditions. In the day and age we live in, the topic of physical illness and disability has been effectively drowned out by other issues to the point it is barely talked about anymore. There are not nearly as many people speaking out about the kids who might not be able to come into school, or who might have trouble even walking into the classroom by themselves.
In short, the point of this letter is to try and inspire teachers or even students to try and help more with their students and peers that could be physically suffering from something that they cannot control. Just listen to your students, help them where you can, and try to spread awareness of their conditions. Be understanding, be supportive, and be helpful. Nobody knows how difficult it is to deal with being in pain constantly, or physically hindered in their day-to-day life until they themselves are the victim.
Sincerely, your student, Mitchell.
References
Van Wagenan, M. (2024, 31 March). 6 Y.A. Novels That Open Conversations About Teen Chronic Illness. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/
Childhood cancer. American Cancer Society. (n.d.). https://www.cancer.org/cancer/
