For Ingvild's students, school is a break from illness and injury

Teacher Ingvild Prytz Lerberg is wearing a blue coat and pants. She has rolled up her pants to her knees in the summer heat that has arrived in the capital of Trøndelag. 

Right next to the park where the pond with tadpoles is, lies a large hospital complex.

– These clothes were introduced when COVID came. Previously, we wore civilian clothes, and we constantly discuss whether we should go back to that. Our students don’t need to be reminded of where they are when they are with us. We represent the healthy child and everyday life, says Ingvild.

She has worked at the hospital school at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, for 14 years and wants to stay here.

– I don’t have much experience from regular schools, but I enjoy it so much here that I wouldn’t want to try anything else.

Doesn't miss out

Today, she has a student who usually comes every Wednesday after lunch. 

In the morning, she is at the hospital for check-ups and follow-ups. While an IV is connected, 8-year-old Ida is at school. 

The stand with the bags and the wheelchair come along on the outing to the pond where the tadpoles are. 

To be on the safe side, pediatric nurse Markus is also with them.

– There is a completely different pace here, health always comes first, but we try to be a break from illness and injury, says Ingvild.

Also present is Cecilie Solberg Moen (11). She has been hospitalized for several weeks, and her father, Vegard Moen, is with her.

– It’s great that Cecilie doesn’t miss out on lessons even though she’s hospitalized. And it’s good for me that she has access to schooling as well, he says.

– If it works out, I take a walk and grab a coffee outside the hospital grounds.

Collaboration

The number of students at the school and their grade levels vary. But they receive an educational offer as soon as they are admitted to the hospital, often the very next day. 

At the school at St. Olav’s, there are seven teachers, a music therapist, and a principal. One of the teachers is Hege Kjeldstad Berg.

– We have different areas of expertise, so we collaborate to find suitable arrangements for all the students who are admitted, she says.

Sometimes, they also get help from outside.

– When I had a high school student who was studying electrical engineering, one of his subject teachers came here to assist. For planned admissions or long-term stays, we cooperate with the home school.

The hospital school falls under the county municipality and is financed by them, but technically, they lease services from the municipality of Trondheim.

– Our budgets are based on what we spent the year before. But we never know how many students we’re going to get, says Principal Jan Tingstad.

Counseling

The Norwegian Education Act states that children and young people who are in the hospital have the right and (obligation) to receive education. From August 1st 2024, that right was extended to include siblings and children of those admitted to the hospital.

– We provide education to siblings and children who must accompany their parents for treatment. If it’s a long-term stay, we recommend that the children become students at one of the elementary schools in the city. We do everything we can to offer education to all who are entitled to it, says Principal Tingstad.

The days at a hospital school are determined by how many and who is admitted. Some students return several times. Some never come back. The teachers who work at the hospital school support each other and talk whenever one of the students passes away.

– You never get used to it, but we are good at supporting each other. We also receive follow-up counseling when such things happen. We often get close to entire families, and it can be tough at times, says teacher Ove Hellansjø.

The school is set up to provide education in all subjects from first grade through high school. Most students come to the school’s facilities at the hospital for lessons. But if the student isn’t feeling well, the teachers go to their room.

– Even if the student can only manage ten minutes of lessons, receiving one-on-one teaching from a teacher can be equivalent to much more. In regular school, it’s rare to have the teacher all to yourself. We try to make the most of whatever endurance and motivation the student has, says Ove.

The hospital school has its own kitchen garden and kitchen, the ability to offer arts and crafts, and there are several musical instruments around. 

Ove also praises the cultural organizations in Trondheim, which are very accommodating.

– If I call the cinema and say I have a student or several who want to watch a particular movie, they make it happen. That’s almost always how it is when we call.

Clowns and tadpoles

In the pond in the park, they find a nice cluster of frog eggs. They try carefully and skillfully to catch the lightning-fast tadpoles darting away. 

Two of the hospital’s clowns have also joined in on the hunt. Eventually, they manage to catch two tadpoles in the bowl, which they take back to the classroom.

– All schools should have a bit of clown expertise, says Ingvild, laughing.

Inside, they continue working on the tadpole project. It becomes interdisciplinary, involving mathematics, Norwegian, science, and arts and crafts. 

The students have to solve math problems to be able to color correctly. They study and talk about the eggs and tadpoles in the bowl while music therapist Rønnaug Tingelstad plays a frog song. The clowns join in singing.

At home, teacher Ingvild Prytz Lerberg has two children of her own.

– It gets very personal when children are in pain, but we help make their days better, she says.