Teach SEL Podcast SEL & Empathy to Overcome Life's Traumas
Dec 10, 2019
Donna Romack, Director of Pediatric Cancer Educational Outreach at Riley Children’s Hospital and experienced international educator. She discusses using SEL and empathy to support childhood cancer survivors, teaching multilingual and transient students, and redesigning schools to nurture the whole child. Short, human-centered stories and practical rituals highlight connection and lifelong impact.
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Word And A Wish For Student Farewells
- Donna created a classroom ritual called Word and a Wish when students frequently left international schools without closure.
- Each classmate named a thoughtful descriptor word and a wish for the departing child, which visibly comforted families and built confidence.
Start Survivorship Support Before Five Years
- Donna realized survivorship support must begin during treatment and continue after, not just at a five-year checkmark.
- She helped build a program to 'hand on' students from hospital teachers to community supports and update 504s/IEPs as needs evolved.
Learn From Other Disciplines
- Learn from other disciplines by partnering with doctors, nurses, social workers and hospital teachers to better understand students' needs.
- Donna says multidisciplinary learning changed how her team views children and reveals supports schools should offer.
