Teachers
Not One More Thing!
Teachers are under stress in trying to comply with so many requirements and we empathize with those who complain that they can’t handle one more thing. We also recognize that it may seem as if it’s unnecessary to be concerned about skin cancer because it very rarely happens to children. However, it is during childhood that so much of the sun damage is acquired that leads to skin cancer later in life. There’s no way for a melanoma patient to turn back time and re-live their school days. Too many of these unfortunate skin cancer patients have voiced the lament that they weren’t told to stay out of the sun when they were young. If a teacher were to do nothing more than accept the evidence of increased skin cancer risk associated with sun exposure, and voice reminders for children to protect themselves, it would make a strongly positive impact. For those teachers who take skin cancer seriously, there’s so much more that could be done, and most of it requires very little time or effort. Big bang for small bucks!
Classroom Instruction
If sun safety is not already included in the district curriculum, or covered in one of the textbooks being used, be sure to incorporate it into your lesson plans. Parents certainly bear much responsibility to teach sun protection but this subject is just as important as many of the other health issues that are traditionally covered in the classroom. To motivate students at the elementary level the mere concept of cancer may be sufficient, while in secondary classes a more detailed study of skin cancer development, as summarized in our skin cancer section may be helpful. Specific classroom instructional resources are listed on our Elementary Schools page. If there is no branch of UV&Me in your area, you might consider inviting a local dermatologist to give a presentation or to use the Teacher’s Guide to screen and discuss The Sun Show.
UV&Me
Consider inviting one or more medical students from the nearest university to visit your class and deliver a sun safety presentation. This is ideal for secondary school science or biology classes, where there is sure to be good rapport between your students and the only slightly older medical students. UV&Me covers elementary as well. Explore this opportunity at our separate UVandMeNational.org website.
The Sun Show
Sun Safety for Kids produced a pair of videos in 2005 for elementary school children that are ideal for screening in the classroom. Although a bit dated now, we have not found anything comparable that covers all the major elements of sun safety in an entertaining format. A Teacher’s Guide available here gives suggestions for focusing attention prior to viewing, and includes tips for discussion afterwards. The videos have been uploaded to YouTube.
Personal Protection
Your job might require some amount of outdoor exposure so you owe it to yourself to address this occupational hazard. Prevent yourself from developing skin cancer and premature aging by protecting your skin from solar radiation.
Assisting with Sunscreen
If you teach children in kindergarten or first grade they might not yet have learned how to properly apply sunscreen. There will be much less to deal with if the children are first encouraged to cover up as much as possible with a hat and long clothing, such as a “playshirt.” Proper sunscreen application is a very important task for children to master as early in life as possible and teachers, if willing, can play a big role in helping their students achieve success. The teacher might simply supervise or, in some cases, might lend a hand but for either one it is recommended to keep a signed parent consent form on file. In Australia, elementary school classrooms typically have a sunscreen station where a pump bottle of sunscreen and a mirror are provided. By contrast, many U.S. schools discourage or ban sunscreen, sometimes based on a misguided concern for potential sunscreen allergy. This is debunked in our sunscreen section.
Hats
Teachers can play a key role in whether sun protective hats are worn by students. Offering verbal reminders, wearing your own hat or wide visor when outdoors, and discouraging any bullying of a student who does wear a hat are very simple but effective measures. For more highly motivated teachers, we have developed a program to give students the incentive to wear a hat.
UV Index
Children can feel whether it’s hot or cold and can see whether it’s cloudy or raining. But humans cannot sense the strength of ultraviolet radiation and it can vary significantly between seasons and even sometimes from day to day. Many sunburns occur because people let their guard down on a cool or overcast day, unaware that the UV Index is very high. If any announcements are made in your class on a regular schedule, ensure that the UV Index is among them, and that it’s accompanied by an appropriate recommendation to practice sun safety when the level is elevated.
Don't Fry Day
This National Health Observance occurs on the Friday before Memorial Day to focus attention on skin cancer prevention. Created by Sun Safety for Kids and sponsored by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention it would be an ideal day to organize sun safety activities at your school. In case this day is not a good fit on your school calendar, pick a better day to be your own Don’t Fry Day. A good choice would be the Friday before the first day of Spring.
Projects
Skin cancer and sun safety elements are ideal topics for special study or projects. Assign or suggest that your students write a paper, create a poster, produce a video, etc. Older students might be willing to help teach, or act as sun safety role models, for their younger peers. Activity sheets for young children are available here.
You're a Star!
As a teacher, you are a major celebrity at your school. As such, you’re a prime candidate to serve as a “social influencer” to model personal sun safety for the students to see. By wearing a hat, long clothing, and applying sunscreen for outdoor activities, you will be sending the strong signal that for the occasion of being outdoors this is what one wears, and this is the product that one uses.
Advocacy
Does your school district have written board policy that adequately addresses sun safety elements? If not, you can consider using information in our school districts section to initiate discussion of this important topic at a school board meeting. You might find your school nurse to be an ally. If your district already has a comprehensive policy, is it being implemented at your school? If not, please bring it up with the principal and/or the PTA.
