Students, parents, curriculums, lesson plans, staff meetings, grades… the list goes on. Then one day you get the news. A parent informs you that that their child, your student, has been diagnosed with cancer. What now? They don’t teach you how to handle this let alone train you how to help your class manage their emotions.
That’s where Monkey in My Chair comes in. Monkey in My Chair is a complete program to help you and your classroom keep connected to your sick student. The kits include the monkey with a backpack, a book to help teachers explain to students the situation their classmate is facing and how it affects them, teacher companion guide with great resources to help with this difficult situation, along with other items that can be utilized by the child and/or their classmates. All kits are sent out at no cost to the families or hospitals. The program is meant to be implemented at the classroom level with the teacher, school counselor, principal, social worker, psychologist, and school nurse working in cooperation.
In addition to each “Monkey Kit,” each child will be given online access to Monkey Message. Monkey Message is an online component that allows the sharing of pictures and documents to ensure the line of communication stays open between the patient and the classroom. Included in the Monkey Message portal are regular educational activities for the classroom and patients to do that help to foster interaction of students while incorporating key educational tools.
Whether the sick student is out two days or two months, the program is the essential link between the student and the classroom. Monkey in My Chair helps keep a feeling of normalcy and even playfulness during an extremely challenging time.
The program was created with you, the teacher, in mind as you are the key to implementing the program. Our goal is to make this challenging time as manageable as possible and we have an advisory board of parents and teachers like you, working to continuously improve the program.
Families 
Schools