Minnesota Kindergarten Teacher Continues to Teach Online During Chemo Treatment

Minnesota kindergarten teacher at Falcon Heights Elementary School Kelly Klein is currently going through chemo treatment. But instead of taking medical leave, she wanted to continue to teach her class online while receiving treatment. “They're helping me be strong,” she told KARE 11.

Kelly has had ovarian cancer once before, which she beat, but unfortunately, it has come back and this time it's not curable. She's receiving chemo to help slow it down.

When Kelly found out that the cancer was back she didn't want to go on medical leave. So she worked with the school's principal and emailed all of her 21 kindergartener's parents about teaching their kids while at the hospital receiving treatment. The parents were told that nurses and doctors may occasionally appear in the background of the video call. KARE 11 writes, "Not a single parent raised concerns."

Kelly is very happy she gets to spend her chemo treatment teaching her students. She told KARE 11 that the last time she went through this 5 years ago she was able to have people with her. But now because of COVID she can't, so her students are helping to keep her distracted.

The students have figured out she has doctors and nurses helping her. One student pointed out that she's at "'the doctor's house'". Kelly's hair is also starting to thin and she plans on addressing that with her students. She tells KARE 11, “'I want them to see that cancer isn't a death sentence. You can still be happy and playful and silly and funny and energized.'”

A GoFundMe has been set up by Kelly's daughter to help with the costs of the chemo treatment and also to donate to ovarian cancer research.