Take Note

Teresa Pearl taught her students an unexpected lesson this year. First grader Autumn Malpass was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer, and over the summer had to undergo chemotherapy.

When the 6-year-old returned to Brookside Elementary School in Gastonia, N.C., at the beginning of the year, she was without her hair and wearing a surgical mask as a protection against germs. She also wore a hat to cover her head.

"Students were looking, laughing, and saying things," Ms. Pearl said. Teachers mentioned the problem at a faculty meeting, and that’s when Ms. Pearl, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and lost her hair during chemotherapy, decided...