Public service announcement.

This post is for parents of school-aged children, for couples thinking of having children and teachers everywhere.

Do. Not. Send. Your. Kid. In. To. School. When. They. Are. Sick!

I know this happens in all school situations, but I'm also aware that with immuno-compromised kids such as students at the center where I work, a common cold can turn into something much worse very quickly. I have a student who came into school a terrible cough, thick green snot pouring from her nose, a raspy voice and her menses. The poor girl was miserable. She suffers from pica, a condition that causes a person to eat anything, no matter if it's food or not. I'm sure that her sticking her finger up her nose was to relieve the congestion, but the eating of her snot was not. She was contaminating surfaces left and right. I write in her communication book that day that she is clearly sick and feeling miserable. Thankfully mom decided to keep her home the next day.

What happened next? Three of the staff in the class (myself included) start feeling cold-like symptoms. Two of our other students start suffering the same symptoms. This all could have been avoided if she had just stayed at home when this began.

What happens when you send your child in to school when they are sick? Your child infects the people they come into contact with. This includes the teachers and staff. What happens when teachers and staff get sick? They call out and your child doesn't receive the education/care that they deserve. Wouldn't you rather your child watch a movie at home when they are too sick to really function instead of watching a movie during precious class time because the teacher is too sick to function?

I'm aware that finding child care or taking a day off of work is a burden, but that is something that needs to be considered when you have kids. We as teachers do our best to stay in good health so we can provide the best education (and personal care in my situation) that we can provide, and sometimes we are insulted that you think so little of our well-being.

So what next? Lots of hot tea and cold meds for me. Hopefully I can kick this from my system before Christmas!


-Jess