Skirtin' Danger

I woke up with a little scratch to my throat this morning, but as two children vomited while I was on lunch duty, I think I will stick with the scratchy throat.  Last year I wasn't sick even one day - not even with a cold.  My secret? Well......

Ways to Stay Healthy at School

1.  Never touch a door knob with your bare hands.  Just imagine the hands that have touched it before you!!  This includes the office door.  Sick children go in there!!

This rule is easy to follow even though I am in and out of several classrooms everyday.  After Sandy Hook all of the doors remain locked.  I simply knock on the door and someone lets me in.  Easy-peasy.  And when I leave there is always a "gentleman" who opens the door for me.  As for going into non-student areas, well that is what cardigans are for.  Just sayin'

2.  GermX is your best friend.  Really and truly.  I carry it with me at all times.  Especially if, for some reason, I have violated Rule #1.

3.  All pens, pencils and markers need to be in a box that you can hold out for the students to take from themselves.  Never touch a student pencil!  If you do, see Rule #2.

4.  Realize that 5 year olds don't really know how to blow their nose or cough in their elbow.  I have developed some pretty slick moves for avoiding the cough in the face, but you can avoid the snot-covered pencils and markers by adhering to Rule #3 and Rule #2.

5.  Recognize signs that your student is getting ready to vomit on your table.  Yes, I have had some close calls, but fortunately I keep a small garbage can by my table and can move with lightening speed.  Can we say "Gold Medal Winner"?

6.  And finally, as I told my family during vacation, a teacher needs her rest.  Naps were absolutely necessary over the holiday. Truly.  A restful body makes for a healthy body.  Really.  I'm not making this up.

7.  I was going to say that chocolate can kill the germs once they get inside you, if you eat enough of it, but I couldn't actually pinpoint the evidence for that statement and I don't want to start some wildly exaggerated rumor.  Integrity and all that, you know.  Perhaps I will make it a action case study and pursue my own research.....


Obviously, since I have a bit of a scratchy throat, I have violated one of the above rules.  Or perhaps it is the fact that each class has, on average, three students out sick.  The odds may not be in my favor.

But just to be on the safe side, I think I will wear my pretty pink cardi tomorrow.