What Teacher's Really Want ??

LACA, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

A lot of it here tends to rely on two factors....who the student is and the teacher's mood of the day! If the teacher is in a crabby mood, I almost always see more notes that say "just call home and tell someone to come pick up." Uhm, NO. Or if the child is one that tends to disrupt and cause problems, they tend to want to send them home more often.

But, as I think about it, on the flip side of that, the sweet quiet little ones that never complain MUST be sick enough to go home---I mean, my goodness he/she has the sniffles and their temperature is 98.7! That's above normal, so they must go home. Uhm, NO.

See it all the time. Thing is, its the same 3 or 4 teachers all the time too.

smily nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

Actually, no. Teachers do not want the sick ones making everyone ill, and they are concerned when a student does miss too much time.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2011

Like LACA said, it varies with the teacher and the student. I have a couple teachers who are so resistant to sending anyone down that by the time I see a student from their class, they generally have a high fever and look like poop. I have a few others that send every loose tooth, invisible paper cut, and minor ache and pain, and they complain when I do not send kids home who are in my office playing and laughing, with no s/s of illness. I do not think it is coincidence that many of the kids they push to be sent home are the same ones who are constantly in the office for discipline issues.

Teachers are not perfect and their motivations are not always altruistic. The vast majority are wonderful. But there are bad apples in every bunch.

Heidi the nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2011

We have teachers who send kids down for the slightest boo boo, but usually not to send them home. I think many of them fear something bad will happen and they don't want to be the teacher that didn't send the kid to the health room. I can't remember a time when I have seen (or heard, since I'm in more than one building) at teacher send a note to call home and have someone come get them.

nightie-night nurse · Mar 24, 2011

I have had teachers call the parents right after I had seen the student and deemed them well enough to return to class. This made me feel undermined because this was one of the student's who was playing in the clinic and assured me she felt okay to go back to class. The mom said she was called within two minutes of the time I had recorded for her leaving the clinic. That was barely enough time to walk to the classroom. . . Grrr.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2011

I've had teachers call home directly too...I dealt with it by explaining to the parents that unfortunately the students have to meet the district's criteria for a medically excused absence, and their child does not meet those guidelines. They are always welcome to take their child home, but I cannot excuse it. Generally the parent is not pleased and has words with the teacher who called them. I also alert the principal to the issue and she has my back on it. It usually does not happen more than once!