How many of you are asked to call parents to let them know about issues observed in class that you have not personally witnessed?
Often a teacher will come to me and ask if I will call home about a particular problem. This week it was multiple tics with one child, and another student who has her hand in her pants a lot during class.
My feeling is that the person observing these issues should be the one letting the parent know. Otherwise I am just the messenger.
I know it is the path of least resistance for the teacher, but I really think they need to be able to talk to parents about whatever is going on in the classroom. I don't mind collaborating with the teacher and parent at some point if needed, but it seems strange that some teachers don't want to make the call.
Oh heck yes. It has taken me a few years to perfect the wording in my response to these repeated requests. It goes something like this... "I don't mind at all to call mom/dad/whoever. But, they will probably ask me questions about specifics (of whatever the concerning observation was). Since I have not observed this, it is always better for first hand information to be relayed to parent."
That being said, if there is any assessment or other nursing things that need to be done, that is when I step in.
This is also my response a lot of the time, when teachers relay a concern to me about an Abuse/Neglect issue. When it is clear that a Hotline call needs to be made. In Missouri, the teacher that has the concern is accountable to make the Hotline call themselves, not to pass it along to someone else. This is a great change to the wording in the Legislation, as of August of 2015.
What most people (that includes staff/my family and friends) don't understand is just because I am a nurse does not make me qualified to assess/judge/observe/call about/talk about/advise about/treat/medicate every ailment, behavioral health issue, hygiene issue,nutritional issue and pest control issue!
For the love of all that's holy, please stop asking me to expand my skills/knowledge/license to cover your present issue at this time!
I'm over it. lol
Whaaaaaat? This whole post made me chuckle and shake my head. I am sure you took the words right out of our collective mouths!! Thanks.
Most of the time when I am asked to speak to a student about a BO issue, it is a student from a different culture. Some cultures just don't utilize deodorant or the spices / foods they eat stick to the clothes. I am not going to be insensitive to these students beliefs and
customs.
I really want to tell some staff members that if you do not want to be exposed to lice, scabies, strep, bad smells, hyperactive kids, the common cold, runny noses - then why the heck did you become a teacher?????
One 4th grade kid has had problems with wiping after BM in the school bathrooms and sometimes leaves a mess. I did end up talking to him about how to clean himself better and gave him a package of wet wipes that I purchased for him. The next day he came up to me to say thank you and that he is using them at home and doing well.
Last week the teacher came to me to say he wears the same dirty clothes and has a jacket that reeks of cig smoke and could I please all his family to discuss how the smell bothers kids in class.
Sigh . . . my parents both smoked and I am sure I reeked as well.
I said put his coat outside the classroom to air out - there is a rail under the eaves so it would be kept dry in case of rain or snow. I gave her a DVD to show her class about hygiene.
huffmannurse
106 Posts
Oh heck yes. It has taken me a few years to perfect the wording in my response to these repeated requests. It goes something like this... "I don't mind at all to call mom/dad/whoever. But, they will probably ask me questions about specifics (of whatever the concerning observation was). Since I have not observed this, it is always better for first hand information to be relayed to parent."
That being said, if there is any assessment or other nursing things that need to be done, that is when I step in.
This is also my response a lot of the time, when teachers relay a concern to me about an Abuse/Neglect issue. When it is clear that a Hotline call needs to be made. In Missouri, the teacher that has the concern is accountable to make the Hotline call themselves, not to pass it along to someone else. This is a great change to the wording in the Legislation, as of August of 2015.
Happy Wednesday!