Thanks to holidays, pre-scheduled teacher workdays, and snow days, the only day all last week we had school was last Tuesday. Off yesterday for professional development, back today . . . and now it's predicted we won't have school tomorrow!
On the one hand -- YIPPEE! Netflix binge-watching, here I come!
On the other hand -- I've already had 3 kids who got colds/sniffles from playing in the snow without adequate warm clothes. And another few who got so used to being home that they were trying anything to be able to go back home today.
So here's to you, school nurses who live in cold climates and deal with this all the time. You are stronger than I am! This delicate Southern flower sees snow flakes and I start bundling up and hunkering down.
And here's to you, fellow school nurses who are in the South. Be safe driving and enjoy the strange weather while you can!
[ETA: none of these photos are mine, all courtesy of Google. Hope they brightened your day anyway!]
How do you catch a virus from playing in the snow???? Really? Next you'll be saying you gave them antibiotics for their sniffles, right?
First of all, I intentionally didn't say virus, I said "colds/SNIFFLES". You know, as can occur when the cold weather hits sensitive mucous membranes and causes extra snot to start going? Which most kids then swallow, irritating both their throat and stomach? And since I'm in elementary, it doesn't even need to get that far before they'll come to the clinic -- just a runny nose that won't quit is enough for some kids to think they get to go home.
Additionally, while I am well aware that being cold does not make you get sick, being cold DOES increase the chances that if you come into contact with a virus, it will cause you to get sick. (Research - NIH 2008, NIH 2011 [towards the bottom], NCBI - 2007).
Finally, I do appreciate nurses keeping each other accurate. And I agree, I could have worded that more clearly. However, you didn't have to come at me with *sighs* and implications that I don't understand how viruses work. It was a humor article about school nursing in unusual snow storms, and not intended to inform the general public about how viruses spread.
Blah. Closed again. 12th cancelled day since we've been back from winter break. I'm going to be in school half the summer at this rate!!!!
No bueno! We had a full week of school this week, and boy did it drag on FOREVER.
Luckily, our plan is to make up snow days by cancelling two teacher work days. Unluckily, that means we now go to school for ALL of February and ALL of March without any breaks until spring break in April. In for a long haul now.
brillohead, ADN, RN
1,781 Posts
Am I really the only one who read this post and didn't notice this?
How do you catch a virus from playing in the snow???? Really? Next you'll be saying you gave them antibiotics for their sniffles, right?
*sigh*
How can we expect the general public to understand things like viruses and bacteria when even nurses don't?
*sigh*