This is the time of year for school sickness. Stomach viruses, strep throat, ear infections, and flu are swarming the buildings as we speak. Believe it or not, my county has even seen a few cases of the chicken pox. More and more students are being sent home or not coming to school at all.
The nurse’s office at our school is the busiest place in the building. She is continuously taking temperatures and calling parents. Teachers are striving to keep up with which students are sick and need to see the nurse and which ones are just needing the extra attention. It can be really difficult to tell the difference this time of year!
Today I have five students out of my class. Four have left early with sickness and one did not come at all. During my lunch break, the sixth grade teacher commented that she know had eight out of her class.
Teachers cannot stop their classes sue to students being absent. However, it does make it very difficult times for teaching. Teachers know that any new information discussed during this time will need to be reintroduced to the students who are not there. With that many students out it may be several days before all of them return. By the time that they do return, a new group will likely be sick and out.
Teachers handle make-up work in many different ways. Some teachers go straight by the book with the rules. If the student does not complete the work in the three days after returning to school, the work goes down as a zero. Other teachers are not concerned about the students making up their work. They pick and choose the activities and work that they feel is the most important and forget the rest.
Either way, make-up work and keeping children caught up with new information is very difficult this time of year.
Tips: Managing Student Supplies