Untitled.

I just received word this evening that one of my students passed away this weekend of an asthma attack. He was a kindergartner this year, one I've met several times for a variety of reasons, and he always left an impression on me. Just last week, I met his mom, when she brought in an inhaler for him to have at school. The paperwork for her son was insufficient, but I ended up accepting her son's emergency department discharge paperwork instead of the district medication form we use so she wouldn't have to wait for a doctor's appointment to have the medication at school. "I want inhalers here, we can work on formalizing the paperwork later," I told her. 

Her son came to me first thing that Tuesday morning, and I could see that he needed his inhaler, so I coached him through it. Just over an hour later, he came to my office again asking to use the inhaler. I listened to his lungs and explained to him that his lungs sounded clear. He said he was "scared" of having trouble breathing - and who could blame him - which was why he wanted his inhaler again. We talked at length about staying calm and techniques to do so, and he gave me a high five on his way out the door. 

And now, he is gone. 

Reason why I like my job #53254:

Because you just never know what these kids will say. A sixth grader comes in every day to take his Ritalin pill at the same time I see my diabetics. Each day, I say, "Hi [Student], what's new?" He always pauses to come up with something new, sometimes a new lunchbox or a new book he's reading. But today, I got the best answer yet - and I've been seeing him since he was in fourth grade. 

First, he answered my question with one of his own: "Do you know what sober means?"

"Yes..." 

"Well my dad is in a club and he got a chip for being 5 years sober!"