Cringe-worthy

At the Special Place, there is a severely epileptic (and also adorable and sweet) student that requires Ativan in case of a seizure. Yes, you read that right: she takes Ativan orally at the onset of a seizure so as to stop it from continuing. Apparently it is not as nutty as it sounds; she'll begin a seizure, then it will pause momentarily, long enough to have her take the Ativan. (When I was first given the notes on this student, all I could wonder was how in the world we were going to give an oral medication during a tonic clonic seizure, as it was originally described to me.) 

After much discussion with our nursing coordinator, we decided that the medication could and should indeed be kept in a locked cabinet in the classroom in case of emergency. The guardian had already dropped off the Ativan for the student, so once I had a pretty care plan all written up, I brought it and the medication to the teacher. I told the teacher what I had in my hands - he had already volunteered for it to be kept in the classroom, and knew what its purpose would be - and when I said it was the student's Ativan, his response was, "Should I give it to her now?" This as the epileptic student was quietly eating her lunch.

I think my heart stopped momentarily when I heard that, and is the precise reason I *hate* having to allow medication in the classroom. Teachers have other priorities, and health just isn't their first. Needless to say, I gave the teacher and classroom aides a LONNNNNNNNNNG lecture on when and how to give the Ativan, followed by an email with the principal cc'ed including an in depth description of Ativan, its side effects, and a note to please contact the student's guardian to directly discuss the student's behavior during seizures, just so he'd have to listen to it repeated again. Ugh. 

Clean your cuts

Sea snail hatches, grows inside California boy's knee after scrape at the beach. I should start using this as an example when kids protest my efforts to thoroughly clean their injuries.

Day 2

At The Special Place, a student escaped, but only temporarily, and a teacher was bit on the arm and punched in the face by one of her students. There may only be 40 students on site, but I think they might turn out to be an exciting bunch. A new nurse was hired to replace our retired one, and now I'm thinking I may not give back the Special Place: the office is huge, I am buddies with the secretary from a previous school, and I like the excitement that comes with working with that population.

At The Institution, my diabetic is probably going to prove to be the most compliant, easiest student I've probably ever worked with. When you've worked with some nightmare-ish families, you really notice the difference when you get lucky with an easy one.

And I will leave you with this: Avoid the 'back-to-school plague'. I will vouch for the fact that drinking fountains gross the heck out of me, particularly when kids suck on the end of them like they're lollipops...child after child on line sucking on the same piece of wet metal. Gross, gross, gross.

Back in the saddle again

I started back at work on Monday, with students returning today. With one of our nurses having retired last year, I knew changes would lay ahead for this year, but they're less drastic than I'd anticipated (phew). I have Diabetic Land elementary school with Spitfire diabetic for the 2nd or 3rd year now; Disneyland elementary school, land of happy teachers and poor students in the ghetto, for the 4th year in a row; and I am continuing with the "Institution" as it shall be dubbed, where the students refer to me as ma'am, there is NO talking in the hallways, ever, and everyone is neatly buckled into crisp uniforms. Instead of adding a high school to the mix, I somehow accidentally volunteered myself, while still waking up during our Monday morning meeting to discuss assignments, for...well, I'll just call it the Special Place. There's only 40 or so students, grades K-12, and all have severe behavioral and/or medical issues preventing them from being at any of the district's other schools. I thought it'd be a breeze, but have spent countless hours this week creating care plans for everyone, and have had to essentially neglect my other schools. Luckily, they know me, and know I'll get to them eventually. Also, someone's P.O. came to the Special Place to check up on them today, and I'm led to believe this is a normal occurrence there. (I'll be keeping my phone in my pocket at that site.) 

Having to get up in the morning and leave my comfy bed and lovable pets has been a rough adjustment, but it's conversations like the one I had with Spitfire today that eventually make it worth it: 

Spitfire (staring at a new-to-her ring on my left hand): Are you engaged or something?

Me: Yes...Is that okay?

Spitfire: What?! I didn't even know you had a boyfriend. Are you old enough to be engaged??

Me: I'm 28, what do you think?

Spitfire: Oh, okay, I guess that's okay. Weird. 

Day of Thanks

It was the last day of the regular school year, and teachers and secretaries alike seemingly spent it thanking me right and left for what I've done for them and the students. A teacher with a broken foot even hobbled over to my office just to tell me how impressed she was that I returned a student that apparently frequently screams bloody murder to her classroom in good spirits after she came to me with a traumatizing split lip. Yay: it's nice to go out on a good note, feeling appreciated.

I'm off for two weeks, and then will be back in the saddle for the third week of summer school. In between, and afterward, unlike my last two summers, I have no serious plans. I predict a rotating  combination of the following: swimming, hiking, and hanging with the creatures of my house. (The cat can finally have full time immediate room service, as she's taken to meowing incessantly if there is not enough food in her bowl, her water isn't fresh enough, or the litterbox sand isn't stroked just right after cleaning.) I can't wait to get started.

Normally I would suggest you add me to your Google Reader or whatever you use so that you can pick this blog back up again after my break, but Google Reader is being put to the grave soon. Find a new RSS reader! See you in two weeks during summer school if I'm ambitious, otherwise look for me again in August, with a major change in my school assignments likely taking place (I'm slated to take over a high school). Happy summer!

Almost

Tomorrow is the last day of the regular school year. I thought about what a year it's been last night as I cleaned out my bag. As I picked out crumbs and pieces of unidentifiable objects (I'm as bad as the students), I concluded that all in all, it was kind of a crappy year. I never want to see someone again in such a terrifying state of hypoglycemia, my phone was stolen and crushed, and I've been trying without success to become a CPR instructor since September - a monkey I'd have had off my back months ago had I had some different (read: helpful, considerate) co-workers. C'est la vie: tomorrow begins two weeks off, and then I'll be back here to work summer school, and then off all of July until Aug. 12. I really shouldn't complain. 

It was my last day today with many of the kids, including my diabetics. Spitfire was her usual independent self, waving at me to have a good summer as she left. Mr. High Maintenance, who is off to middle school next year, told me, "You're coming with me!" when I told him to have a great time as a 6th grader. (He's been increasingly resistant to the idea of a new school as this year passed us by.) I'll miss him, and as much as his mom drives me nuts, her too. When I called to let her know his blood sugar today, she said, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you." Awwww! 

And in reference to my stolen phone, the county probation office called me today and invited me to Sticky Finger's court date this coming Monday. I'm not going, but can we just take a moment to think about the fact that it has taken four months for a simple phone theft - one where the suspect confessed - to be processed? Oh, our lovely court systems. 

Until tomorrow...

Return of the Sweeties

You'd have to have a really good memory to know this off the top of your head, but I've written about these girls before. There are two sisters a year apart that I have been in close contact, unfortunately, with since I started at this job. They are constantly being sent home for lice, and the problem has grown throughout this year. Their current attendance records show they've showed up less than 50% of the school days this year, and they have recently been through the truancy proceedings so that at each absence now the family is being cited by police and the income they receive from welfare is being withheld. I've filed a couple of CPS reports on this family myself, and after I made a referral to the Public Health Department, they also decided to file a CPS report too. In short: the parents of this family disgust me. 

The little girls suffering from this are ones I know all too well now. They hang out with me each time their teachers send them to me with lice, and we've spent long stretches together waiting for one of their unemployed parents to pick them up. I have a coloring book I keep in my desk that just the two of them have nearly completed, and they often ask about my life with such curiosity. Both are bright girls that would surely excel in school, if only they were present for more of it. 

Today I sent them home once again for lice, and as Friday is our last day of school, I likely won't see them again. The girls seemed to know this as well, as I watched one of them undo this well-loved rubber duck key chain from her backpack. She asked me to take it, and wouldn't accept it when I tried to refuse.

<Sigh.> I suppose it would be illegal for me to smuggle them home.