My next pet peeve, or, Look out, SAD6, here I come!

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1

Yesterday I had a conversation with my stepdaughter that got me going. A little background, since I haven’t talked about Kayla much: she’s 15, attending Bonny Eagle HS (SAD6) here in Maine, a freshman. One of her friends, a girl we’ll call Cathy, is type 1 diabetic, so of course when Eric was diagnosed it gave Kayla fresh insights into what’s going on with Cathy.

So here’s the scenario: last week, Kayla’s math class had a substitute teacher. Cathy, as is her daily practice, got up midway through the 45-minute class to go to the nurse for her BG check. The teacher (reasonably) stopped her and asked where she thought she was going. Cathy explained that she had diabetes and needed to have her blood sugar tested. The teacher’s response (and this is where I started to get a little warm in the ears) was “Diabetes? What’s that?”

Oh. My. GOD, as Kayla and her cohort would say.

Depending on who you ask, every $7 of healthcare spending goes toward diabetes care. Companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly spend GAZILLIONS on ads pertaining to diabetes care in Reader’s Digest, People Magazine, and Newsweek—not exactly outside-the-mainstream publications. In any article that talks about women and weight loss, you’ll find “risk of diabetes” within a few picas of “heart disease”—so HOW, I ask you, can someone who claims to be educated enough to be teaching high school math, even for a day, NOT KNOW WHAT DIABETES IS??? I’m not expecting them to know the specifics, for heaven’s sake, but a basic awareness of the existence of the disease, is that too much to ask??

Kayla took it upon herself to back Cathy up by explaining everything she’s learned (blessings upon Maine Med Ctr and their diabetes educators!) and Cathy was permitted to go to the nurse, though not without a certain amount of continued protest from the teacher.

I was irritated at the teacher’s ignorance, certainly. But after a moment’s thought, I decided I was MORE than irritated at the school. They know they have a diabetic child with certain special needs, and they know what classes she’s in at any given time and day. So, WHY would they assign a substitute to the class without, at bare minimum, giving the substitute a handout explaining the situation?

For example:

"Today, your assignment includes Algebra I, Room 325, from 1:30-2:15. In this class is a special needs student, Cathy Smith. Cathy has Type 1 Diabetes and will need to go visit the nurse at 1:50 for treatment.

Type 1 Diabetes is a serious medical condition. If Cathy should show signs of disorientation or odd behavior, or if she should complain of dizziness, headache, or similar symptoms, send her to the nurse’s office immediately, ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER, RESPONSIBLE STUDENT OR STAFF MEMBER."

If anyone could explain to me why a school could not/should not do something this simple to avoid the difficulty Cathy faced—and will likely face again—I’d very much like to hear it. When Eric enters this school system, you can be for damn sure that I will be requesting… very firmly, requesting… that this policy be instituted for his protection. Because in my view, by not telling the substitute Cathy’s situation and making sure that the teacher knew what the problem is and why it’s serious, the school has failed in its responsibility to protect and care for its students. I’m not willing to let that happen to my son, and the school is going to be CRYSTAL clear on that point when the time comes.

2

Elizabeth-
I can totally understand. When I was in 7th grade I had a teacher, Mr. Whitlock, who knew I was diabetic. The entire school had been informed. I was allowed to eat snack at 10am each day if needed and on one particular day this teacher called me out in front of the class. He looked straight at me and said “Miss O’Neill (maiden name), we DO NOT EAT in my class room.” I was 12 and did not know what to do, but I looked right at him and said “Mr. Whitlock, I’m diabetic and I eat everyday in your class.” I don’t remember what my parents did, but my thoughts for you:

  1. I think you should approach “cathy’s” parents and go to the school to bring this to their attention.
  2. Your sample letter is exactly what is needed. Perhaps you could present the letter to the school administration. Sometimes people just don’t know what to do or say. Your letter is perfect.

I look forward to what other people have to say about this, but Elizabeth, I’ve learned that if you don’t speak up no one else will.

Good luck!
Erin

3

For me personally I would have walked right out of class and did what I needed to do and then go talk to the Principal about the problem before returning to class, but then again I am very outspoken.

4

The daughter of a friend started to go low and her observant classmates alerted the substitute teacher who became annoyed and told her to go take some insulin. Like you say, Elizabeth, we don’t expect the lucky unitiated to understand the details, but a teacher should be aware of the presence of a special needs student. What if that poor child had, in her state of confusion, given herself insulin? Your thoughts on initiating some sort of awareness program for schools sounds like a great project for a student.

5

I’m sure as concerned and caring parents we want to pad the path to adulthood for our children with cushioned notions of equality and justice. That being said, I think it’s not inappropriate to have the child learn to fight his/her own battles. If we’re going to pick these battles in school, imagine how hurt your child will be when they’re not allowed to take insulin or check their BG in their cubicle at work. And when they contact their lawyer for help, they are informed that they are not protected in any way shape or form. That they have to step into the Diabetes Closet every day because having a quarter inch needle out for less than 10 seconds is a valid safety concern that there smiley faced corporation can use to marginalize their employee. No one can or will stand up for them then, so childhood is the perfect place to learn about the cold, ignorant and unconcerned world that lays waiting for them.

6

I totally do not agree with that. Not that children shouldn’t learn to stand up for themselves in the face of rampant ignorance–you’re absolutely right there, and perhaps with respect to my daughter’s teenage friend, the lesson was a good one. But when my little one gets into this school district, he will be all of five years old. Do I want him having to stand up to a substitute who is ignorant of his disease? Hell, no. Childhood (and I’m talking about children, not teens) is NOT the perfect place to learn about the cold, ignorant, unconcerned world when you’re a diabetic, because children, especially little children, are well aware that they’re lesser beings who do not have the power to override an adult authority figure. And I don’t want my son to have to pay the price for his obedience to an ignorant, if well-meaning, teacher with a trip to the hospital, or worse, the morgue. Lets not kid ourselves what’s at stake, particularly with little children: I’ve already dealt with a couple of near misses, and I DO know what diabetes is. Am I going to put my youngest child in the hands of people who haven’t got a clue? Not if I’m a responsible parent, I’m not. Instead, I’m going to make DAMN sure these people DO have a clue. And the cold, ignorant, unconcerned world will be a much better place for it: maybe, just maybe, if the school had given this substitute some education, she might have gone home to her husband, an executive at a local bank, and said, “Guess what, dear? I learned something new about diabetes today…” and he would have said, “Wow, that explains why Joe Bob, my diabetic employee, is always packing a box of insulin needles.” A little information injected (no pun intended) into one situation has a way of traveling into others.

But I think it’s equally valid to point out that by not informing the teacher of the girl’s situation, the school was not only failing its duty to the girl, but also to the teacher. How do you suppose this teacher would have felt if by insisting the girl stay put (assuming the girl obeyed and did not simply walk out, which is what I would have done… but which is something many other adolescent girls might not do) she caused the child to have a seizure, or god forbid even die? She’d have lived with that the rest of her life, even though it really wasn’t her fault.

7

I work in a school system. The grand majority of employees are aware of diabetes, but substitutes are temporary employees and tend NOT to know about the particulars of every child they teach. I do agree that the school could have told the sub about this… It boils down to what information that the regular teacher ( the one who was absent) has left for the sub… I think that a clearly written letter, describing your child’s health care needs, signed by the parent, the school nurse and, the child,( if older than 12 or so) should be in the possession of ALL the teachers. The ADMINSTRATOR ( prinicipal) should inform the teachers that this letter should always be available in the substitute folder…It boils down to what the teachers have been told to do, it is not generaly maliciousness, just ignorance of the facts…

God Bless

Brunetta

8

I agree with Brunetta, and also think that perhaps the child should have a copy of that letter in her backpack or Day Planner too … including her scheduled snacks/shots/checks, whatever. While I agree that an elementary school is not the place to learn about the hard, cold, unconcerned world, the more power we can give to our kids to handle things themselves, the better off they will be.

9

I wrote to the principal, and explained what I’d heard, and offered her the letter. She wrote back saying she’d investigate, and that school policy is that teachers provide a lesson plan plus classroom protocols to subs, including any medical info. So she’s checking to see that a) the teacher followed the policy, and b) that the substitute read the protocols (or if, reading them, somehow she didn’t understand them.) She assured me that the school nurse is very conscientious about making sure the staff know what’s what in respect to students’ health, so I’m hoping this turns out to be an isolated incident of a sub who didn’t read the information carefully.