Firstly, I'd like to point out how I am not into any political aspects that occur within the United States, however this paper gave me great insight on an issue that is relevant but not pushed to be a bigger concern in our school systems. In generally, children these days are being diagnosed with a variety of illnesses and while they need proper care they also need to sustain good education and be in a safe environment as well.
Having training and the ability to assist a student with Diabetes is very essential and can save lives. But what happens if a teacher administers too much insulin or not enough to help a student ? Won't that open up more lawsuits and be unsettling to parents or guardians?
I agree with the stressors mentioned that will affect teachers if they have an overload of coursework and can't fully be attentive to that one child in class. I see this affecting younger children until they get to the age where they can self administer. My sister who is in 7th grade has a friend that is always at our house who has diabetes and does self administer and has an insulin pump. Each time she is dropped off her mother still instructs us on what to do in case something goes wrong. My sister's friend is fully aware when her sugar is dropping, what she needs to do and who she needs to call. To me, that is effective parenting and puts her mom at ease knowing that her daughter can always call , ask us for an extra battery, ask for a food item or ask to take a break during a physical activity.
Being a 7th grader and having a great group of friends also puts her at ease knowing that if she has to leave because its too low or too high that her friends won't hold her illness against her because she is unable to participate in sleep overs or playing outside. Lately I've been learning different laws and regulations pertaining to the school system and education that I was never fully aware of, as an educator I need to be more knowledge on these issues at hand. This was a very good paper and very insightful over issues that others may tend to sweep under the rug.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. To answer your questions….if anyone (teacher or nurse) administers too much insulin, it can be deadly. If a teacher doesn't give enough insulin, the health effects are more long term….but not immediately deadly.
ReplyDeleteYour sister's friend seems to be on a great path….taking accountability for her self care and having a family that supports her. Sadly, this is not always the case. I always tell teachers if they are not comfortable being trained, then they are protected under the law not to be mandated to. They must volunteer. I have seen, first hand, administration try to "convince" a school staff member to volunteer. I did interject and remind the administrator that it has to be a volunteer. Caring for students with diabetes can not be taken lightly. I know all 36 of the students with diabetes in my district and it is my top priority.