Life in a Petri Dish...

Being a middle school teacher means that I live my life in a Petri Dish. Each of the 850 walking germs at my school means that someone, one of them, will give me something...No amount of hand sanitizer can protect me from getting the most current bug, whatever that may be.

I am on my third (or fourth) cold this year. I am tired of being sick.

Teaching is rough when you live in a Petri Dish. Part of my job is to help my students, even when they are sent to school sick, coughing, sneezing, with the flu and a temperature because there is no one home to take care of them. This means I am exposed to the worst bugs, all of the time, every day. I do my best to stay healthy, but this year I can't seem to shake it.

Having a child with complex medical needs means that we have to be careful about illness. A simple cold for us could mean something far greater for the little boy. Recommendations to keep him safer (and myself for that matter) are to stop kissing him on the mouth and wash my hands more. I know that this recommendation is probably the best advice, but I just can't stop kissing the boy...he's just too cute!

Living life in a Petri Dish means constantly battling with illness, staying one step ahead, downing Emergen-C and whatever else I can do to combat whatever is floating around.

I love my job and I love my students, even if they are carrying around whatever germs they are. I go to school each day to make a difference in their lives, to remind them that adults who care about them show up for...because that's what it is about...showing up even if...

we live in a Petri Dish...

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