When It Gets Icky

 

I admit it.... some parts of teaching are just nasty and gross. When you are a teacher, teaching in the lower grades, you have to expect some icky situations. You also cannot be afraid of blood, snot, and puke. These things happen and they happen frequently. I was usually ok with the blood and the puke, but it was the snot that always turned my stomach.

I had one boy that had an ever-running snot problem. No matter what the weather was or what time it was, he always had a nose full of snot. I got to the point where it was hard to look at him. He had a box of tissues at his desk all year. As he moved from grade to grade, he got bigger and smarter. But his nose continued to run!

A couple students through the years would develop bloody noses. I had a few who would bleed profusely. I can't tell you how many times my hands would be bloody from trying to help a child control their bloody nose. If blood makes you squeamish, then being a teacher in the elementary ages might not be the job for you.

The other icky thing to deal with is puke. That was the most common, especially during the flu season when kids would get sick. If you were lucky, the child would give you a heads up. That's when you could send them to the bathroom quickly so they could handle it there. But sometimes, it just came out of nowhere. I had kids throw up on my shoes, my lap, their desk, the rug......you name it!

Ahhhh......the joys of teaching!