Some poor little kid went to Mexico for a vacation and brought back the piggie flu. Since no one really knew what the heck to do with this illness, the school closed down for a whole week. Pandemonium broke out, as I'm sure you can imagine.
However, this put Elyria on the map. We had the Swine Flu School.
Imagine our surpreeeeze when Tuesday, at the end of the day there was an announcement for the teachers that there would be an emergency staff meeting Wednesday morning at 7am and you'd better have the best excuse of your life if you aren't there.
So I set my alarm clock a half hour early and dragged my sweet and sour into school to hear that there is a known case of tuberculosis in the school.
Let me say that again: there is a known case of tuberculosis in the school.
As a teacher in the state of Ohio I must have a tuberculosis test before being issued a teaching license (among a bevy of other tasks and papers to be filled out). So it seems like once every other year I'm getting pricked in the forearm by a small needle, only to result in a small welt that disappears to prove that I am TB-free.
Tuberculosis seems like those old-fashioned diseases that nobody gets anymore. Because, really, when was the last time you heard of someone having tuberculosis? NEVER, that's when.
But get this disease, the oldest in recorded history (dating back to 5000 BC -- who knew?!), is alive and well in my town.
So at 7am this morning all 150 high school employees were stuck in the arm by a grouchy nurse with too much blush on, and sent on their way.
Our arms will be read on Friday, probably by the same grouchy nurse with too much blush on, and we will know our fate.
The kids are all scheduled to be tested on Monday and Tuesday. Because the whole school needs to be tested, and each student has an English class, we have the honors of taking the kids to get tested. Awesome.
I should also probably tell you now that 14 hours post-prick, I still have a red welt where the grouchy nurse with too much blush maimed my arm.
I'm mildly concerned.
Post-Edit (with a somewhat related story):
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I came down with a nasty cold. I had mucus and boogers coming out of every opening on my face. It wasn't pretty.
I also developed Hacking Death, where my body and head actually hurt from all of the coughing. I'm happy to report that this illness is on the up-swing.
I share a room with one of the meanest teachers in the school (I use the term "share" loosely because really, I'm just a hindrance to her for 2 periods of the day). On Monday, after we returned to school from break, I was still feeling quite pooty, and this teacher noticed that I was sick.
She also complained of the sniffles and a cough.
She then proceeds to tell 2 other teachers, within ear shot of me, that I'm the one who made her sick, since I use her desk and her computer. Yeah, lady, I'm the one, out of the 923874 snot-nosed kids in this school who made you sick. I'm so sure.
The best part of this, Mean Teacher probably thinks I'm the one who has tuberculosis. Jerk.
3 comments:
i heard this on the radio this morning! what the what?
When I think of tuberculosis I think of bloody handkerchiefs and Dickens type characters. Also Sonja from Crime and Punishment.
I hope this is not your fate :)
I wonder if strains of TB are always changing and evolving....you'd think so, since it's been a big jerk and stuck around for so long. Only to end up bothering you, of course. ;-)
Post a Comment