A teacher who needs help!

[swheeler25]

This is my third year teaching and I am miserable! I knew I had a fear of v*, but it never really surfaced until I started teaching. I also have generalized anxiety disorder and IBS, which makes my emet worse. My emet got worse last year when every student in my room was out with a sv*. I lost down from 123 lb. to my weight now of 108 lb. in the last 13 months. Its hard to eat a lot when you are afraid you will catch something from your students. I work in a low income school district where the kids are not clean and get sent to school sick by their parents. Today was awful!! We went on a field trip and I sent 2 students home with n* before we left. I have had 3 kids this week complaining of v* the night before, but still their parents sent them to school the next day. Back to today. Once we got to the program today, a child 4 rows in front of me started projectile v*. I thought I would die. I am ready to leave teaching. I can't take the fear anymore. I fear going to work daily and I am extremely depressed. I have talked to my preacher at church and she thinks I need to look for another job. I hate to break my contract, but I really can't take the stress anymore. To top that off, I have the worst class I have ever had. They are very disrespectful and really don't want to be at school. I really needsomeone to talk to.Iknow most sv* are transmitted through contact, but how close do you have to be to a person when they are v* to catch it by airborne droplets? Is 15 ft. far enough?

[rubysoho120]

Oh gosh...welll first of all you cannot catch sv* from airbourne,
unless the person v* right near you and "the spray" gets onto your
face, and then you touch it and put it in your eyes, nose or mouth. I
think you are safe from 15 ft away. Now as for teaching if it doesn't
make you happy, change what you are doing. Maybe a different school? Or
new carreer althougher. I could never do that. SO I understand you.
Would you feel happier doing something else??

[swheeler25]

I would most definitely like a change in careers. Would you believe I was an RN for 13 years before I decided to go back to school to teach. I really enjoyed being a nurse, but I wanted a change of scenery. Not once in those 13 years did I ever fear catching a sv, but now it has consumed me. I have only v* once in 22 years and that was from a sv* I caught my first month of teaching. My teaching career hasgone downhill since that episode. I have also turned into a germ-a-phobe. I wash my hands at least 50 times a day and I spray antiviral spray everywhere. I used to have a great personality and I loved life. My husband and I would dance to Frank Sinatra and cook pasta at night. I am only 45 years old and I feel like I am 75. The fear of v* has taken its toll on me and it is all related to teaching. I was great before I started teaching. No fear at all. I was actually pretty decent looking. Now, I look and feel worn down.

[harmonygirl72]

Aww, I feel for you. I am a teacher and have been teaching for about 12 years. I love it! But, I do get stressed out by the emet aspect of it,like today when the principal actually wrote in her newsletter home that she had the stomach flu that has been "going around"! I freaked! I would say that if you love teaching like I do, stick with it and show emet who's boss! (Therapy might help.) If you love teaching, but hate the school, try to find a new job. (Where are you from?) And, if you hate it altogether, find a new career! It's never too late!


Good luck!


Mary

[swheeler25]

Thanks for the encouragement Mary. I am from Georgia. I teach second grade. I love the kids, but the parents are a different story. They are very low income and don't think twice about sending a sick child to school. Even though they don't work!! I have a Master's in Reading and Literacy and have been offered an adjunct position at a community college near Atlanta. I am strongly considering leaving in Dec. to take the part-time position. I know the kids would be crushed, but it seems that young adults have more control over staying home with a sv*. I have also co-written a children's book with my twin sister and we are waiting to see it published. We love to write. She is also a teacher and has developed emet as well. I guess it is true what they say about identical twins.

[lianaismadchill]

I think it sounds like you do need a new job. If you worry about students v* constantly & getting sick from them, that must be very stressful. Try to find a job that wont make you as stressed.

[new.slang]

Oh man, what grade do you teach? I'm in highschool and *omg knock on wood* haven't seen anyone vomit this year. Us "big kids" get to the potty and wash our hands. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img] I hope you can continue to teach. You seem like a nice woman, and low-income schools can often get really dreadful teachers!

[happyteacher]

Ihave been teaching for 5 years in Toronto, Ontario Canada also in a low income district, where parents use the school board for daycare. This year I moved fromGrade 7 toGrade 8 and I love it!


I think what you need to examine is whether or not you actually like the teaching aspect or if it is just your emet that is the problem. You will get bad classes for year to year. That's the thing about our job, you play the odds all the time, there is no control over the kids you get.


Have you thought about therapy? Or moving to a higher grade level (older kids= less v*)? Or even taking classroom management classes to widen your variety of strategies to use with your class?


In my opinion, teaching is an occupation that you shouldn't be doing at all if you don't love it. We owe it to the children to give them our whole selves because our world will be in their hands someday. If you are finding that emet is changing you as a person, then maybe you need to leave teaching until you are better. My emet involves a severe fear of other v*, but strangely, I find school a "safe" place to be. I think that has a great deal to do with the age group I teach (12 and 13 years olds)