Oh Yuck!

[AndiGirl]

I teach 2nd grade, and I dread the fall and winter months because in my school the Noro virus comes in waves. There are many days that I notice students in the nurses office with a garbage can next to them. I've seen v* on the pavement outside. Just this morning I noticed that there was a barricade just outside my classroom. Evidently a little girl from the classroom across the hall from mine threw-up on the floor. The teachers in the hall didn't want anyone to step in it before the custodian had time to clean it up, so they put chairs around it. A parent volunteer had on gloves and was wiping up as much of the mess as she could with paper towels and was throwing them in a wastebasket. I later discovered that she used the wastebasket from my classroom. OH GROSS! I was upset. The custodian cleaned the mess and changed the bag in the trash can and put it back in my room. I sprayed that can down with plenty of Lysol. I sure hope that was enough. I felt nauseated for most of the morning, but I think it was because of that incident. I am okay now.

[paulinek]

Eww what a horrible thing to happen, you must have nerves of steel working in a school! I'm sure you or the pupils won't catch anything from the bin, after all, all the mucky tissues went into a bin liner which was taken out and a new one put in. I know what you mean though, i think I would have been tempted to throw the bin out but the Lysol will be fine i'm sure.

The nausea will definitely have been from the shock and worry about it all. Hope the noro dies down really soon! x

[AndiGirl]

Thank you. Teaching elementary grades is always risky. Even if one were to overcome the emtophobia, I don't that one can ever really overcome the aversion to v*.

[Andrilla]

Elementary schools are so gross. I work in one too. I'm not a teacher, I help out a kid in class who has some difficulties. (which means that unless he is the one sick, I don't have to deal with it!) Thankfully we are past the stomach bug (at least for the moment). It hit really bad right around Thanksgiving and hasn't been big since. I dreaded the announcements of "Custodian to the office" because you KNOW what that means. Just yesterday I about had a heart attack when one of the kids who has a lot of challenges walked over to the table I was eating lunch at, clutching his belly, and pitched forward like he is about to get sick. He told the woman who works with him that his stomach hurt and she rushed him to the nurse (ten minutes later he was fine, he just ate too fast or something)

Elementary schools are a test of how tough you are. Scary things are happening, but you aren't allowed to be scared, or do any of the things that usually calm you down. Instead, you have to put all of the focus on the kids, who then want to talk about every time that they, their sister, or this guy on the bus two years ago, threw up. (WHY do they want to talk about it so much?!) Anyone who works in an elementary school with this phobia is tough as nails!

By the way, what grade do you work with?

[AndiGirl]

I can so relate Andrilla! I think it's even grosser that my students want to look at it. It's like some kind of morbid curiosity. I'm the opposite. I try to avoid it at all costs.

[Andrilla]

When I was in elementary school, a lot of times kids would throw up in the trash can (the teachers wouldn't send them to the nurse if they said that their stomach hurt, they just put the trash can next to them and continued class. They could only go to the nurse AFTER they threw up). Whenever that happened, all of the "cool" kids would get up and use their hand held pencil sharpeners over the trash can. I have NO idea why. Kids just have such a strange view of vomit that, even without the phobia, I will NEVER understand.

2nd graders are adorable, but I'm more worried with younger kids compared to older ones. I work with 3rd graders, so there isn't really much of a difference, but I'd be worried working with kids who are younger than 3rd grade. Kids are so sweet though, and at that age adults are the most awesome people in the world.

[Rebecca85]

Not sure about what age your grades are, but I work with ages 4-7 in a school. I am getting a lot better with dealing with them when they are poorly. Like today, a little girl said she was going to be sick so the teacher sent her to the toilets and asked me to keep an eye on her, and I managed to stand in the doorway where I could see her (she never did actually v, I think she has anxiety about leaving her daddy rather than being ill- she was fine again 10 minutes later).

[Leo StarGazer]

You are very brave working in a school! My aunty is a school principal, and she's had a kid V* on her feet...it's bad enough when it's in the corridor >_<
Anyway, it's good that you managed to keep the bin. I would have replaced it without a doubt, not because of the fear of getting sick but just because the thought of V* being in my classroom...eww. I'm glad you are feeling ok though.

[AndiGirl]

Wow! I'm surprised at how many on this forum work with kids. I think it's terrific! Unfortunately puke and kids seems to go hand in hand. I think they are immature and still trying to understand their own bodies. I think that many of them would like to make it to the garbage can or toilet, but they underestimate or miscalculate their feelings. I am trying to overcome my fear, but even so, I don't think I will ever really get used to v*.

[hairyfairy]

I know where your`e all coming from, as I`m unemployed at the moment, & there are plenty of school cleaning jobs advertised at my local jobcentre, but I always think up some excuse to my adviser. I say that it`s too far away, or the wages are too low, anything but working in a junior school especially, as younger kids always seem to v in school all the time, & I`m not clearing up that for a living! There`s also my local hospital, which always seems to be hit really hard by noro every winter, there`s no way I`d take a job there, either!

[Rebecca85]

A school cleaning job would be fine. It is the caretakers or janitor's job to clean up v. Generally you would be expected to wipe down tables and hoover floors, after the kids have gone home or before they arrive in the morning.