Archive for June 2011
Unauthorised use.
Has anyone gotten hold of your phone lately?
Please tell me I’m not alone.
I miss the school nurse.
When I went to school
we had a school nurse.
I still remember her kind smile.
Heck, I still remember her name.
There was an area behind the kindergarten classrooms
that was full with bandaids and antiseptic,
little beds, with blankets
eye wash basins and cotton balls
and of course,
in the corner
was a box with spare undies and clothes,
in case you had an accident.
The sick bay.
Does your child’s school have one?
Ours doesn’t.
There is a lounge in the office where children can sit
but nothing more.
There is no such thing as a school nurse any more either
and
it seems
that the teachers and the office ladies
are very limited
if your child becomes unwell or hurts themselves at school
A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from the school
letting me know that Ivy looked flushed and was maybe a little warm
and
“could [I] please come and check her out”.
I did, of course
and I ended up taking her home ( I am very thankful that Ivy’s teachers are vigilant)
but when I arrived
I asked if anyone had taken her temperature.
They answered -
No,
they were not allowed to take temperatures.
In fact, they are not allowed to do many things.
They cannot remove staples or splinters from fingers
they can’t wash anything from eyes,
they cannot even place a band aid.
They can give the child an elastoplast but the child must put it on
and they cannot assess whether the child is unwell.
The parents are called to the school to make that decision.
This isn’t the first time I have encountered this (and sometimes I’ve been called to school, to find that the sick child is really okay)
but I am still stunned every time.
I mean, I guess I can understand why
and it is the parents’ job to look after their children
but when you give your child up to the teacher (and a school) for a large part of the day,
shouldn’t that be all encompassing?
Shouldn’t the school community look after the child wholly?
The teachers state it is not their responsibility.
The office staff say it would make them liable.
Has the world gone mad?
People are too afraid to put a plaster on a knee for fear of being sued.
When did we do away with the school nurse
and why?
Sometimes a child isn’t truly sick.
Sometimes a child may just need some TLC
or a little bit of time out
and the school nurse could provide that
and perform basic first aid
and make a judgement call if the child needed further medical attention.
That doesn’t happen any more.
I miss the school nurse.
Bring her back, I say.
Does your school have a nurse?
When tv can teach.
Ivy and Noah don’t really watch a lot of television.
Admittedly, we do have days of lounge dwelling and
sitting in front of the box when they are sick.
Generally, those two don’t need the telly -
they are entertainment enough for each other
but
A few weeks ago we were approached to review a new program that is airing on Foxtel
on the Junior Disney channel.
Called “Jake and the Neverland Pirates”,
it is based on the classic tale of Peter Pan and is aimed at the 2 – 7 year old set.
Not one to do many reviews,
I was intrigued by this cartoon,
that promoted teamwork,
friendship
and trying new things,
so I agreed.
The pair loved it straight up.
I don’t know if your kids are the same but
Ivy and Noah will often take time to warm to a program before they will sit and watch the whole thing
but they were both drawn in with “Jake”.
Especially the boy.
The cartoon delivered everything that it promised
but I was most impressed with the non violent nature of “Jake” (as Noah calls it).
Having three young males in the house and knowing that many cartoons, directed towards the boys
involve guns
and wars
and fighting (why is that, I wonder)
it was kind of refreshing to see something that appealed to Noah and Mal too
but didn’t leave them wanting to hit something.
In fact, Noah watched the two episodes several times over the week before we went away
and each time
I found he and Ivy playing with his pirates ( in case you didn’t know Noah LOVES pirates and in fact believes he is one much of the time).
The role playing was about friendship and helping one another -
and okay,
maybe a little bit of Ivy’s pirate wanting to start a family and Noah’s pirate looking all cornered and caged.
I’m all for television teaching children
but I was pleasantly surprised that “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” presented these qualities in a fun, colourful way
and it wasn’t pushing those either – it was more a gentle introduction, if you like.
The pirates came with us on the holiday,
although the DVD did not
and there have been many requests for it since our return.
I was happy, as a mum, to let them watch it.
How about you?
Do you have a favourite program that you think helps teach children? (My mum loved Sesame Street, when I was a child for this reason)
Do you think that TV can be a tool for learning, rather than just a baby sitter – I admit to using Nanny Samsung a few times, on the harder days
or do you see television differently?
When you’re fifteen.
I’ve got that Taylor Swift song buzzing around my head today.
Fifteen,
when did you sneak up on me?
My big twins are fifteen.
It feels kind of strange.
They’re fifteen.
It’s another ending,
another beginning.
They don’t seem like children any more
but they still have so much growing to do.
I hope they take their time.
Happy birthday to you, my girls.
May you always stay close.
May you always celebrate.
May your world always be as vibrant and as colourful as you are
and may you always find time for paint wars,
no matter how old you get.
