BTW: I am glad so many readers seem to have enjoyed the post following this one.

If I knew where this photo originated, I’d give credit.

I can’t even guess how many times I have looked at rosy-cheeked kids in a classroom, put my hand on their foreheads and thought or even said, “Whoaa!” I’d promptly send those kids to the nurse, but by that time much of a morning or day might have gone by. If a kid sits quietly and the only obvious sign of the flu is rosy cheeks, possibly attributable to gym, teachers can miss the tell-tale signs.

Now I do support sending some “sick” kids to school. If we let all of the “I”m just not feeling very good” crowd stay home, a small, but persistent, group of kids would miss weeks of instruction while playing on their PlayStations. After a few days of “just not feeling well,” a kid should be at the doctor’s office or at school.

But real symptoms? Those kids should be kept home from school. I am home sick today and should be, although I wanted to go to a potluck this weekend. While I was making up my mind, though, the thought of an old man who appears to suffer from severe emphysema or another form of COPD came to mind. I’ve never intruded so far as to ask his medical history, but I know he struggles to breathe. He often goes to potlucks. I stayed home.

That bit on the bottom of the cartoon about the medically fragile? We have many fragile students. A few years ago, one boy in our hallways had to drag an oxygen tank with him everywhere. Students may have compromised immune systems or weak hearts. Inhalers are common. These kids need to be protected from communicable illnesses.

Eduhonesty: I fully understand that keeping kids home can be challenging. Many service workers lose wages if they stay home and risk getting in trouble at work for missing shifts. Those workers frequently don’t get paid for work they miss. (That’s one reason why so many of us get sick during this season, I believe. That rosy-cheeked girl at the McDonald’s drive thru or the drycleaners? She may be popping Advil and the odds are that she would love to be in bed, but she has to pay for Christmas somehow.) Communicable, sick kids should not be in school.

I recommend preventative strikes. If Danny seems to be getting sick, you might call home to tell his mom to watch him, and then remind her that feverish kids will be sent home from school. If Maria has been complaining about her ear, contacting mom to suggest a possible doctor appointment can save time and misery for Maria and others. When you are stuck for the day with that sick student who has no fever, I’d put the hand sanitizer near that kid and encourage good hygiene. Depending on the weather and situation, I also recommend opening the windows if you can do so without freezing your classroom.

P.S. For parents, I should add that some of the happiest days in a kid’s childhood may be sick days. Laying on the couch, watching TV with mom or dad, and eating cookies while some adult takes your temperature every so often and makes you special cocoa to go with your soup … days like that create lifetime memories of love.