It’s that time of year when you feel like the plague has descended upon your school. You’re writing something on the board and all of a sudden all you can hear are hacking coughs, noses blowing, and kids with sore throats. All you can think is I love my students but please for the love of God stay far away from me and don’t get me sick! After more than a decade in the classroom, I’ve learned the hard way that you have to take certain precautions to keep yourself healthy during flu season. Read on to find out my tried-and-true best tips.
- Keep the tissues far away from you. In my classroom I actually keep the box of tissues on the windowsill as opposed to on my desk so that it’s easily accessible for my students but they don’t come near me or put their hands on my desk. Keeping those germs as far away from you as possible is step one.
- I have a bottle of antibacterial soap available in the classroom. I also keep this on the windowsill far away from my desk.
- Take vitamin C. I keep a few packets of Emergen-C in my desk drawer for those days when I start feeling that tickle in my throat. I also have a bag of vitamin C drops to keep my throat moist.
- For the love of God do not touch your face! With all of the papers being passed back, shared markers being touched, and buttons on the photocopier, your hands are major source of germs. Do your best not to touch your face, rub your nose or eyes, or lean your chin on your hand as your grading. You do not want those germs anywhere near your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Get plenty of sleep. I know that this is easier said than done with the 16451 items that we teachers have to get done in a given day. But getting the correct amount of sleep is so important to maintaining your immune system. I like to set an alarm for 9 p.m. just to remind myself that it’s bedtime and I need to stop whatever it is that I’m doing.
- Open the windows at least once a day. I am a big believer that getting some fresh air into your classroom helps to eliminate germs. I know that this can be tough when it’s cold out, where I live sometimes it gets to be -40. I tend to open the windows during lunch when there are no students in the room so that it’s not negatively impacting them.
- Clorox wipes. I have a container of these handy in my classroom and asked the students to pass them around and wipe down their desks. As long as the wipe is still wet, it will work so one wipe will clean several desks and students can share the wipes.
Please remember to take care of yourself this flu season. I hope that these tips will come in handy and will help you to ward off any yucky germs. If you have any other secrets or tips that you use to stay healthy, please comment below! I’m looking forward to hearing from you and all of your great advice.
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