With the start of the new school year, teachers have countless things to attend to. Good teachers are equipped with an arsenal of tools and strategies for dealing with common classroom challenges, yet one challenge that many teachers– especially new teachers– overlook is how to stay healthy in a notoriously germ-filled environment.
From preschool, to elementary school, and all the way through high school, schools are breeding grounds for various communicable illnesses, from pink eye and the sniffles, to more debilitating ailments like step throat and the flu. All of the best lesson plans and classroom management strategies are useless if you’re too sick to show up for school. Below are some of the top recommendations of things teachers can do to avoid getting sick:
- Wash your hands. Sounds simple enough, but quickly running your hands under the faucet with a squirt of soap isn’t enough. Thorough hand washing involves wetting your hands, lathering generously with soap, and rubbing them together vigorously for at least 15 seconds (tip: sing the “ABCs” song in your head). Use a clean towel to turn off the water, then dry them with a disposable towel or automatic hand dryer. Depending on the age group you teach, encourage or require students to thoroughly and frequently wash their hands as well.
- When you can’t wash your hands with soap and water, use hand sanitizers such as Purel.
- Don’t touch your face. It’s harder than it sounds, but it’s one of the best ways to avoid getting sick.
- Use Clorox wipes (or similar disinfecting wipes) to wipe down surfaces in your classroom such as keyboards, your desk, door knobs, etc.
- Get a flu shot.
- Try taking multi-vitamin/mineral supplements such as Airborne (created by a teacher for this very purpose), Emergen-C, and Zicam. Vitamin C (the primary in ingredient in the aforementioned supplements), zinc, and echinacea are highly recommended by many veteran teachers. An all-in-one multi-vitamin may also be helpful.
- Drink lots of water– but never from the water fountain! Keep a reusable water bottle at your desk– never share it! Refill it with water from the cooler in the faculty lounge or tap water (let the water run for a few seconds first).
- Diet matters. Make healthy choices. Avoid salad bars/hot food bars and the school cafeteria when possible.
- Exercise matter, too. Try to get moderate exercise on a regular basis.
- Get plenty of sleep. Although not always possible, try to make a good night’s sleep a priority. Not only does sleep help you avoid getting sick, it also helps with your mood and energy level, which improve instruction.
Got any tips of your own to add? Submit a comment, below.
