Recently, I have found myself worrying about two of my 8th
grade boys more than any other students. It’s probably because both of
their mothers called me last week to share medical news – medical news that
brought both to tears.
My first student has always been the heaviest child in
school. At age 13 he weighs 170 pounds. Last week he was diagnosed with
diabetes and hospitalized with respiratory problems. His mom
is terrified that she is going to lose him.
My second student was diagnosed with ADHD two years ago.
Last week, he was also diagnosed with lead poisoning. It turns out that his
learning disabilities and hyperactivity are both likely the result of
lead dust exposure while his mother was still pregnant. Now wracked with guilt,
his mother is worried that her younger children might have also been exposed.
In these situations, what do we teachers do – especially us
young teachers? What can we possibly say or do?
What would you do for these boys? For these families?
So far I’m just trying to play the role of teacher. I
listen, I’m there for them, and I’m learning as much as possible about their
issues so that I can share it with them.
Some of what I’ve learned, I will also share with you:
---Johns Hopkins has a Diabetes Center in Baltimore.
---This Center has a dedicated Children’s Center just for the
treatment and study of childhood obesity.
---Most Baltimore homes built before 1950 contain lead paint.
---At least 50% of Baltimore’s homes probably contain lead
paint.
---It does not take very much lead dust to cause harm to a
child.
---The amount of lead dust in a sugar packet is enough to
contaminate several family homes.
---Lead poisoning can cause: learning disabilities, severe brain damage, memory loss, stunted growth, and more.
1 comment:
I think that Kevin brings up a great point. Often times our students have so many things working against them in the classroom present-day, that we lose sight of the importance of their past and problems that may be affecting their performance present-day. For instance, lead poisoning affects so many of our students, yet (as teachers) there is so little we can do about it. We can scaffold, differentiate, and gradually release, but the students still have learning disabilities and attention deficits that impact their achievement in school.
As the weathers gets warmer (and because most our classrooms don't have air conditioning), I worry for the students with pollen allergies and asthma. Another health-related service is:
http://baltimorehealth.org/asthma.html#services
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