So by now school is very much underway. Kinks should be worked out and everything is going as smooth as glass……right? We can only hope.
I saw a mom asking for advice on an issue that happened in school and one response stated that she should ‘march right down’ to the school and demand to be heard.
Maybe.
It’s very easy to tell someone that some serious kicking of butt is in order when one is not in the wake of living in that situation moving forward. How serious was the issue and how does it compare to the famous(infamous) story of the pump and the cell phone. Know that one?
Well it turns out that years ago (2005 I believe) a substitute teacher at a school heard a beeping from a child’s insulin pump and told the student that cell phones were not allowed in school. When the disbelieving school official was told it was not a phone, he continued to reach to the child’s belt and ‘ripped’ the insulin pump off the child. Talk about a story that defined horror.
Even though the story happened years ago, it still makes us cringe, doesn’t it? It should.
I share that horrendous story because THAT has always been my barometer for ‘marching anywhere’ when it comes to diabetes at school when I THINK that something wrong had occurred. When my first reaction is to ‘go crazy’, thinking of this story always reminded me to ‘pull it back’. Ask yourself, “How bad is the issue…..really?”
To be clear. When things occur, they should be corrected and there are certainly different levels of frustration when they do occur. But you have a long, long time to be in a relationship at school and friction plus friction will always equal heat. Heated discussions are no good for anyone.
Again, issues will arise and they need the proper attention but the attention you give can be just as much firm AND respectful as anything else. We forget that school officials are people with issues just like us. This does not excuse ANYthing, but rather, just something to remember.
And if they have not ‘ripped your child’s insulin pump off’—-perhaps the issue can be resolved in a discussion. May not be such a bad thought to consider when dealing with any mistake someone makes with your child’s diabetes. We have enough to make our blood pressure rise with the mistakes we make ourselves.
Food for thought.
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2 replies on “Not a Cell Phone…..Pump Ripped Off Child at School……Remember That???”
I remember once, my daughter starting a new school year with a new head of school. I had become so comfortable with the old staff that i had probably become complacent, assuming our old plan of action would still work. Not long into the year a police officer walked into my work, asking for me by name. As a parent my worst fears were in my throat, as he says he is there in regards to my daughter. Had she slipped into a coma? ….or worse?
Croaking the words out I asked him what was wrong.
‘The school contacted us, you were unreachable’ (i was just wrapping up a meeting)’…your daughter’s site came out and the staff didnt know what to do’
At that point i was so relieved, I laughed out loud at what I felt was an absurd situation. The police officer was not impressed and stressed this was a serious matter. He stood there as i called the school, ten minutes before the end of day bell and said ,’just send her home….she knows what to do.’
At first I wanted to yell and berate them for panicking to the point where my daughter couldnt even say she knew what to do. In the end, i realised it all came down to communication….for everyone. Between myself and the staff, the senior staff and teachers and between me, my daughter and her teachers.
I guess the point of my rant…in mostly any situation …talk talk talk….before we freak out.
We think it’s old hat but I have to remind myself, before I had a daughter with type 1….I was clueless too!
What an incredible story and I thank you for sharing. An incredible point how we were clueless……it took years to get where we are and so many forget that point. THANK YOU so much for sharing this…..it is wonderful!!!!!