Bacteria Breeding Grounds...

For the last two days my oldest daughter has been complaning of a sore throat, it was only a minor sore throat, until yesterday. She came home from school and complained that her throat hurt "really bad" and then went on to tell me that there were only 4 (other than her) students in her class yesterday because the rest were out sick! She normally has 17 kids in her class!!!

Why is that people always say "kids get sick", "it happens when they are in school", or the one I love the most "it'll build up their immune system". Yea right! It's destroying their immune systems!

For the first five years of my daughter's young life, she got a cold, maybe once a year...the sniffles, a little cough, you know just a regular old cold! But since she started school a year and a half ago, she has been sick repeatedly...I'm talking 6-10 times last year in Kindergarten and about 5 times since September of this year!

Why is this happening? Are these "custodians" not doing their jobs properly or is it something else? Perhaps the "institutionalization" (is that even a word?) isn't working quite as well as the government seems to think it is! Or maybe just maybe the problem lies with the parent's who send their kids to school sick! Countless times I've visted my daughter's school and have seen children with runny noses, coughing all over everyone, sneezing, etc and do I see the teacher's telling them wash your hands? NO! And God forbid they say God Bless You...oh no, now they say "excuse you"! I'm sorry did he just burp or sneeze? Maybe I'm going deaf, but I sure thought he sneezed!

I think the problem lies with each of those examples! The custodians are NOT doing their jobs properly, why should they? They have a lounge with couches and a tv where they can sit and chit chat all day instead of cleaning up the sink in the bathroom's that 2,000 people use every day.

The institutional program isn't working!!! But it doesn't really matter, I mean the state and federal gov't are getting their money anyway, right...They had no problem cashing my school tax check in September. Let's do a study and put 2,000 people into a small building with no ventilation, oh and let's just throw in one sick person and see how many are lucky enough to come out without catching it! The grand prize is....you get to catch the cold next time!

The parent's are what really make me mad! If your kid is sick...KEEP HIM/HER HOME!!! My kid doesn't need it or want it!! I don't care how broke you are or that you just can't afford to take the day off of work, it's really not my problem. It becomes my problem though, when my daughter comes home sick because you sent your son to school with snot running down his face.

And last but definately not the least of the problem...the teachers. While I don't doubt there are a few (emphasis on the few) teachers left out there that truly care about these kids. Most don't! They are there for a paycheck and nothing but a paycheck, unless maybe you count the paid vacation time, including a 10 month work year, snow days, great health insurance and oh, by the way, the paid personal days and paid sick days! Makes you want to run out and become a teacher, right...most jobs just don't offer those benefits! So, don't waste your time thinking she's going to ask him to wash his hands after he sneezes, it doesn't really matter whether or not the whole class is sick, she's still getting paid!

School's around America have become bacteria breeding grounds and the examples I've shown you above are exactly why!