Lamenting the Loss of the School Nurse

On the whole, we are very happy with our schools here. The teachers seem happy and dedicated, the principals are approachable and invested, and the facilities are adequate. One thing we are lacking, however, is a school nurse. My girls have really gotten to know our previous school nurses. From bumps to tummy aches to the unexplainable "just not feeling good", the school nurse was there to give a cuddle, a band aid or a pep talk. It seems school nurses don't just mend the body, but they also are there to lift the spirits - which is a great thing when certain troubles or anxieties are expressed through physical woes.

It must be hard on the administrators as well, to have in addition to their duties of school-running, to also have to put on their proverbial nursing caps. When another recently arrived mom asked a teacher who it is that checks the kids for lice, the teacher responded, "Oh, the principal is really fast at it."

There is a little couch in the school office for a child to lay down when not feeling well. I know this because I have already gone to pick up 2 of my kids on 2 different occasions just last week. A tummy ache and a rogue ball to the head. I missed having the nurse there for them, making them laugh and giving me advice and well wishes. Hopefully my girls won't be making trips to the" sick couch" a habit - but it would be nice to have a nurse there to help them through if they did.