Beware of the dreaded time of year: flu season. With limited sick days, it’s crucial for us to avoid the flu in special education classrooms. Just this year (2020), some area\u00a0schools have closed<\/a> due to a large amount of cases of flu. According to the CDC<\/a>, 68 children have died from this year’s flu. As special education teachers, we often work with kids who have weakened immune systems, so staying flu free is of extra importance for us. So how can we protect ourselves and students from the flu?<\/p>\n

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Get Your Flu Shot<\/h2>\n

It’s not too late to get a flu shot. I took my stepson (with his dad) to get his shot just two weeks ago. The flu shot is the best defense against the flu. According to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, “the flu vaccine is about 50% to 60% effective for healthy adults who are between 18 and 64 years old.” Wait? Only 50 to 60 percent? That’s true, but it’s still the most effective defense we have.<\/p>\n

Last year, I got the flu from a student even though I already had my flu shot. The flu shot helps your symptoms become more mild than they would have been if you didn’t have the vaccine. In fact, the doctor thought I looked too healthy for flu, but my test came back positive. I had a different strain than the one the vaccine protected against that year. Did I get my flu shot this year even though I still got the flu last year? Absolutely, I did. This year, I got my flu shot from Walgreens. There was a short wait, but it wasn’t bad, and totally worth it.<\/p>\n

Wash Your Hands to Avoid Flu<\/h2>\n

Wash your hands with soap<\/a> (affiliate link) and water. Make sure your students do the same. If your students are working on learning how to effectively wash their hands, teach them how with with my resource, We Can Practice Hygiene. <\/a>The resource has visuals for students to practice each step. Washing your hands thoroughly is better than using hand sanitizer<\/a> (affiliate link), but having some handy is a good backup. If you don’t have hand washing times built into your class schedule, implement it now. Some good times to wash hands would be right away when coming into the classroom, before lunch or any snacks, after sneezing or coughing, and of course after using the restroom.
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