Diabetes in the Classroom

  Greetings Great Minds! As many of you know juvenile diabetes is near and dear to my heart. My son was diagnosed at 12 months old during my first year of teaching!  Well to my surprise this year our building has the pleasure of teaching and learning with 3 type 1 sugar babies.  Our school is even sweeter now! LOL! (type 1 humor) I had the school nurse and nervous teachers coming to me for knowledge and support on how to manage diabetes in the classroom.  Let me begin by giving you some background on diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes it is an autoimmune disease that happens by heredity or chance.  Simply put their body does not produce insulin or enough of it at least to break down food into energy.  We all need insulin,  your student receives his or her insulin via shots or an insulin pump (small device worn at all times).  In order to know how much insulin they need there are 2 factors that need to be considered, current blood sugar level, and carbohydrates being consumed.  This is where the blood sugar meter and carb counting comes in.  So here is what you need to know and what you can do as the teacher to make this school year a pleasant learning experience for ALL your students.

• Create a Partnership Between School, Home, and Medical Team

Make sure you have had the opportunity to sit down with the parents and discuss a plan for the student. This is where all expectations, and plans for care should be addressed. If possible the principal and school nurse should be present as well.  Have a copy of your class schedule so that you can identify and plan when blood sugar should be checked throughout the day.  Discuss what to do in the event of an emergency and make sure all contact info is up to date.  Review what supplies will be kept at school.  I recommend having supplies in the nurses office and a kit in the classroom.  Since diabetes can look different for everyone ask parents what are typical behaviors or indicators of a low blood sugar and a high blood sugar in their student. If you are comfortable get a demonstration on how to do a blood sugar check and administer insulin. Even if the nurse does this it would still be good to know in the event of an emergency and you are on a field trip.  Verify a common mode of communicating blood sugars such as through text messages, a log book or blue loop. I recommend Blue Loop it is a free online management tool for parents and schools to log in blood sugars and other medical information. It allows parents to receive notification of blood sugars via text message and easy access for medical staff.  You can sign up by clicking here.  Here are some great resources you can edit for teachers, nurses and school staff in general. Check them out here!

• Create a Caring and Supportive Classroom Environment 

Develop a level of trust with your type 1 student. Try to empower your student by making them feel welcomed. Set up a special spot for his or her medical supplies in the classroom and have a plan for when he or she needs to check their blood sugar in the classroom. Allow them to keep a water bottle at all times and freely use the bathroom as necessary. See how comfortable they are with their classmates knowing about their diabetes.  A children's book is the best way to introduce the topic. Here is list of some great books and more can be found on amazon. Why not make this a learning experience for everyone?  Resist asking questions like,  "Can you have that", or  "Are you high/low " the truth is their is NOTHING a type 1 can't have. Yes, they can eat whatever they like, they just need insulin to cover it.  Try using " How do you feel" or "Do you feel low/high" instead.  Keep in mind that they are students first and diabetics second. When planning class parties or bringing in treats for everyone, consider healthy choices or things that are low in carbohydrates. Don't bother with sugar free items because you need to be concerned with the carbs.  Some good treat ideas would be jello, fruit snacks, cheese sticks, peanut butter crackers, (remember peanut allergies) or just plain fruit.

Your "Teach Away" is remember to be an advocate for ALL your students no mater what that looks like and here's to a sweet year!