H1N1
Has anyone addressed how they might address the impact of flu on the classroom. In particular, the need to provide additional time with people who are absent from class because of illness.
Hi Christopher,
Good strategy. Anything we can do to reduce the opportunity to catch H1N1 needs to be done. I just wish I had invented the hand sanitizer. If I had I would be living on my own island where I would worry about H1N1.
Gary
I make sure my students use the hand sanitizer before going to their desk each day. Also passing around alcohol swabs at the beginning of class.
Hi Nancy
Thank you for the guidelines for the H1N1. This is a huge concern for instructors. When I am teaching on-ground, I have learners in the class with colds and the flu. These learners refuse to stay home. I had to discuss this issue with the administration.
Sandy
Hi Melissa,
This is one of the fun parts about teaching. We get to listen to some really creative excuses that the students think we can't of hear before. Last week one of my students sent me an email that the dentist that filled his tooth overdosed him with anesthetic to the point that he was unable to drive from his home to campus for an entire week. The dentist went so far as to call the highway patrol and notify them that this student was not able to drive due to the excessive amount of anesthetic that was administered. He wanted to come but the highway patrol was looking for him so he couldn't be on the road. I hope this makes you smile because it sure did me. If you are going to make up a lie make it half way believeable. Will look forward to talking with the student next week and finding out if the highway patrol cleared him to drive once again. As a side note his name was listed in the paper as having been arrested for DWI but I am assuming the two incidents are not related.
I love teaching if nothing more than the laughs it provides me.
Gary
I don't waste my time trying to figure out if an absence excuse is legitimate or not. H1N1 aside, there are plenty of "good" reasons to miss class (e.g. funeral, illness of a loved one, inability to get off of work). Isolated incidents are not problematic, but when a student claims to deal with a new tragedy every week, it becomes clear that in most cases the real problem is that school is not high on the priority list.
Hi Nancy,
Good point. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Gary
Gary and David,
Gary is correct about those students that use H1N1 as an excuse. There is an interesting issue here though: during the pandemic we are all encouraged to stay home if we are symptomatic, and we want to encourage that, but offer alternative methods of staying up with work. Since there are accurate and rapid detection tests for H1N1 I'd encourage students to get a diagnosis, or as Gary says, get a note that they were at least symptomatic. Perhaps we should all make that clear now to all students so they anticipate that expectation.
Nancy
Hi David,
You really can't. We have to report all absences to the main office and I let them do any follow up on the students. I have found that I can anticipate those students that will have the flu often during a phase. The H1N1 is just an excuse for these students to be absent even more. My focused students, even though they don't have to, always bring me a Drs note because they want me to know for sure they were sick. They are the ones that are going to do well in their careers and the others are going to fail or do poorly all through life and they can't figure out why.
Gary
Grant it, the flu is effecting many of us in various ways. My question is how do you tell if the student is being honest about the flu or using it as an excuse in terms of class absence particularly on a day of test?
I think the hyperbole about the H1N1 is a false "red herring" and think the students should take the same safeguards as any fall / winter season - frequent hand washing - use saltwater to gargle and as a nose spray - keep fingers away from orafices. I use Lysol spray each day on the computer, desk area and I use the paper towel I dry my hands with in the bathroom to open the bathroom door when I leave. I encourage the students to use antibacterial gel and wash their hands (I often quote a Cambridge University study of germs tested on 1700 students showing over 3000 various strands of bacteria and virus on their hands with the left hand and the right hand having different strands independent of the other - all eyes are forward and they all listen).
Online access to missed instruction is important, and faculty should be planning for this!
In addition:
As soon as vaccines are available: all students and faculty who can be vaccinated, should be. Students and faculty should attempt to have all close contacts such as family vaccinated.
Meanwhile, all should follow public health and CDC guidelines for preventing exposure and transmission of respiratory diseases. Go to www.flu.gov, or www.cdc.gov for more information.
Hi Robert,
A number of career colleges have already created polices of how they are going to handle assignments and attendance in relation the H1N1 epidemic. You might want to check with your college on this. Most of the colleges are moving as much as is possible to online communication for students that become ill.
Gary
