I'm a Future Teacher

[Murfreesboro]

The exhibit at the Frist was like that. It ended with a tomb mock-up.

IDK. I am not really turned on by ancient Egypt, although most people are. I know my husband finds that society very intriguing. I have never liked their stiff hieroglyphics and their weird mummies. I like the Greeks and Romans myself, and I find Biblical history interesting. Of course, the Bible does have some stories set in Egypt. But I am definitely a "Hebrews & Hellenes" kind of girl.

[MauEvig]

I like learning about all kinds of ancient cultures, but the Egyptians are definitely my favorite.

*sigh* I'm a little distressed right now. I'm worried about the fact that I have to get CPR/First Aid certified before I can even think about getting my Teaching License. I'm not good at hands-on medical care at all; I get grossed out really easily and I'm scared to come even remotely close to someone who's bleeding. I can't help but think if I was going to deal with resuscitating a victim or treating a wound, I would have gone for Nursing instead. The thought of giving rescue breaths makes me feel nauseated, especially when I found out that someone can throw up after being unconscious. Vomit makes me want to vomit in return. I get really grossed out over it. I can't even handle cleaning it while working for a restaurant or doing janitorial work. Somehow I have got used to cleaning cat puke, but human? Ugh!

I liked the idea of having a choice to get First-aid certified, that maybe it would increase my job chances. I don't like being told that I don't have a choice; and I figured since I'm not good at it, maybe I wouldn't really need to. Now I"m finding out I have to.

I'm scared because I really want to Teach, but at the same time, I don't think I can handle the responsibility of a life like that. This is one reason why I struggled being a CNA back when I was younger; and why I went for Medical Administrative Assistant work so I could deal with medical records, filing and billing. Handle the paper work, leave the hands on stuff for Nurses and Doctors. My anxiety really shot up in the air about all of this. Now I'm worried I won't make it because I know this is just something I'm not good at. Even Math is preferable to this.

Are my fears justifiable? I don't want to try and find another career choice, I've already made up my mind. But...this is going to be a difficult hurdle for me. I'm not sure I can do this.

[Andybev01]

The odds of you needing to put the training to use in real life are probably negligible.

In your entire time spent in class as a student, how many of your teachers performed cpr or dressed a wound or applied a tourniquet In front of you ?

first aid is a good thing to know and you will most likely never need to apply it.

[Murfreesboro]

I also think you can do this. I have never been required to take either course (college profs don't have to), but I did take a CPR class when my first child was an infant. I wanted to be able to revive him if he ever had an accident, which, happily, did not happen. Even back then--25 years ago--there was some kind of plastic thingy the EMTs could use to do CPR so they didn't have to come into direct contact with another person's mouth. The man who was training us had one, because he was leery of getting AIDS that way. I never bought the thing because I was interested only in using my knowledge for my own child.

Both my boys are Eagle Scouts and have had to earn the First Aid Merit Badge. This is also useful knowledge anyone might need to know. Surely you can do as much as an adolescent boy can do to help out an injured person.

I know you say you have no plans to become a mother, but I can guarantee you that if you were, you would get over your aversion to human fluids pretty quickly. Mothers are de facto nurses. No girl was ever more bookish or less interested in nursing than I was, but life experience has gotten me past all that. I think it is a good thing. It is part of growing up.

ETA: It might comfort you to know that people who are grossed out at the sight of blood can make the very best doctors and nurses. They say that such people, who are unusually sensitive, cam get over their extreme sensitivity, but when they do, they have more compassion for their patients than the rest of us do.

[MauEvig]

I don't know about the parenting thing Murf. I'm almost 30 and I'm not ready for that. I don't think I"ll ever be. Even if per chance, I am ready one day by then my biological clock is going to make the decision for me. I could always adopt if I change my mind, but right now while I like children and think they're fun, I don't think being a parent is something I really want to do at this point in time. Not to mention the idea of pregnancy and babies is something I'm absolutely terrified of! I don't mention it a whole lot on here but that's another thing I'm afraid of. As soon as I see a baby I want to turn tail and run in the other direction. Pregnancy bumps, same thing. Once children are a certain age I'm fine with them though. Usually by the time they start to walk, talk and are potty trained, I'm perfectly fine with them. I hope you all don't hold that against me though, it's really a genuine fear I have. I have anxiety and there are a few things that trigger it. Put on a good horror movie and I'm fine. Talk about ghosts and stuff, I get that nice eerie chill in my spine, but I embrace it and have fun with it. Have an infant in the room and my fight/flight response is triggered and I attempt to flee if possible. Same thing if there's a medical emergency.

The idea of teaching and enriching young minds on the other hand, is something I'd love to do. I like to think of the age group I want to teach as the more "fun" age, where they're still curious about the world, but willing to try on their "grown up suit" if you will. At least, that's how they put it during my observations. I will say the observations went great and I enjoyed working with the teacher, who gave me a hug and even hinted at me doing my student teaching there. I'd love to!

I think parents probably should learn first aide and CPR. I'm just a little hesitant about it. Andy's probably right though. The likelihood of me ever needing it is pretty slim. But if there's a slim chance of me needing it, I don't understand why I would need it anyway. There are school nurses who could do the job better than I ever could. Cleaning up vomit and feces after my cats isn't as big of a deal, but I wonder why dealing with human beings is? I never thought the ones who are really repulsed and grossed out by blood and vomit would make the best Doctor's and Nurses. I would have thought they'd be terrible for the job compared to those who shrug it off like it's nothing. But then again, a lot of them are also parents. I'm not. Maybe that's part of the reason right there. I'm finding out how hard it is just taking care of cats. Granted I love my cats, that's why I do it.

[Kolchak]

First thing Mau. Don't worry! Be Happy!

I am a first responder and basic EMT. Have been for eons. So here's the good news. Nobody can make you give CPR if you don't want to. That is choice that you and you alone make. You can't be held liable and you can't be fired as a teacher if you refuse for any reason not to render CPR.

Second thing. More good news. If you learn CPR and perform it, you are protected under the "Good Samaritan" clause. Police, fire, teachers, ANYONE in a public safety position who is a certified First Aid-First Responder is immune from any type of prosecution should the patient not survive. You did your best and that is all you can do.

Now for the third and most important thing. You no longer must give mouth to mouth. In fact it has been removed from Red Cross training and certification courses which is what all police/fire/rescue are taught.

Instead you now just do chest compressions. You can if you want, still give mouth to mouth, but it is no longer stated as required procedure. In any case, they have masks you can put over a victims mouth that protects you from being contaminated. These masks are found in emergency medical kits in most schools and public buildings.

In the past you started with a couple of breaths into the victim and then began chest compressions and continued for a specified time depending on age and size of victim. Now you skip the breaths unless you want and just go to chest compressions.

If any of this bothers you and you don't feel comfortable doing it, then DON'T!

It's that simple.

You can help in other ways by calling 911 or showing the EMT's and fire/rescue where to go when they arrive on scene. Sometimes showing the EMT's where the victim is, is the most important thing. The EMT's are only given a general idea where and what is going on from the dispatcher. If you're there and can show them where the emergency is and can add important information IF you know it. Important information consists of age, weight, general health concerns, if the victim is on any medication or is allergic to any medication. These are very important questions that need to be answered by someone if the victim is unable to speak because they are unconscious and not responsive.

[MauEvig]

While I'm not happy about it, I thought about it and realized that being CPR/First Aid Certified will open more doors for me in today's job market, so even if I don't get a Teaching job immediately, it'll still look good on a resume.

You are correct Kolchak, what I've been told is that it's actually 200 compressions to every breath where it was 30 compressions to a breath. Problem is, I'm not very good at giving CPR. It might take me several tries before I get it right, and if you have to actually pay to get certified and licensed, that's a lot of money that could potentially go down the tubes. Personally I'd rather focus my efforts on being a good teacher and being supportive to my students.

But you are right, there are the good Samaritan laws, they vary by state I am sure. At the very least I'd call 911 and probably perform the compressions. My First Aid/CPR instructor in college (I did sign up for it, but I didn't realize it was mandatory. I thought it was supposed to just be a suggestion and did so reluctantly) has stated that if nothing else, do the compressions. It'll help circulate oxygen in the blood and keep someone alive long enough before the EMTs arrive. If Mouth to Mouth was necessary, I'd definitely use the mask.

The other thing for me is blood. If a student gets injured, I'd probably very likely tell them to go straight to the Nurse's office and let them handle it. But then again, I could probably keep a First-Aid kit on hand in the classroom, but I'd rather let the Nurse handle that stuff. I think it's unlikely I'll run into a life or death situation with students in a classroom setting. It's not like I'm a Foot ball coach, Teaching Gym class or a Life Guard.

[Kolchak]

I left out the most important part.

Stay CALM.

Keep your WITS.

You need to keep your head on straight, when everybody else is losing theirs. Nowhere is this more important than it is in the classroom. As the teacher, it is you who are looked at as the boss, the authority figure, the person in charge. Going to pieces or losing your composure does nothing to help the situation.

You're already going to have a lot of scared kids. They need to be able to look up to you and see that you're strong and you're going to take of the problem no matter what that problem is. The parents will also expect it of you. If the parents feel they can't trust you, then they're not going to want you teaching and being in charge of their kids.

Have faith in yourself and know no matter what you run up against, you can handle it.

[MauEvig]

You're right and I'm certainly not going to let this challenge stop me from getting my teaching license. But I do place a pretty big emphasis on the word challenge, because for me that's exactly what it will be.

Staying calm, well easier said than done; but when the well being of 15-30 students is at stake I know I have a responsibility as a leader. I've heard it said once that bravery is not the absence of fear, but choosing to act in spite of being afraid. I hope a situation like this never happens, but maybe this is something I should learn to overcome.

[MauEvig]

Well the jokes on me apparently. I thought there was something more I had to do to get CPR certified. Turns out the class I am already taking will do the trick according to the professor.
I have to re-do the CPR test though but I suppose practice makes perfect. I wasn't too good at it and I noticed it hurt my wrists, so I'm going to try it and see if wearing wrist bands will help me in that department. I think I might have carpal tunnel but I'm not sure. I just know that using my wrists for extended periods of time or putting pressure on them hurts. Yet I can lift 50 pounds of cat litter on my shoulders and be just fine.
But I will notice that I think my perspective has changed somewhat on the subject and I've received a lot of encouragement. When I was feeling down about it my boyfriend encouraged me, and so did my friends and family. You guys did as well. I also noticed that I think I will react instinctively. When the neighbor's kids were playing outside, the older one pushed down poor the younger one. (Kids will be kids, though the father taught the older one a lesson afterwards!) When the younger one sat down near me, I noticed he was tenderizing his little knee. He's only 3 going on 4 and very sensitive at that age I noticed. I actually checked to make sure he wasn't bleeding. If he was, I would have rushed in the house and grabbed a band-aide and treat his wound. He seemed ok though. A big difference between the time when he dropped a plate on his toe and it ruptured a blood vessel. At the time the neighbors only had one car and the Mom had it and was off at work. So I rushed the father and two kids to the ER to make sure the little boy didn't break his toe.
So maybe you're right. I had bad experiences working in a nursing home but I shouldn't let that effect me for the rest of my life. I might even save a life one day. A lady also fell down when we went to the maple festival and knocked over another lady who hit her head bad and it was bleeding. I asked if they wanted me to call 9-11 and I was a little timid at the time. It's a little easier I think when it's someone you knew but this was a complete stranger. I will say one thing though with Middle School kids I think it's probably more likely I'll be dealing with nose bleeds than giving CPR. It looks like the best thing to do is to have the child pinch their nose and lean out toward the desk and use a napkin to hold over the nose. Something like that I could probably have them go to the nurse for as well.

On another note, next Semester looks to be nice. All night and online classes which means I should have an easier time scheduling to work. I'm especially looking forward to a particular class; I'm finally taking one on Children's Literature! I'm so excited for this. I already have the book which is funny enough because someone left free books by the library and one of them was a children's lit book. Apparently they've used the same book for several years and haven't changed it. I just hope they don't decide to change it on me this upcoming semester. Apparently it was an old book and I was surprised JK Rowling wasn't in it. But I think Diana Wynne Jones is. And Murf if you haven't read her, and if you like Fantasy Literature like I do, I highly recommend her works. She's very creative and imaginative. I especially liked her Chrestomanci series where "magic" is described as being as common as "music" is in our world. Lately for me I just need to sit down and read, read, read. Especially since aside from working on getting a teaching degree, I'm also working on a book.

[Murfreesboro]

So glad to hear you are feeling more confident about this aspect of your work! I am sure you will do the right thing in a crisis. It sounds like you already have.

I will have to look up Diana Wynne Jones. I am not familiar with her work, but I have always loved children's lit, especially books written for the middle school age group. I think the best writing happening today may be aimed at that age group.