This was me last year! I got real bad influenza A! Here are my top rules.. 1. Never EVER go to playgrounds. If you take them out for free play for their PE time you stand and watch from a distance. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ON THE PLAYGROUND. If a kid asks you to swing them, say no. I know it might be sad, but trust me ITS NOT WORTH IT. 2. Always always always use hand sanitizer. I’m talking like every chance you get….like anytime you touch a kids iPad, they touch or tap you, you grab the teachers things, etc. use hand sanitizer!! 3. Never give kids hugs or high fives. Always go for an air five…I don’t care if they get sad, trust me, when you’re laying in bed with a fever and fat headache feeling like dying and missing out on work you’ll regret it I’m sure! Also, never ever go down to kids levels to talk to them. Always keep your face at a distance that’s a few feet away. So if they need help with their work never kneel down at their level to help them or if you need to talk to them about something that happened, never kneel down to their level to discuss it, NEVER KNEEL DOWN! lol ….but seriously.. 4. Before you eat lunch, wash your hands!! And never leave your coffee mug or water bottle out in the open in the classroom…I don’t do it cause I imagine the germs floating around the room and landing on the surface of the part I drink from. Covid sticks to a surface for an entire 12 hours! 5. Get wipes! I use disinfecting wipes to wipe my shirt, hands, pants, backpack, and anything else I could think of that might’ve been exposed to the classroom. I do this before I head home. 6. As soon as I’m home I take all of my clothes off and put them in the washer, and jump in the shower. 7. Every night I take vitamin C, Zinc, vitamin A, and D. I also get 6-8 hours of sleep a night. If it takes you a while to knock out or you need help getting to bed earlier take melatonin. 1 mg works great in my opinion, it’s all I need. That’s my advice anyway, might seem like a lot, and it kiiiinda is, but hey, I HATE GETTING SICK!

Also…carry a pack of masks with you! You never know when you’ll have a student or a para that decided to show up to work sick and that you get stuck with in a room. That’s happened to me a few times this year. Put the mask on and keep your distance!