Swine Flu

It's official; two children have caught it at my school, so far. There are also dozens of absences today, partially because of a large number of sick kids and partially, I think, because of freaked-out parents.

There's a law in Korea that if a school has 5 or more confirmed cases of H1N1, it must close for a week (AKA an unscheduled week-long paid vacation for yours truly). I don't know if this is some kind of moral deficiency, but a significant portion of my soul wants three small children to contract a potentially deadly illness so I can have a vacation. A kinder phrasing might be that I want the school to close for everyone's safety! :P

Additionally, I've taken my own personal precautions against the virus. First, I've been including in my classes basic hygiene pointers (eg. "Stop putting all your school supplies in your mouth," "Don't sneeze into your hands then touch everything and everyone around you," and so forth). Second, I've placed a moratorium on high-fives. That was tough, as high-fiving the foreign teachers is pretty much a set-in-stone tradition in Korea. Third, I'm just generally keeping my hands spotless and the rest of me at a certain comfortable distance from the kids.

Comments

Unknown said…
i'll send an anthrax laced envelope if you think that might help with some unscheduled vacation time.
4:14 PM
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