On the eve of the last day of school for my children, I am amazed at how fast this school year flew by. Yes, my children are still very young and have many more years of schooling ahead of them, but it is still bittersweet when we say good bye to their favorite teachers. My children have been blessed with some of the most caring and amazing teachers and staff, and for that I am truly grateful.
I always like to reflect on the school year to remember all that was accomplished, as well as what could have been done differently. John’s first grade year was a memorable one, and in the world of food allergies, it had its share of hits and misses:
Greatest Hits:
1. John ate safely and without incident in the lunchroom the entire year.
2. John was able to order some of his favorite foods in the cafeteria line, and felt for the first time, totally included.
3. John went on all his field trips without incident, including some that weren’t close to home.
4. John played all his sports, and enjoyed all his post game snacks without incident. He only suffered one asthma attack during that time.
5. John went to sports excursions and other birthday celebrations with friends, and had a great time without worrying too much about his allergies. He was perfectly happy with a bag of Skittles as his special treat.
For the most part, John felt like your typical first grader, not an easy feat as a kid with severe food allergies. It made me happy to see him so happy. I treasure our little victories when John can experience the wonder of childhood without feeling the weight of his allergies all the time.
And the Misses:
1. The Birthday Treat/Non Food Policy: Who knew it would be this hard? We’re not discussing Global Peace here, but it sure feels like it.
2. The Incident: The potential reaction at my son’s first grade Spanish market could have been life threatening. Thankfully, it wasn’t.
3. Food Allergy Teasing: I’ve heard of it happening to other kids, but this year John was one of those kids. To his credit, he’s pretty tough and handled the situation well.
4. Reaction at School: This just happened yesterday…a last minute decision to move our first grade class picnic inside instead of the tradtional location of a nearby park, John ended up having a reaction(albeit minor with just hives and a splotchy face). The room was cramped with parents, students and siblings, and apparently some kids had peanut butter in their lunches. John’s teacher was awesome in giving me the heads up, but still….the school principal should have moved us to a larger more ventilated location. And she should have called me to give me the heads up (per my 504 Plan)
5. A solid-as-a-rock 504 Plan isn’t ironclad: Mistakes still happened even with the protection of this very important legal document. It’s updated again and ready to go for the 2009/10 school year. Here’s to hoping….
As much as I would have liked to see certain policies move forward this year, I am comforted by the fact that at least we are moving in the right direction. Much can be learned from mistakes and accidents, and I hope to do a better job next year of educating other parents and staff about the dangers of food allergies, and that every precaution should be taken to ensure our food allergic children’s safety.
Here’s to a great summer everyone!
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