...when it's time for lice checking.
I don't know if this is done elsewhere, but in our school, kids are not allowed back in class after a long vacation without being checked for lice. I'm sure there is some sound medical reasoning for this degrading process that eludes me. But for as long as I have had kids in school, my wife and I (ok so it's mostly my wife) have had to participate in this process.
Which usually goes something like this: We wait until the day before school starts, then shlep all our kids to the school, then sign up their names, and wait for someone to call them to check. Occasionally either the Mrs. or myself will do some of the checking.
One year, when Curly was around 3 (he's 12 now), he got to come along for the ride while the older kids were being checked. One woman who was checking called out, "Who wants lice checked?"
To which Curly volunteered, "I want Rice Chex!"
Crossposted at Psycho Toddler
7 comments:
This will sound weird, but as a student, I loved being checked for lice. By us, it was during class - and having those sticks run through my hair felt good, somehow. (Wow, this sounds weird. I'm going to be quiet now.)
I grew up in Kenosha, and they checked us once a month, during school. It never seemed degrading to me; everybody just lined up and a few parent volunteers just went down the line.
I guess your kids' private school is more vigilant.
Haha Rice Chex.
We had our heads checked in school about once every three months. Everyone oooh'd and awww'd when one lady said to another, "Diane, can you come and look at this?" when they checked Karen's head. Both of them squinted at something in their hands. Then they asked Karen to sit in the principals office.
The next day I saw Karen's parents yelling at the principal and Diane. The mom was crying and saying, "Now everyone thinks my daughter has head lice! How would that make you feel about your own child when she didn't have it?"
Even at my young age I thought there had to be a better way to check heads, not in a line up.
Ugh - they check for lice at my kids' school, as well. they are always looking for volunteers to help with "Lice Check." I am so squeamish - I never volunteer for that. Bleech.
Rice Chex that's cute.
They do the lice check at my daughter's school too after each long vacation, but fortunately, they do it in a separate room. I have horrible memories of them doing it inside the classroom with everyone present. I had lice one time when I was a child and I will never forget the humiliation of it. There were only a few Jewish kids in the whole school and one of them was in my 3rd grade class. I felt so ashamed that of all the kids that had it, it was us, the two token Jews. It was hard enough to always feel different but I remember feeling that now,it gave the teachers and other kids even more ammunition.
Ezzie, my husband says the same thing! I, too, kinda liked it. And since it took up class time, I'd have voted for weekly checks!
Okay, now I understand why it would be embarrassing. At my school, they REALLY emphasized how anybody can get it, it's not because you're dirty, etc, so I guess it was less of a problem.
Post a Comment