So what should my field trip backup plan be for medications?

gcvmom

Here we go again!
I posted yesterday in my update on difficult child 2's field trip that his teacher forgot to give him his medications at lunch and didn't remember until they got back to school at 3:15pm.

What kind of backup plan should I have if there's another field trip? Do I go on the trip myself? I can have people assure me they'll handle a situation (teacher emailed me that she or the principal would administer the medications), but apparently it doesn't mean much.

I let the school health clerk know that I was appreciative of her efforts to set everything up but that the teacher essentially dropped the ball (in so many words). Maybe I just put it in their court...
 

mstang67chic

Going Green
Can you get a cell number or two for teachers on the trip and call or text them with a reminder? I think that would be the best thing personally. You can set up all sorts of plans but the direct route seems to be the best option sometimes.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Well, at least I did get a call from the nurse this afternoon apologizing for the error. I'd sent an email to the health clerk this morning thanking her for arranging everything with the medications on the trip and I let her know that he didn't get his medications until the end of the day. The woman who called was HER boss and she was pretty upset about it. She said she's emailed the teacher to find out how this could be prevented next time. I mentioned the idea of texting a reminder and she thought that might be a good solution, too.

It would be nice if the teacher acknowledge the foul up, too. But I won't hold my breath!
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Tell that woman you KNOW a fowl when you see one - you LIVE with 4 chickens.

Cell phone is a good idea.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
You are so cluckin' funny... she did email a satisfactory apology about an hour ago. I'm still thinking of how to respond nicely, so I'll wait until later today :)
 
I think the key is whether this is an isolated mistake on the part of a typically responsible teacher or whether the teacher already has a bad track record with you/difficult child.

As a teacher for many years, I have to admit I've made mistakes that have made me want to throw up when I realized what I'd done. Not over medication...but I've had the issue of forgetting my OWN medication before going to work, which is a very big deal considering some of my medications. After it happened once, however, I figured out how to prevent the same mistake from happening again. Same with my "teacher" mistakes. I've learned from them and have not made the same mistake twice. I've been very thankful for forgiving parents in these situations.

So many distractions can happen with a group of children, and particularly on a field trip. I've dealt with medical emergencies that had me scrambling to get the parent on the scene, misplaced/lost children, buses broken down on the side of the road, and more.

Again, I think all hinges on the attitude of the teacher, whether you think she is upset with herself over the mistake, and whether she's found a way to prevent the mistake from happening again. If I were the teacher, I'd set an alarm on my watch or cell phone next time.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
EB, I'm not really sure how upset she is over this. It's hard to tell from an email, Know what I mean?? I've never dealt with her in a field trip situation before, and she's never had to be responsible for my son this way before, so it's hard to say if this is par for the course.

Hopefully she will be open to suggestions for how to prevent this in the future, assuming difficult child 2 ever has another field trip with this class in the future. But at least the nurse and I are on the same page, and I feel good that she'll also be helping to ensure this doesn't happen again.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Well, she only responded after an email from the district nurse (who called me after she got an email from the health clerk, whom I had contacted with the FYI about the slip-up). The whole situation is almost laughable at this point.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Different people respond in different ways. The thing is here - she DID apologise, she has acknowledged the error. Whether reluctantly or otherwise - it's now there in writing. I would accept it as such and work from here.

Mistakes happen. It is important to accept this too. However, such mistakes can be very bad for our kids. I think it is important for everyone to make something positive out of this and to put in place, and PRACTICE it, a strategy for ensuring this doesn't happen again. I would also ensure that a statement is accepted by the school to the effect that any problems caused by difficult child as a result of him not being medicated, are not to be taken out on difficult child. Iin other words - if the teacher fails to medicate him and he pushes some kid over the cliff, the school is the one responsible and not difficult child.

I know iths sounds exrteme but sometimes you have to give extreme examples for the school to "get it'.

In other words - no serious harm done this time, so lets use it as a learning experience to make sure nothing serious ever DOES happen.

Sometimes schools are too focussed on punishment and not on true learning and genuine prevention.

Marg
 

Marg's Man

Member
I'm surprised Marg didn't mention this - it's a line we used to use often.

medications are a lifesaver - they are used so others around your difficult child won't kill them! (the difficult child)

The fact the teacher apologised is a GOOD thing. She recognised her error AND let you know. Go from there and use the line to build a good relationship and work towards avoiding this problem in future.

Marg's Man
 
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