When the school year opens in June, one of the more hidden concerns would be, WHAT VIRUS WOULD WE BE FIGHTING THIS YEAR? WHO'S GOING TO TEAR HIS ACL IN THE VARSITY GAMES? We cringe in remembering SARS, AH1N1 in previous school years, not to mention the ubiquitous Dengue threat that keeps us all in high socks and reeking of Off lotion. Likewise, we shudder to think of the mishaps and little accidents that happen in even the safest parts of school, to even the most behaved children, or during cheering competitions and basketball games where landing on the wrong foot or getting an elbow to the nose are ever present threats. While children breathe and run, anything may happen, and schools can only install proper safety checks and procedures to make sure that health risks and injuries are avoided, or at the very least, minimized.
As the sayings go: "Better safe than sorry" and "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure", schools must really have a solid health and safety plan in place. This plan must be familiar to ALL, not just a few. Parents and students alike must be kept abreast of health and security policies. Everyone must understand that a little inconvenience--queuing for temperature checks, bag searches, etc.--goes a long way in ensuring that everyone within the four-plus walls of the school are safe and well.
Besides plans that we hope won't go bump in the night, a series of informational talks, fora, and workshops must form part of every school's health education curriculum. WE DON'T NEED A TEXTBOOK FOR THIS! I suggest that the school health personnel (doctors, nurses, dentists), building officials, and school administrators collaborate with the academic team in drafting a year-long program that addresses new or recurring issues on health, nutrition, wellness, epidemics, substance abuse, disease prevention, healthy lifestyle, safety, security, disaster management and preparedness. Independent sessions for teachers, administrators and parents should be incorporated into the curriculum. Community resources (fire department, local health office, private sector experts, etc.) must be tapped. Most importantly, the whole school system must work in synergy to achieve the general goal of well-being and safety for all.
There is no final exam for this. It is when a school is tested by fate and the elements, and it emerges unscathed, that we can truly say that we passed the test.
Useful resources:
Department of Health calendar:
http://www.doh.gov.ph/doh_annual_calendar
Philippine Red Cross webpage on Disaster Management:
http://www.redcross.org.ph/dms
Lesson plans galore (sign up needed):
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/pe.shtml
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/health/nutrition/
http://physicaleducationresources.com/default.aspx
http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=sports+marketing+education&media=lesson
http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/educators/lessons-main.asp
Brain Health!
http://www.brainready.com/blog/thetop5brainhealthfoods.html
Health and Medicine web powerhouse:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
Milk stuff:
http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/pdf/parents/12-tips.pdf
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