Buying Time // Band Aids

My 1st graders complain of feeling sick (or having some type of ailment) all the time.

Like ...

All

The

Time

It's really hard to gauge when someone is not feeling well.

Unless I see blood or tears, it's truly hard to tell.

Most of time ... I try to buy some time (or give them a band aid).

It works like a charm.

"My leg hurts" - Have a seat and tell me if it still hurts in 5 minutes
"My tummy hurts" - Get a drink of water
"I don't feel good" - Try going to the bathroom
"I have a cut" - Let me get out my microscope to see
"I bumped my arm" - Here ... take this ice pack (yes, I keep ice packs in my class)
"I fell during recess" - Be sure to tell the recess teacher when that happens

You get the idea.

I was pleased to know that I'm not the only one that does this when injuries are not-so-obvious.

After lunch recess today, two of my girls came up to me and said, "We fell during recess."

Before I could say any of my buying-time phrases, one of the girls quickly said, "The recess teacher says we should go back to our classroom and sit down."

Perfect!