Schools are germ cesspools. Parents know it, pupils know, and yep--teachers know it better than anyone. With sickness easily spread in close quarters like schools (and especially during the colder months), staying healthy can seem impossible.
However, some teachers seem to have immune systems of steel–or have simply mastered how to *never* get sick. Even when entire classrooms go down and out, some stand strong. How do they do it? Thankfully, they have spilled their wellness advice for fellow educators and parents alike. Here are 22 ways teachers avoid getting sick, according to teachers.
1. "I make sure to tell students how disgusting they are in very clear terms and enforce a hands washing and hygiene regimen in my classroom. For example, 'did you just eat a bag of chips and touch my computer?' Student: 'I used hand sanitizer...' me: 'go wash your hands now before you do anything else.' Less sick kids in my classroom and less sick me." – Fit-Meeting-5866
2. "No magic bullet - I got Covid for the first time this past year - but here is what I do and it is moderately successful:
- Vaccines. No joke.
- If you are able, open windows and air out the room as often as possible. When sickness is at its peak times, I will run the AC or heat and leave the door and windows open, if only just a crack. Air circulation is critical, I am lucky to have control and I don't have to pay that bill.
- This one will vary according to building policy and your school demographics, but I leave my door open all the time unless we are being loud or there is a lot of commotion in the hallway.
- I have a small fan at my desk that I use to blow the air away from my face. Kids just think I have hot flashes, but that's rarely true. I just don't want their funk.
- Turn in as much work as possible online. Paper goes in the tray. Not directly to me.
- I don't conference much anymore if I can help it. Makes me sad, but my spouse is Very High Risk, so I do what I gotta do.
- Wash those hands
- Keep that air moving out, if possible (yes, I know that is a repeat)
- Sanitize your desk/tabletops as often as you can.
- I don't hand out or collect pens, pencils, etc. anymore. They are also in a tray. Get one, take it if you need it, put it back when you finish. I don't want to touch it.
- Avoid cafeteria, teachers' "lounge," hallways during passing periods, sitting in the crowd at pep rallies and assemblies (I always volunteer for door duty)
- I sit behind them. They breathe forward.
Hope some of this is useful. Exercise. Eat well. Do something to de-stress." – Two_DogNight
3. "Never forget to wash your hands and don't get close enough to a student that you can smell their breath. I still get teacher crude every few months though. Also, when a kid asks to go to the nurse for a cold like symptom? Out comes the Clorox wipes for every table." – Sea_Row_6291
4. "I spray a cloud of Lysol out the door after every kid who's going to the nurse." – InDenialOfMyDenial
5. "Students may not cough or sneeze in your face, but they will on their assignments. Treat any paper that is turned in, as infectious." – Bumper22276
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6. "I teach over 300 students so I wear a mask, I sanitize my hands any time I sit back down at my desk or touch my personal belongings, and I try not to get too close to kids since I teach older students. I take vitamins and try to drink lots of water. I go for a walk every day and try to get a decent sleep so I'm not run down." – ladyonecstacy
7. "Don’t be afraid to where a mask when you know there is something going around. Drink lots of water, vitamins, wash your hands often. Have students help sanitize the desks and high touch locations. Have everyone put hand sanitizer on as they come into the classroom." – mashed-_-potato
8. "I still teach fully masked. I teach teenagers and they are pure Petri dishes and don’t take care of their own immune system. I have never missed a day from work for being sick from something you can catch." – UncomfyNobleGas
9. "This is a small thing, but the box of tissues goes as far from my desk as possible. That means sick kids don't come to my desk with their sniffles." – TeachingAnonymously
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10. "Sometimes when I suddenly feel tired and wonder if I’m getting sick, I’ll allow myself to plan a low prep day the next day instead of doing to 1-3 hours beyond my contact that I often need in the beginning of the year. One of the best vet teachers at my school plans a sick/personal day each month and has one of the experienced subs cover her class. She uses that day to recharge & recover. She rarely seems to get really 'really' sick." – JoyfulinfoSeeker
11. "In terms of catching whatever is going around the school, it comes down to proximity control. Don't get too close, don't let them get too close. Don't reach across them (I've had students sneeze on my arm..). Hand sanitize frequently. Don't touch your nose or your mouth. Wash hands often. Get some Lysol or Clorox wipes and routinely wipe down surfaces. If you have student supplies in your room, leave those for the students only. Don't share supplies with them. Don't let them use your stuff.
Otherwise, hydrate. I have a 32oz water bottle, and drink it down twice every school day. I don't seem to suffer from small bladder, so do whatever you need to do for you, but make sure you're hydrating regularly throughout the day.
Take a look at what you're eating. We've all been guilty of "teacher lunch" aka vending machine food (my go-to is a bag of funyuns and a cherry coke zero), but make sure that you're actually eating things with nutritional value and not just refined carbs and sugar. Eat good, feel good. Obviously this depends on your own dietary needs, but look... I'm guilty of dipping into the candy and snacks when I'm busy or stressing and it always makes me feel like shit.
In terms of stress management... I hate to oversimplify here but you gotta just... be less stressed. And I don't mean that in a dismissive way. First year you're panicking about everything, and you're now about to enter your 4th year. You know what is and isn't important, you know what is and isn't worth stressing over. Make sure you are drawing some boundaries.
Also, if you're just generally feeling lousy all the time, go to the doctor. I finally did after a few years of just generally feeling bleh and it turns out I'm slightly anemic. So we fixed that, and I feel better now." – InDenialOfMyDenial
12. "Same rule I had in healthcare: treat everyone like they have the plague." – MuddyGeek
13. "KN95 or better mask. HEPA filters and/or CR boxes. Open windows for ventilation. Clean everything." – youdneverguess
14. "If you can help it, avoid the school cafeteria. It's a giant petri dish of germs and bad hygiene." – JMWest_517
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15. "I don't see it listed yet, but don't eat in your room! And establish clear boundaries for your desk. Kids don't walk anywhere near it and don't touch anything on it." – positivesplits
16. "I got sick more than eight times my first year, teaching elementary physed, I was told by my doctor that the first few years this is going to happen and then after that, my immune system should be pretty good. And so far, I have only gotten sick a few times a year since. Immunity pro tip sure you’re eating healthy, or at least getting your fruits and veggies in. They can’t cure sickness. But many Americans are deficient in many vitamins, minerals, and vital chemicals that are helpful for immunity." – Plus_Bench_4352
17. "You need the following to not get sick often as a teacher
- Good sleep
- Exercise
- Diet
- 5 years of teaching experience to build immunity.
Half the shit my kid brings home from daycare gets my wife sick and doesn't touch me, because I've already had whatever it is." – MemeTeamMarine
18. "I am on year 21 and I used to get sick a lot. Now I do not. I have not changed my lifestyle at all. I eat healthy for the most part I honestly think it is the amount of citrus that I consume. I put true lime, grapefruit, or lemon in every single glass of water I drink. I eat oranges and clementines as snacks. In the last 5 years I have been sick with covid one time and other than seasonal allergies, no illness. Vitamin C is the only thing I can think to attribute it to." – User Unknown
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19. "Vitamin C and D every day! Sanitize everything. Keep your hands clean and carry sanitizer with you. I use that stuff after I touch anything. Lysol spray between classes or have students sanitize desks. Don’t touch your eyes, nose, mouth, ears. That’s where most of your illnesses enter the body. Regularly remind kids hygiene practices that prevent the spread of germs." – User Unknown
20. "I personally eat Halls Defense Drops like candy. It’s a Vitamin C supplement. It’s also nice for soothing your throat after a long day. I know some people swear by elderberry supplements and Emergen-C as well, if you’re looking for that kind of thing. But besides that, a few basic practices:
- Practice personal space with your students. I have no problem telling my kids to take a step or 2 back if they’re way too close. My desk is a 'holy area' - they shouldn’t be behind my desk, even if I’m sitting there.
- If kids leave a tissue or trash on the floor, don’t pick it up. Yes, I understand wanting to make your custodian’s life easier. But if it’s a used tissue, you’re asking for whatever crap they have.
- During cold and flu season, spray or wipe tables at least once a day, multiple times if possible. You can also use an air freshener that has disinfectant in it (I think Lysol makes one).
- Model good hygiene habits for your students (no matter how old they are!). I have a sink in my class, and I occasionally wash my hands during class for whatever reason. It just reinforces those habits." – H8rsH8
21. "I got sick every two weeks one time during the winter. From November-April I was sick and I felt like crap the entire time going to work because I couldn’t keep taking time off. I bought elder berry/zinc mix through Amazon (liquid version). Put two full droppers in your mouth or drink. Not even joking, I haven’t been sick this entire year and if I did get sick, it was with a mild sore throat that went away in two days. Worked great." – Jiinxx10
22. "I teach math and the only papers that were coming in to me were the tests I gave students. I have them turn in their exams in to a folder away from my desk and I don't open it back up for 24 hours. When I started doing that, I noticed I stopped getting sick as often. Most of my good kids would still show up on test days when they're sick and gross and get all their germs over their papers." – broteus7
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