“I don’t feel good.”

Quote of the year right there.

The phrase “I don’t feel well” is one of the most commonly said phrases I hear in a classroom, especially in the winter months of the school year.

It always seems like after everyone comes back from winter break, there is not a day until April where everyone is present in class.

From flu to strep, we see it all in the classroom and at one point, it seems as if every single person in the class is coughing or blowing their nose.

When you’re a teacher, there is no escaping it.

Last year, when I was in a fifth grade class, I thought I was immune or something. I had been around the kids for so long and never got sick that I felt like I had built up my immune system so strong that I was not going to be sick.

Boy was that wrong. This year, I got sick, and it was not fun.

When you are in and out of the classroom daily, there is no way you will not ever get sick, especially when you are with little ones who still pick and eat their boogers. Yes, that still happens. That’s just how it is.