Injecting in SCHOOL!

[HelloHannan]

As a girl in her last year of high school of was pretty upset and offended when my drama teacher snottily said "Do THAT (insulin) somewhere else, away from the class or in the toilet" yesterday.

Not only was she bringing attention to the situation at hand (I literally had the need in my abdomen at the time) when I was trying to be discreet but didn't let me give her a reason or explain.

Surely, I'm allowed to do my insulin in class? It's not like I'm going to mess about with needles or bring attention to it, if people are interested they ask questions and I appreciate that but people who have a problem with it are beginning to frustrate me. There's not many but if you have a problem you look away for 20 seconds, it's not a big deal.
I feel comfortable in class as people are distcracted with work and I can sit comfortably and inject there without the risk of people knocking me (like at lunch time) which really worries me.
The words my teacher said have actually really upset me and made me feel pretty alienated and ashamed of my diabetes because I feel like I'm expected to hide my diabetes away in order to keep everybody happy.

GAH! Fools! I'd like to hear your feedback on this issue as I think it's pretty outrageous.
Hannah x

 

[janabelle]

I agree Hannah, that is outrageous-she shouldn't have spoken to you like that under those circumstances. No one likes to be made to feel different in school, and she should have been more sensitive.

I presume the school are aware of your diabetes. If they are, your individual teachers should also be informed about it, and know what to do if you had a hypo in class or became unwell. You should speak to your Head of Year about your drama teacher's reaction and how it upset you. If this teacher was concerned about health and safety, regarding your injecting in class, this should have been discussed with you.

There are always going to be situations where you need to inject in public, on buses, restaurants,etc - most people do this without reactions like the one you got from your drama teacher.

Don't dwell too much on it, everyone makes mistakes, even teachers-I'm sure if you or your head of Year have a chat with her, she'll be more understanding.
When my son was in secondary school he was allowed to wear a baseball cap, as he had hair loss from cancer treatment. A teacher he didn't know stopped him in the school corridor one day shouting" why are you wearing that cap? You know you're not allowed to wear hats in shcool". My son's reply left this teacher a bit shocked, which he found amusing

It's a struggle enough for you to cope with diabetes at school, you can do without negativity from other people. You should feel proud of yourself for being able to manage it. Have a chat with your Head of Year or Form Tutor.

Jus

 

[cearapeter]

Hello Hannan

I am with you 100%. Guess what - not only am I a school principal but I also sit on the Disability Discrimination Tribunal (scarry).

The teacher was out of order (fact). You have nothing to be ashamed of (fact) - we are all in the club no one wants to be in - but we are in it (fact).

Go speak with your principal, be blunt, say you were advised by myself. Once is an accident, twice is unacceptable. Injecting in toilets is unacceptable - go somewhere you feel comfortable - your school must make reasonable adjustments.

Enjoy you school years, study hard and reach for the starts.

 

[lionrampant]

At best you can have her fired. At worst you can have her disciplined.

At most gratifying, you could have her apologise to you in front of the rest of the class. At which point you can go "How's that for drama, *****?".