My teacher tried taking away my insulin pump!

“Mom! My teacher tried taking away my insulin pump away today.”
“What?????”
“Yeah, I was in class and my pump went off. I had a low battery so I took it out to turn off the alarm. She walked by and said I’ll take that!“
“What did you do?”
“I said, No problem but its kind of attached!“
“What did she do?” 
“She looked at the tubing and then turned around and said, Oh.”
“Hasn’t she seen your insulin pump before?”
“Nope, I usually have her right after lunch and don’t need to take out my pump.“

School is almost over and I never did get around to having the in-service for my son’s school.  It was to be done at the beginning of the year because we were getting three new teachers on a staff of about seven.

The plan had been to do it just before Christmas. The teacher that would be handling my son’s class was not hired until almost Christmas. We decided that we were going to do it just after Christmas.  It still didn’t happen.

It is all my fault.  I have only two children to worry about.  The principal has an entire school to deal with.  He has other issues to deal with…okay so do I, but diabetes is pretty high up there on my list.  

In my defense, educating the staff in the school my son had attended for years wasn’t my biggest priority. I had been having a lot of difficulties with my son’s academic behavior at the beginning of school. His diabetes care was an ongoing battle between the two of us.  That meant that I really didn’t have the extra energy to keep fighting to educate everyone else. 

Yes, I was a terrible parent.

Oh well, all of the staff at my son’s school may not have been fully educated on dealing with a child with diabetes but my son was empowered. He knew that he could deal with the demands of his insulin pump in class. He further understood that she could not reprimand him for doing so.

When sending your child with diabetes to school, it is important that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. Do your best to set a meeting with your school before the school year starts so that they better understand how to support your child with diabetes. Whether you get this meeting or not, again, educate your child on what they are allowed to do in the classroom and help them feel empowered enough to stand up for themselves if they are challenged.

Get your guide to preparing for a meeting with your school here.