The bell rang like it does any old, regular Thursday. The students wandered in aimlessly, carrying their book bags from table to table until they remember they are supposed to be unpacking them. I was standing near the door. My classroom teacher was standing a bit away. I was talking to a student when my teacher looks over at me. She is wearing a face a recognize from the many other times this situation has occurred. It is a confused looked with a hint of concern and I knew right away that if I turned to my right there would be a student bent over the trash can. I look. Sure enough there is one. As I look over, my classroom teacher says, “is he really…” She is interrupted by the sound that liquid makes when it hits plastic. All I said was, “yep…” And I walked over to the student. He was sick a few more times and then I grabbed the trash can and marched him to the nurse. He made quite the mess in the trash can and there was nowhere to grab it that didn’t land a small part of my hand in what just left his stomach. Thank heavens, throw up doesn’t really bother me!
So the two of us walk to the nurse’s office. I set the trash can down near the doorway and he hops up on the cot. The nurse asked him a couple questions and I walked over to her sink to scrub my hands. As I was washing, the student says to the nurse, “guess what I had for breakfast today!”
I answered simply, “yogurt.”
