Staying Home When You’re Sick Is An Easy Fix

Being sick is no joke, so why do so many students come to school with a cold? Here are some tips to stay as healthy as can be.

Kleenex, NyQuil, chicken noodle soup: the ultimate shopping list for when disaster strikes.

As many Christian Brothers’ students know, being sick is no joke.When the days get colder and the nights get longer, the students and staff get sicker.

Every winter and spring the campus is full of sniffling teenagers armed with tissues and cough drops, battling against the germs that are keeping their immune systems busy.

But is it really a good idea to come to campus with a cold?

Viruses are spread in a plethora of ways: by coughing or sneezing, shaking hands, or even touching doorknobs. Coming to school with symptoms — even without a fever — spreads around germs and infects other students.

But for many, missing out on school to get their rest is a luxury they can’t afford. Whether it’s from fear of a heavy load of make up work or the insistence of parents, students are often pressured to come to school when they’re feeling under the weather.

“My mom believes that if I’m not throwing up or if I don’t have an 104 degree fever, then I’m fine to go to school,” explains Marcela Cuomo (’15). “Even sneezing or coughing is considered ‘nothing’.”

As to whether or not she agrees with her mom’s verdict, Marcela has a lot of ideas of her own.

“I think people should stay home and get better, even if its just a cold,” the senior says. “The fewer germs that spread around our school, the healthier our campus will be.”

One of the biggest reasons parents and students choose to go to school instead of stay home and rest up is the fear of the heavy workload that will be there to greet them when they’re healthy again.

Students are afraid that by taking sick leave, they’ll be too overloaded with work to maintain their grades. But stress can also be a negative factor in recovery.

“If you’re already sick, but then you have to do all your homework at once, it definitely makes it worse because you’re not eating right or sleeping right or you’re not resting when you should be,” explains Marcela.

Claire Jones-Ruman (’15), thinks that all teachers should be understanding in terms of making up assignments.

“Give [students] a good amount of time — don’t let them keep going the rest of the year without making something up, but give them a week,” says Claire. “They have seven classes to make up, so it could take time.”

Although staying home while sick is a hard choice for many of CB’s industrious students, taking a day to sip some soup and stock up on vitamins is vital for the health of the community.

Here are some tried-and-true tips to survive cold season at Christian Brothers:
– Stock up on vitamin C!
– Always wash your hands.
– Avoid touching your eyes and mouth after touching doorknobs or railings.
– Drink water!
– And if you’ve already been struck with the sniffles? Sleep, sleep, sleep!

With these tricks in mind, stay healthy, CB.