Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What Should Teachers be Informed About?
This last week in our PETE class we discussed the topic of HIV and AIDS and if teachers and physical educators should be informed whether or not students have this disease. We thought it would be an interesting topic to present to the class seeing as we are all going to be future teachers and we should form our own opinions. As a group we don't necessarily agree or disagree and we are not trying to persuade you all to agree with what has previously been discussed. We are just genuinely curious as to your opinion on the matter. The articles we have included are just information on AIDS and an article discussing whether or not the information should be disclosed. So let us know! Do you think teachers should be informed whether or not students have HIV or AIDS. Or do you think that it is more important to keep the matter private for the child's sake?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I had never really thought about the issue of being told about my student having aids or not, but when we talked about in PETE I quickly knew what I would want. I think that as teachers we should be told. We will be responsible for our students for almost 7 hours a day and we should know enough that we are kept safe and that the student themselves are kept safe. Knowing would allow us as teachers to know if something was wrong that we needed to contact the parents. I addition, we would know to take extra precaution when coming in contact with their blood. Now some would say that you should take extra precaution anyways, which is true, but in extreme situations or when you are in a hurry you may not always be as careful as you always intended to be. Having the teacher know does not mean that they are going to broadcast it all over the school nor does it mean that the child is going to be treated differently. All it means is that there is someone else watching out for the well-being of your child and who doesn’t want that? Also if the child is always told that they have to keep it a secret then they are already being made to feel different. Overall, as teachers we should be able to know and it should not have to be a law violation if they know.
ReplyDeleteI believe that teachers should be informed about whether a student has HIV. Teachers need to know if the child has any health conditions because they are responsible for that child from the time it enters the classroom in the morning until the child leaves to go home. Teachers will have to keep that information private and share it only with those that the parents are ok with. Teachers not only need to protect themselves but also need to protect the other students in the class. There have been times when in a special education class I have seen students try to help another student who got injured on the playground before the teacher was able to get there. Now, the wounds were never gushed blood but students still came into contact with other students' blood. Teachers should know if any students have HIV to take extra precautions both for his or her protection and the protection of the other students.
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to me if I should know or not, but after a lengthy discussion, I definitely think teachers should be informed if one of their students has AIDS or HIV. There is a difference between keeping information private, and flat out not telling someone. I think if a student that we are teaching or have any chance, no matter how small it is, to come in contact with their blood or other dangerous bodily fluids, we should know. It could endanger us, as well as other children. So many little boys are obsessed with scabs and bruises, which sometimes come with blood. They are not thinking about immediately putting on latex gloves or other precautionary clothing. Little boys love this kind of stuff. That is why, in my opinion, teachers should know. They can be the ones to keep others safe. It does not mean that if we know, we will go spreading rumors and telling other people about the child; it is just a matter of keeping us, as well as other children, safe.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel that as the educators that are being given control over the students for the entire school day, it is important that we be told whether a student in our classroom has HIV or AIDS. It is something that seems to be necessary in order to best serve all the students. Safety should come first in all cases and unfortunately, having a student with AIDS or HIV in my class and not knowing would make me nervous about ensuring that everyone be completely safe. I know that we should always treat everything like an emergency, but it is nice to also KNOW what you are really treating instead of assuming or guessing. It will help not only the teacher to feel more capable and on top of things, but it will help keep all the students safer. I do not think the teacher needs to share this personal information with anyone else, but it is important to me that I know if my student has HIV or AIDS for the benefit of all that I and the student interact with.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be best for teachers to be told if some of their students have HIV or AIDS. I understand why students and their parents want this information private, but teachers will be bound under law to keep this information confidential. Since PE teachers are the educators that often deal with blood and injury, it is imperative that they at least be informed of the student's condition. I believe it is unfair to put teachers in a situation where they are required to help students, but do so under high risks that they are unaware of. I think having the student and their parents be open with the teachers would help things flow much better when the student is often absent from being sick. The teacher would be able to be more understanding of what the student is going through so that they can make the needed adjustments and help the student as best they can. Even though the need for privacy is high with a virus like HIV or AIDS since it carries such a stigma, there are still some people that need to be informed. Teachers should definitely be included in that group of people.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the comment in the second article that said: "Knowledge means power, and in this case, power to do the right thing for all students in the academic environment". I think that is the bottom line of the issue. It isn't a matter of protecting privacy laws or even the flip side, making unreasonable demands to know medical history, it really is a matter of keeping EVERYONE safe. By not informing school personnel of the condition, the student may be kept "socially safe"- however, if there was a medical situation, would the student remain "medically safe" as well as all the others around them? It really does impact more than just the one person. I think that the majority of people that would be accused of treating a student differently with such knowledge about their condition are just guilty of being scared of what they don't know-- so the more that people are correctly educated about HIV/AIDS (ie: correcting "myths" about transmitting it, etc.)the less they will act differently around the student. Such knowledge will only be relevant when it really is important to know anyways...when it becomes a matter of keeping all in their care safe.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI honestly never really thought about AIDS or HIV being in the school. I mean I know that it is out there and is very important, but I never thought that I could encounter someone with it. I don't know which side of the fence I am on, with this topic. I can see both sides of the argument, and can agree with both sides of the argument. I do think that it would be beneficial to the teacher, and even the rest of the class, if the teacher was informed about the child's condition. I know that the teachers should always taking the precautions, but it is helpful to know that way you always take the precautions. It is also important because it is the teacher who is the one that is to be in charge of the student until they leave the school, and it is important that they know the child's conditions so they can fully care for the child. However I can see how this could make the child feel out of place, especially if the teacher starts to treat them different. But I guess my over all opinion is that there are more benefits in telling the educator than not.
ReplyDeleteWhy would it be important for them to know? Seriously, does it change ANYTHING about their education or what they receive? No. The only thing it will change it the carefulness that needs to be handed when blood is an issue-which is something that they should already be careful about. It will negatively affect the children because others will treat them differently when there is really no need to be.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know exactly what I believe about this subject. I do believe that students should be given the right of privacy and protection. So in that sense of the controversy I would agree that teachers do not have the right to know wether or not a student has HIV or AIDS. However, on the other end of the spectrum I also believe that teachers have the right to be protected from these harmful viruses.
ReplyDeleteThe conclusion I have come to through talking with peers and reading these articles is that as long as teachers use proper protection at ALL times, there should be no reason for them to know. Students have the right to privacy. If the teacher knows, the student could feel embarrassed and self-conscious.
Let me clarify. At the start of the blog post, I didn't quite know what I believed on the subject. However, by the second paragraph I had formulated an opinion. thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have a strong opinion about this. I feel that teachers need to take precautions from all blood/ body fluids at all times, not just because of AIDS but you do not know what illness/ disease they could have. I do not feel that knowing that a student has aids would in way affect my teaching abilities. I do not feel that it is any of my business to know, the student and parents have the right to privacy. Also the likelihood of contracting Aids through blood contamination is extremely low especially if protective gloves are worn at all times when dealing with injuries. I think it is a violation of the Student's privacy for teachers to know because it should not affect in any way the way that they teach, and treat the student and other students
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers should be notified if any of their students have AIDS. I do not mean to disrespect the students' privacy with my opinion. I think maintaining privacy is vital in a special education setting, but not at the cost of their safety. Whenever people think of AIDS, they automatically think of contaminated blood. Although this is a factor, it is not the whole story. An individual with AIDS is more prone to illness and will usually miss a lot of school because of it. Teachers should be aware of this so they can work with the student to maintain their academic success if their illness prevents them from being consistently present.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this is a very difficult topic to know what is the right answer here. I believe students deserve to have privacy and by no means should the teacher treat the student with AIDS or HIV any different than a student who is not diagnosed with the disease. At the same time, though, I believe that we also need to be protecting the teachers and by letting them know the student does have HIV or AIDS, the teacher can take precaution. The teacher needs to take precaution no matter what when dealing with body fluids, but I believe it would be helpful to know if the student is infected with any diseases. Personally, I would like to know if I am working with a child who has HIV or AIDS, not because I would treat them any differently at all, but because it would help me to take more precaution. Teachers deserve to have protection and students deserve to have privacy. I believe both can be achieved if the teacher goes about the situation appropriately.
ReplyDeleteThis is a topic that I have not thought about until now. In fact, it had never even crossed my mind. As I read about it however, I decided that I agree that teacher should be informed if a student has HIV/AIDS. I feel that it would be in the best interest of the teacher and of the students involved for the teacher to know. A student is with the teacher for over half of their day. For this time period, the teacher is in charge of the safety of all of their students. In order to ensure the safest environment, they must know what they are dealing with. Just as a teacher should know if a student has a cold so that they can be careful to wash their hands often, a teacher should know if a student has HIV/AIDS so that the teacher can take extra precautions when dealing with their blood.
ReplyDeleteONe part of the the article I disagree with is that the student would be shunned if the information was shared. First of all, if the teacher knows they must NEVER tell the students or anyone else. Secondly, I do not believe that the majority of teachers would treat the child any differently, except by being very careful when the student was bleeding. Teachers generally know how to handle these kinds of situations.
I'm not sure where I stand on this topic either; I can understand both sides. Teachers, especially in Special Education, generally know the health struggles of their students and take into account health-related problems in order to better serve their students. In the case of a blood spill as well, it would be good to be aware and ensure the safety of other students. At the same time, blood-safety should be practiced by everyone because many diseases other than HIV and AIDS are spread through blood. I can see a child, and their parents, being treated differently by a teacher if knowledge of HIV or AIDS is shared. So, I really don't know where I stand yet.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I thought it was pretty ridiculous that we were learning about AIDS in a special education class. AIDS is a disease that isn't going to impede someone's ability to perform in school until it is in its final stages, and by then the person who has it is probably stuck in a hospital.
ReplyDeleteHowever I do think that teachers should at least be aware if a student has AIDS, and that doesn't mean that they have to broadcast it to the world or anything. But, a student with AIDS is hurt in a PE class and may be bleeding, its important for the teacher to know, because basic first aid probably isn't going to help someone who's immune system is under attack and could easily be infected.
For the students own protection I think it would be better if the teacher's knew if a student had AIDS. Obviously teacher's should be careful and take the necessary precautions no matter what, but if the student or their parents want the students treated even more carefully than they would need to inform the teacher. It's important to realize that a teacher could not receive the AIDS virus from normal student teacher contact. And if they deal with blood the way they are supposed to then they won't be in any danger. I personally feel it is up to the parents and student whether or not they inform the teacher. Though I do think it would be better for the student if the teacher (not the whole school) were made aware of this fact.
ReplyDelete