I have been doing a lot of supply work at a school with roughly 800 students. As far as I have been made aware, not one of them have diabetes.With all that we hear about Diabetes in Australia, I've just come to assume that if I meet 1000 people, one will be a Type 1 Diabetic. Particularly with stats like the following:
An estimated 280 Australians develop diabetes every day. The 2005 Australian AusDiab Follow-up Study (Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study) showed that 1.7 million Australians have diabetes but that up to half of the cases of type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed. By 2031 it is estimated that 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes (Vos et al., 2004).
So I found it weird doing the numbers on this school, I hadn't met a diabetic student. Then I discovered something remarkably unexpected, but ever increasing in Australia:
There was a type 1 diabetic at the school.
It was a teacher.
Type 1 Diabetes, also being known as Juvenile Diabetes, is so often only considered to affect children. But if we broke down the age groups for people with the disease, there would be an overwhelming majority as adults.
I didn't get the chance to share with this other teacher that I'm a diabetic and what I do to change how diabetes affects me. This is gnawing at me. It is such a good feeling to reach out to someone with a similar problem to you and help one another or even listen to them, so I honestly can't wait to speak with this colleague.
One thing I found fascinating was something the teacher and the class had done to adapt to diabetes. They have "munch and crunch" time. At 9:30, the students get a piece of fruit from their lunch box and eat it while they do their schoolwork. Not staring outside, not comparing food, not eating chip packets or sandwiches, but eating apples and bananas, while quietly working.
Amazing on so many levels.
Thus, the students learn that the teacher can then also do this at some time during the day and still be able to work. It is a brilliant way to do so many things with the students:
- teach them that diabetics sometimes need food at times other than meal times,
- expose them to diabetic treatment and how the disease does not need to be restrictive,
- demonstrate the benefits of healthy eating, &
- it also gives the teacher a chance to overcome low blood sugar levels.
I've had a couple of low blood sugars while teaching and it takes the wind out of your sails. All you do is hope desperately for the next lunch break. I actually carry sports gels with me to get me through, but they can only get you so far. It's a terrible place to be in, especially when responsible for 20-30 children. Not only are you devoid of energy, but it affects your judgement and particularly your ability to control your emotions. What this teacher has done, without knowing it, has given me a real helping hand continuing on as a teacher. I am looking forward to thanking her for it.
She also had jars of lollies on her desk that were absolutely mouth watering...I resisted!
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