Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

This week’s message is simple: Don’t get walking pneumonia from your students (or anyone else). A little while ago, I felt like I was coming down with a cold. I didn’t feel too bad, just a little tired and…

It’s the time of year when illness starts whipping through the school halls like wildfire. Recently, we’ve had students out with seemingly everything you can think of, including flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, standard colds, and stomach bugs. As a teacher,…

As I wrote last week, October tends to be a stressful month at my job, where I work with students on their post-high school plans. With November approaching, I’m thankful I feel a little better…

The past few weeks at work have been enormously stressful. We school counselors often refer to this month as “Sucktober,” because it tends to be when the honeymoon of a new school year has worn off. Plus, big college…

Some aspects of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) are just weird. There are the expected symptoms — tight and sore muscles, chronic fatigue, frequent injuries, bruising — but there are also effects that, while related, don’t seem…

“Ms. D! Ms. D! Will you come play volleyball with us?” I heard this call on a recent Friday afternoon, when our school’s internet was down and I was supervising kids who were enjoying a little free gym time…

Last week seemed to drag on forever. Although I was finally feeling better after a rough patch, it got me thinking about how rest is a double-edged sword for me with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). I definitely feel…

Last week when I finally caught up with my massage therapist, Kim, after a six-week break — I was sick, then she was — I told her she’d get to play a game called “Pick Your Train Wreck,” which…

The other week, I felt a twinge in my back when I woke up, but I hoped I’d just slept funny and it would soon go away. As the day went on, though, the slight discomfort grew until my…

After a rough couple of weeks, the past few days have been an exercise in remembering to listen to my body and take the time I need to heal, as I’ve been recovering from what was likely a…

Two weeks ago, I wrote that I was struggling to get back into the swing of the school year. It’s always a tough transition, but this year, I was dragging more than usual at my job as a…