Career Change: The Anemic Teacher

I wish I had this much energy!

There has been a strange phenomenon going around my school - quite a number of educators have been coming down with anemia. I suppose it's probably not terribly shocking that people who spend most of their time indoors, work long hours and have a hard time maintaining a decent diet might just come down with something. I wonder if anemia is common among educators worldwide or if this is just a weird cowinky-dink in Lawrence? The severe anemia that I currently am experiencing is due to a very specific, fairly serious health issue, but quite a few of my colleagues have had the same complaint over the past few months. Very strange.

What is anemia? Well, if you don't know, anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells. What is the worse part of having anemia? The symptoms which are:

• Difficulty concentrating and remembering
• Feeling tired and having less energy most of the time
• Feeling dizzy, lightheaded or possibly having a headache
• Being short of breath, or breathless after very little activity
• Pale skin colour, pale lips and fingernail beds
• Pain in the chest, fluttery feeling from your heart
• Ringing or pounding in the ears
• Very sensitive to cold temperature, feeling cold when others do not
• Sore mouth or tongue
• Poor appetite
• Less interest in social pleasure
• Feeling down, or irritable

(London Health Sciences Centre) 

Unfortunately, I'm currently experiencing all of these symptoms. Ever try teaching 90+ students when you feel like death warmed over and can barely keep a clear thought in your head? It's not easy. But I do feel some pride that despite feeling like crapola, I still have perfect attendance for the year. Why am I still going to school every day when I'm so ill?  Several reasons: one, my students are already severely behind schedule; two, it's my ridiculous work ethic that will only allow me to call in sick when I've got a severed limb and finally, to give my students a lesson on the importance of being committed to something.  I'm not certain that they are learning that last lesson, but you cannot knock me for trying. 

I will say that being anemic sucks. Just walking 2 blocks into town and back wears me out to the point that I need a nap. Oh, well this too shall pass. I guess it gives me a good excuse to eat plenty of red meat.