Loves the Crickets

Ryan is back at the elementary school here just north of Dallas that he attended when he was dx’d.

There are about a hundred reasons why this is important and wonderful, but I’ll leave that for another time.

In first grade and the beginning of second grade here, I have not requested a teacher for Ryan.  I don’t know teachers unless Ryan has had them so I wouldn’t even know who to request.  I know that G (The nurse) and Principal S know Ryan and all he needs and know me and my needs as a parent and I trust them to place Ryan in the class with the teacher that best fits him and diabetes.  They did superbly in first and second grade, so why would I not trust them for third?

FYI – I do the same with Aaron.  They know what he needs and the high maintenance parent I am and choose a teacher accordingly.  I have loved all of Aaron’s teachers as well.

On Thursday before school started, only about 10 days after moving back to Texas, I walked in the office and asked if they knew who Ryan’s teacher would be yet so I could connect and educate before Monday (I know, fellow d-moms, I was very behind!  But seriously, I just moved across country AGAIN for the second time in six months, give a momma a break!  LOL).

When I asked the attendance secretary, who is a friend of mine that I go to church with, about a teacher, G butted in —

“I’ve already taken care of that.”

As I inquired further, a teacher had already been hand-picked for Ryan and G had already done the diabetes educating.  She kept his folder from last year and gathered all the handouts and educational sheets, took his parameters and orders from last year and went over them with the teacher and even planned out a tentative sugar check schedule.

All I had to do was come in Friday morning when the three of us met, went over what G had organized, asked if I had anything further and it was done.  Easy-peasy.

The teacher, Mrs. W, is amazing.  She took detailed notes.  Wanted to know much more than just getting by.  She doesn’t want to just depend on G, she wants to know how to take care of him.  I Love Her.

In the first email that I received from G (which Mrs. W also gets copied on all the numbers so she knows what to watch for) on the first day of school that lists his snack sugar, carbs and what was bolused, there was also a phrase tagged on the end, “He loves the Crickets.”

Crickets?!?!  What the heck?

So I asked.

Ryan goes to the nurse three scheduled times a day:

9:25 – Snack sugar check and bolus

11:45 – Lunch sugar check and lunch

2:20 – End of the day check to go home

Mrs. W set her phone to alarm at those three times and set the ring tone to be crickets.  Now, when he hears the crickets, he quietly gets up and goes to see G.

As trivial as this may sound, it meant so much to me . . . and to Ryan.

It’s all a part of making him feel safe and secure and letting him be a kid at the same time.

Today he had a sub.  We knew in advance and prepared Ryan for it (side note – Ryan hates change and gets anxious with subs because of d).  Ryan was fine until I was leaving school and he was going to class and he nervously said, “Mom, what about the crickets?”

With d, just like in life, it’s the little things, the individualized efforts, that make all the difference.

Love you, Mrs. W, and are looking forward to a wonderful year!