Pathology

Our school has been pretty lucky, so far. Last year we had one confirmed case.This year we think we may have another. Oddly enough, it seems to strike primarily fifth grade boys. The symptoms aren't that easy to detect. A lot of what kids go through at that age sometimes gets confused with the actual thing. Yes, we are all still very concerned with the spread of H1N1, but I am presently on the lookout for the outbreak of "Thug Flu."
Last year, Evan began the year quietly enough, but by the time Spring rolled around, he had begun to show the initial signs: baseball cap with the stickers still carefully in place, baggy t-shirt and jeans, and an overall monochromatic fashion sense. What he wore wasn't the problem, though. The attitude was the issue. He went from caring to surly in a matter of days. He was saving his files in the computer lab as "Evan Gangsta." Even his spelling became a concern.
The good news was that a few phone calls home helped straighten Evan out. It became apparent that too much contact with carriers of the virus had escalated the early onset of Thugness. With the attention of his parents, Evan was able to make a speedy recovery. This year's case may not be as easy to fix.
Thomas comes to us from another school, where last year he had already begun to show indications of infection. Fourth grade is a pretty young age to announce your gang affiliation, but that didn't seem to be a big enough warning sign. Before we ran our laps in PE the other day, this ten-year-old announced "Gangstas don't run. They walk."
His baseball cap was pulled down low, and later in the day he began decorating his arms with faux tatoos, inspired no doubt by the folks back home. Brothers, cousins, friends. We can only hope that we won't have to battle this bug alone. We hope the parents can keep up the treatment at home. It's hard to keep a completely sterile environment, but the hope is that Thomas can go back to living a normal ten-year-old life. Whatever that is.