>On the second day of school, a parent brought in cupcakes for a child's
>birthday without consulting the teacher beforehand.  So the teacher was
>faced with a difficult decision...to give a cupcake to Seth or not to.
>They tried to call me, but I was at the beach with my younger son :-D
>

That's why my wife carries a pager. We let the school know that they are to
call with *any* questions, whether there is an emergency or not.

>The teacher set aside the several extra cupcakes, and told Seth that if
>I read the ingredients (they were storebought) and said they were OK, he
>could take home all 4 of the extras!  He was allowed to have special
>computer time while the other children had their treat.
>
>When I arrived and inspected the ingredient list, and confirmed that
>Seth could indeed eat this treat, the teacher, with a big smile, handed
>Seth a bag with the cupcakes, and praised him for being such a great
>sport about waiting for me to say OK.
>
What a caring and thoughtful teacher - she truly understands how to salvage
a difficult situation!

>He was pleased as punch! (He got extra cupcakes to take home!) She was
>pleased as punch!  And I was as pleased as that and more, and thanked
>her for her caution and caring and for helping Seth handle the situation
>with such ease.
>
>Isn't that a great way to start the school year?
>
Yes! It is quite reassuring to know that your child is with a teacher who
"gets it."

If you can afford is, a pager is a worthwhile investment, especially in
emergencies.

Also consider sending a special treat box into school for those times when
he can't eat the special food. I've found that no matter how hard you try,
there are just people out there who don't get food allergies and won't
remember to call in advance to say that a treat is coming in. But you do
have an opportunity to improve matters. You might have the teacher mention
at a school open-house that there is a child in the class with
life-threatening food allergies and that she would prefer to know in
advance if any food items are to be brought into the classroom. If we don't
do our bit to educate people, it just won't get done.

Good luck - I hope all of your experiences this year are as pleasant and
reassuring.

Mark

____________________________________________________________
Mark Feblowitz                  GTE Laboratories Incorporated
[log in to unmask]              40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, MA 02154-1120