A teacher has come up with a novel way to ensure children wash their hands thoroughly during the coronavirus crisis – and her response has gone viral.
Shauna Woods, 29, a teacher at Hallsville School in Missouri uses a stamp with the inscription, “Ms Woods” to keep her name on books. Now she puts the stamp on the hands of pupils, to ensure hands are washed for long enough for the stamp to be removed.
Have you had a similar idea to encourage pupils to wash their hands thoroughly? Let us know in the comments below.
Coronavirus in schools: what is the Government’s advice on washing hands
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has often said: “The single best thing we can do… is just wash our hands.”
Schools are known for being mass spreaders of viruses. According to Science Magazine, “Closing schools before there’s a case, have been shown to be one of the most powerful nonpharmaceutical interventions that we can deploy.
“When you close the schools, you reduce the mixing of adults-parents dropping off at the school, the teachers being present. When you close the schools, you effectively require the parent to stay at home.”
It is one of the reasons why there have been powerful calls to close schools in the UK, and also emphasises why there is great pressure on teachers to ensure children wash their hands during the pandemic.
Ms Woods’ idea to ensure children wash their hands thoroughly
The idea from Ms Woods is to ensure children are stamped before they leave the classroom for the bathroom.
If they have washed their hands for the required amounts of time, the stamps should have begun to disappear.
She also awards students who have washed their hands thoroughly with a prize at the end of the day.
Reaction to her idea
This idea has gone viral, with 50,000 likes and plenty of shares.
One Facebook commentator said: “This is great. Kids are kids and they run, play, touch everything, put things in their mouths – and hardly ever wash their hands unless instructed to do so.
“This is a great way to remind them and encourage them to wash the germs away. Way to go!”
What is your idea for ensuring children wash their hands? Let us know in the comments below.
What EDLounge can do to help your school in the pandemic
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