Not a good day! I got punched in the face by a student today and ended up in hospital with concussion.

[Ronin]

Would it help to get a doctor note that you can't give the report now, will do so at the earliest opportunity?

Or stick to the shortest you can with what you have straight, they can request details later / buys you time.

 

[ms spock]

Once I was punched in the head I should have called an ambulance, but I was worried about the welfare of my students. So I kept running back and forth between the two situations. I thought once I rang the Front Office I would receive assistance and a First Aid Person - that was my expectation when I rang for help. I failed to respond to the lack of support adequately because I was concussed and worried about my kids. I kept expecting that I would be taken to the hospital, doctors or sent home. I failed to adequately assess their inadequate response.

So I have to do the legal thing now. I have to write it all out what happened.

I just spent the day in hospital with B, who is so ill that he can barely stand and who has been vomiting since 3am this morning. I could barely stand up and walk. I can barely follow a conversation, but I went because I was worried that he would get lost. He was more vague than I was. It has not been an easy day of it.

I am so vague I didn't even think to catch a taxi to the hospital. I tried to text a couple of friends to come because I can't drive I am post concussion. We were there for many hours.

I have been advised to legally cover myself I need to dot point everything that happened that day, which was Monday and today is Thursday. I have drafts of stuff I have tried to write but it is all garbled.

At the hospital they wouldn't fill the script despite the fact I explained I can't drive. I can barely participate in a conversation and I was punched in the head by a student on Monday and cannot manage. So now I have to get in another taxi and put in a script and get the drugs for B.

I will have to do it tonight @The Albatross - write it all out and submit it either tonight or tomorrow morning. If it is too late then I will appeal or complain or whatever. I can barely talk to people. B tried to talk to me whilst we were waiting at the hospital and I asked him to stop because I can't follow what he is saying.

The school hasn't rung to check on me or get a report from me, so I don't know if they are being negligent as well. I have at least let my Teacher's Union member know on the day it happened that I couldn't get to PD (yes it was on managing challenging behaviours the irony was not lost on me) due to the fact that I had been punched in the face by a student, it's not much documentation but it is some documentation.

@Ronin - great idea but I can't get to a doctor right now because I seriously have to lie down again, but I could have gotten a letter yesterday to say I can't write a report because I cannot get back to my doctor - so I am ringing them right now because that is a great idea. I will ask the receptionist to ask the doctor to write me a note about that. Thanks for that the receptionist is going to speak to the doctor.

Anyway - brutal dot point as an initial outline and they can ask for more details is an excellent idea. Thanks @Ronin - just bare bones and you know that might do for now. The school hasn't asked me for anything officially. They didn't ring and check on me. I perceived that I was blamed and told I should have asked for help when I had asked for help and told everyone I had been punched in the face. But the welfare of the students was what I was focusing on. Fortunately I didn't respond to that because the child had not received medical assistance yet, and I had not seen that assault.

I was told it was a highly reactive class at the beginning of the day and next time I will ring an ambulance if I am assaulted as the office did nothing to assist me - they didn't send someone down immediately which is why I was running between two places, which meant that one of the boys got an injury. It was a disaster. I told people I had been punched in the face - the good teacher but I don't think she got how bad I was - she told me about a slash down the face that she had received from the same student last year. It was gross she said.

I can't remember all the time sequences.

 

[ms spock]

If I had been in the room the injury wouldn't have occurred because I would have separated and redirected those boys. I felt terribly guilty when I saw the injury and I said to one of the senior guys I feel like this is my fault because I wasn't in the room. I wasn't in the room because no one came to help me, and I didn't manage the situation because I had been punched in the face and was no longer managing.

So I was honest but I didn't get to tell my part of the story. I was also waiting for help and First Aid, and at some point I forgot I was waiting for that. I did keep telling everyone who walked into the room that I had been punched in the face though.

If I lose my teacher's licence, whatever, I will just find other work. There will be other options. It's just a shit because I am not in a state to manage this situation. I can't talk to anyone. I can only text them.

I am scared to email the Teacher's Union because if I say it the wrong way I could get myself in more trouble.

This is too much stress.

 

[ms spock]

Yeah well I heard from a friend. She came and brought food. She took me to the chemist to get B some food and then she said she would write it all down for me. She was kind and reassuring. I said am post concussion. She bought some food whilst I sat outside.

I have an appointment with the doctor next Wednesday at 1pm @Ronin she wants to talk to me about it, so that is good. I told the receptionist I was too disorientated to ask for what I needed which was a letter to write that I am too disorientated to write it all down. The doctor did offer to write me a letter at the time. If only I had read your post before I went @Ronin, damn it my psychic abilities suck again.

My friend offered to write it all down and my psychiatrist said to do it dot point briefly when I spoke to her this morning briefly but I need to rest. My poor brain has had too much today. I will deal tomorrow.

I am done.

 

[Ronin]

Damn injuries, screwing even with your psychic abilities, right. :hug: (Where it she lol emoji that laughs at the joke, but not at your state and issues, just when I need it.)

Giving it time sounds solid.
Good you have caring friends, too. :tup:

 

[ms spock]

Yeah @Ronin

I should have sent B to the hospital on his own. He would have been kept there. I am just not thinking things through properly.

 

[ms spock]

I have written some basic dot points down.

 

[Teasel]

Wishing you a speedy recovery and for this horrid situation to end well as can be :hug:

 

[ms spock]

Wrote to Teacher's Union advised my doctor too concussed to write incident report, will have review on X date will contact then. That's all I can do. Resting now.

 

[littleoc]

Glad you're resting.

 

[Friday]

They left a (brand new) teacher with serious head trauma alone with vulnerable students. No medical aid for the teacher. No competent adult to supervise the children.

If this were the states you wouldn’t be at risk of losing your license, they’d be at risk of you and the students’ parents suing them for millions. From the moment you suffered a concussion, x10 after you called for help after suffering concussion, everything that followed was the negligence of the school.

I’d strongly recommend having a non-concussed person write out your bullet points / incident report for you. Very possibly a lawyer, if Aus is anything like the US in regards to CYA.

 

[barefoot]

I agree with @Friday in that I don’t see how this can all come back on you and end up with you losing your job/teaching license.

You had been assaulted and had a head injury as a result. You called the office for help. None came.

In your state - shocked, shaken and injured following being attacked - you should never have been left to deal with the volatile student or to continue with your class.

I hope the union rep can help with some advice.

And I would make it very clear in your report that you requested assistance several times as you knew you were not in a fit state to continue to supervise the class.

Yes, a student got injured by another student when you were out of the room. No teacher ever wants that to happen, of course. But I don’t see that you’ve done anything wrong here.

Something horrible happened - you reported that and asked for assistance and the school did nothing. While things ended up getting messy, I don’t see how you’re at fault at all.