I went back to school this weekend with my two-year-old granddaughter, Grace.
Grace on the next leg of her journey. Photo courtesy of her mommy.
The curriculum was tough; learning to share, developing eye-hand coordination, acquiring social skills, exploring cause and effect.
The preschool teacher seemed to know all about cause and effect; more than most. During our 90-minute morning class, we (13 children and at least one accompanying adult per child) all lined up three times and took turns washing our hands: before we entered the classroom, before snack time and again after snack time.
I was responsible for bringing the snacks and preparing said snacks; before serving those snacks, protocol included wiping down the tables where the children would be eating with a solution of water and bleach (approximately 99 parts water, 1 part bleach) both before and after serving the snacks.
I am now officially a germaphobe; which should serve me well the next time I hop onboard an airplane.
The preschool teacher seemed to know all about cause and effect; more than most. During our 90-minute morning class, we (13 children and at least one accompanying adult per child) all lined up three times and took turns washing our hands: before we entered the classroom, before snack time and again after snack time.
I was responsible for bringing the snacks and preparing said snacks; before serving those snacks, protocol included wiping down the tables where the children would be eating with a solution of water and bleach (approximately 99 parts water, 1 part bleach) both before and after serving the snacks.
I am now officially a germaphobe; which should serve me well the next time I hop onboard an airplane.
No, that's not an airplane; it's a petri dish waiting for new specimens.
Most public places are a hotbed of germs that rarely even register concern when it comes to my health, but there’s something about spending time in an enclosed space breathing recycled air while sitting next to a fellow passenger who is sneezing and coughing sans an appropriately placed elbow or tissue that tends to highlight the risks associated with close contact and the transmission of germs.
Can’t we all just be good little boys and girls and cover our coughs?
Ever see the hit movie Contagion?
Suffice it to say, an airplane plays a big factor in the nightmare surrounding the world-wide spread of a deadly virus. Even without Hollywood to up the ante, on a typical flight of 100 passengers, statistics show that approximately five people will be ill with a cold or flu.
No thanks, I’ll pass on that blanket and pillow if it doesn’t come sealed in plastic.
Apparently you should pass on the water, too, as well as water-based coffee and tea when the flight attendants come down the aisles with that beverage cart.
Seems a handful of random samplings of 327 unnamed domestic and international aircraft water tanks tested positive for E. coli before the EPA’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule went into effect in October, 2011. Although subsequent samples by the EPA have revealed reduced levels of E. coli, I’ve decided to pass on a starring role when it comes to food poisoning. That role is just too gut-wrenching.
Note to self: Bring my own bottled water to stay hydrated. Caffeine doesn’t help with hydration anyway.
Why can’t we all just be good little boys and girls and wash our hands, too? How do you think those yucky, germy surfaces in the airplane got that way?
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), approximately 31% of men and 65% of women wash their hands after using a public restroom. Really, guys?! Perhaps that explains why in a 2007 study by University of Arizona researcher Jonathan Sexton, an alarming 60% of his samples from the tray tables of three major airlines tested positive for the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), an often fatal virus once contracted.
I bet a little water and bleach would take care of those germy tray-tables.
Can’t we all just be good little boys and girls and cover our coughs?
Ever see the hit movie Contagion?
Suffice it to say, an airplane plays a big factor in the nightmare surrounding the world-wide spread of a deadly virus. Even without Hollywood to up the ante, on a typical flight of 100 passengers, statistics show that approximately five people will be ill with a cold or flu.
No thanks, I’ll pass on that blanket and pillow if it doesn’t come sealed in plastic.
Apparently you should pass on the water, too, as well as water-based coffee and tea when the flight attendants come down the aisles with that beverage cart.
Seems a handful of random samplings of 327 unnamed domestic and international aircraft water tanks tested positive for E. coli before the EPA’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule went into effect in October, 2011. Although subsequent samples by the EPA have revealed reduced levels of E. coli, I’ve decided to pass on a starring role when it comes to food poisoning. That role is just too gut-wrenching.
Note to self: Bring my own bottled water to stay hydrated. Caffeine doesn’t help with hydration anyway.
Why can’t we all just be good little boys and girls and wash our hands, too? How do you think those yucky, germy surfaces in the airplane got that way?
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), approximately 31% of men and 65% of women wash their hands after using a public restroom. Really, guys?! Perhaps that explains why in a 2007 study by University of Arizona researcher Jonathan Sexton, an alarming 60% of his samples from the tray tables of three major airlines tested positive for the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), an often fatal virus once contracted.
I bet a little water and bleach would take care of those germy tray-tables.
Our cell phones are another hotbed when it comes to germs. At least they're our own germs; right Jim?
Of course, my last flight involving a layover (which just happened to occur within the last two weeks, mind you) landed and took off in a matter of minutes. I didn’t observe anybody wiping down the tray tables with bleach and water during the short time we were grounded. Tsk, tsk! I did observe anywhere from 50 to 100 more germ-invested people board our plane. At least Jimmy and I stuck with our original seats rather than jump from one petri dish to another.
As far as I could tell, no one did a clean sweep of the restrooms either (let’s not even go there, literally or figuratively), much less the seat pockets below the nasty tray tables housing all those germy onboard magazines and who knows what else. Ever notice that when those seat pockets do get attention, all hands on deck are covered in latex gloves?
Note to self: Forget the latex gloves, and the seat pockets; in lieu of a bottle of bleach water, pack Lysol disinfectant wipes in carry-on and use freely for hands and surfaces.
As far as I could tell, no one did a clean sweep of the restrooms either (let’s not even go there, literally or figuratively), much less the seat pockets below the nasty tray tables housing all those germy onboard magazines and who knows what else. Ever notice that when those seat pockets do get attention, all hands on deck are covered in latex gloves?
Note to self: Forget the latex gloves, and the seat pockets; in lieu of a bottle of bleach water, pack Lysol disinfectant wipes in carry-on and use freely for hands and surfaces.
Okay, you won't get past security with this, but you get the idea.
As usual, time spent with my grandchildren always seems to deliver fresh insights into life’s lessons, even ones as simply as washing your hands frequently.
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