School nurses complete the community circle
By Konstantina Hernandez
Over my 28-year career as a teacher and school counselor, I have worked with a handful of school nurses. Each of them has been amazing, offering up maternal medical intuition, making sure our students are taken care of medically. If I take all of those qualities to create one very perfect, unique and professional young woman, it would be my current school nurse, Grace Ricigliano.
In my opinion, school nurses tend to be overlooked. We all know how extremely hard teachers work. We know what a challenging setting the classroom can be. For that reason, we praise our educators and paraprofessionals, knowing that day after day they are showing up on the frontline. Every year in May, we celebrate nurses, including school nurses. This year, I would like to uplift a nurse who is essential to our school.
Let’s talk about the unsung hero — my school nurse, Grace. Her name describes her perfectly.
Let’s talk about the unsung hero — my school nurse, Grace. Her name describes her perfectly. Grace’s office is truly never empty. It is a space bustling with children sent to her, asking to see her or just checking in on her to see her smile. Grace deals with our students calmly and with an open heart. She has seen it all — calmly giving staff directives as a student is seizing, waiting for the ambulance and an emotional mother, caring for a staff member with a broken ankle, administering an EpiPen, giving Band-Aids to little boo-boos, holding bloody noses, addressing tummy aches and never refusing a new patient despite the fact that she hasn’t had a moment to herself or had a snack all day.
Nurse Grace completes the circle at my school. She bridges the connection between the classroom and home. She exudes professionalism, intelligence, patience and love. For that, I am truly grateful for Grace. I appreciate her collaboration in all aspects of what our jobs entail. Grace is a vital part of our team and is a critical link in the circle of gratitude.
Konstantina Hernandez has been a member of the North Bergen (N.J.) Federation of Teachers, Local 1060, for 27 years. She was a teacher for seven years and has been a school counselor for 20 years. She is a national trainer for the AFT.
Want to read more stories about our inspiring AFT members? Sign up for our e-newsletters.
