The Teacher Meeting: Some of our best meetings have included the school nurse, who is usually well versed with the specific teacher's diabetes experience. We usually start the teacher meeting with Josh doing a quick demonstration of a blood sugar test and showing his insulin pump. We want the teacher to see how he tests and to understand the process. For a younger child, be sure to include specific training about who will test and how testing should be performed.

We discuss symptoms of high blood sugar and what should be done. We make sure our child can have unlimited access to water and to the bathroom. We discuss symptoms of low blood sugar and how to treat it. We also discuss that diabetes is not an excuse for missed work, but that some things will have to be done later or made up if Josh's blood sugar is low or very, very high. Check out the ADA's new one-page handout entitled "Ten Tips for Teachers."

While writing this I realized that I lost my outlines, 504 plan drafts and diabetes instructions when my computer crashed last spring. So I'm starting from scratch, like some of you may be doing.

Good luck! Be proactive. Teach your child to be proactive, and I hope that you have wonderful teachers and a school nurse join your diabetes team this year.