LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Lubbock ISD is celebrating National School Nurses Day by recognizing those who keep kids healthy enough to learn.
Jennifer Spieker, a nurse at Brown Elementary School, is one of those nurses. Patie Braden, student health coordinator for Lubbock ISD, said students love Spieker and she’s always listening for what they need.
“What problems are the kids having? And then she takes those problems and creates a way to educate and prevent illness and health issues,” Braden said. “So she just goes above and beyond with her creativity to help educate the kids.”
One of Spieker’s creative and most popular lessons is a “Takis and Hot Cheetos” bulletin board, teaching kids spicy snacks can be tough on their stomachs.
“My bulletin boards out there, the ideas come up from the kids, things that I’m seeing on a frequent basis,” Spieker said. “And it’s just a way to reach all of the kiddos, because if I’ve got one or two, they’re asking that question, then it’s probably something they all need to know about.”
The creativity goes beyond bulletin boards. Spieker uses puppets to teach students about hygiene, injuries and illness.
“It’s not just band-aids and ice packs. It’s health education. It’s chronic illnesses. It’s a lot of things,” Spieker said. “So I’ll start seeing children as soon as the door opens in the morning.”
Spieker is there for more than just scraped knees, helping students however she can.
AJ Garcia, a kindergartner at Brown Elementary, said Spieker helps him every day with his learning experience.
“I want to say that our school nurses are often unseen,” Braden said. “We do it because we love our kids and we want to take good care of them.”
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