The Lice Go Marching, One by One...

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I have not given lice much thought lately.  

My first year teaching second grade was an eye opener.  For the first time, I looked down at students' papers and top of their heads.  Well, let me tell you.  

Looking down at Alejandro's papers, my eyes were drawn to his short hair.  I could have sworn his hair was moving.  But, no.  His hair was thoroughly infesting with lice.  

That meant I had to march my class to the nurse's office, where each student would have a hair-lice check.  Alejandro was pulled out immediately, followed by a few other students.  

Also, any sibling of the lice-infected child would be checked, along with his/her class. That child probably had lice as well.

The bewildered students were sent home where mothers would buy special shampoo to treat the vermin.  Every place the child's head might have been also had to be thoroughly cleaned: beds and linens, furniture, stuffed animals, clothing, etc. Using a special very fined toothed comb, parents would have to meticulously remove lice, to ensure louse removal.

The below video may answer any questions you might have.

This was a massive undertaking, which not every parent did, or at least did completely.

Alejandro came back with a nearly shaved head, and some girls came back with short hair.  Then hair would again be checked for any nits/eggs left behind.  This process could take a full week.

Even though my hair was short, it always felt itchy after that.  The nurse checked me out--always fine.

What brought this odd subject up?  

Last night, when attending my granddaughter's band concert, a kindergarten boy was sitting on his mother's lap in front of me, when his aunt pulled a louse from his hair.  Mom grabbed his head and searched through it, bit by bit. 

I don't know if this was a one-off event, but it sure made me remember.

So, there you are. If you are curious and want to know more, please watch this YouTube video.  Very enlightening and entertaining, much more so than the video above.