Dear School Nurse,
Well, here it is almost February, I bet you sure have been busy. Maybe you think nobody knows just how busy you've been, but trust me, I know. First there was all those new kids to set up records on, then there were immunizations to track, then there was head lice checks, and now there are bunches of kids catching all the usual things and getting sick.
I know this school nurse in New Hampshire who always wished there was some way she could fit in some health promotion stuff too. Teachers were always coming to her asking her if she could please come to the class to do a little talk on something or other, like....oh.germs, body odor, dressing appropriately, hand washing, not eating junk food, going to bed early enough...all those things school nurses know kids need to know, but teachers aren't sure how to talk about. The school nurse wanted to do that, she really did. But taking care of things in the school health room is a full-time job, and she couldn't seem to get time to teach about health too. One day, she said to herself, but loud enough for me to hear."I wish the Wuz some help with this.I am just too busy to start from scratch!"
Now, here's how I got involved. When someone says the words, "I wish there Wuz...." my ears perk right up, and I hear them. My name, in case you hadn't noticed is Wuzzy, Wuz for short. My ancestors were just ordinary bears , and Kipling wrote about my great-great-grandfather, Fuzzy Wuzzy. Great great grandpa married into the Teddy Bear Family. His sons moved up north and homesteaded in New England for a generation, and then I was born, a real mongrel, with a little Wuzzy and Teddy on my papa's side, and Care Bear on my mother's side. (Scrubby Bear is no relation). Anyway, I heard that school nurse, and I wrote to her, just like I am doing with you. I said there sure wuz some help for busy school nurses, and I am Wuz.
I told her that I can't talk, but I sure can write, and that maybe kids would like hearing what kids need to know from me instead of from some talking grown up. Heck, kids love mail, and teachers love something a little different, they need a break too. Besides, I was tired of sitting on a shelf with a bunch of other stuffed animals, and realized I needed a life....... purpose........ an outlet for my creative side.....self-actualization even. So me and that school nurse teamed up, and my career as a health letter writer took off.
So here's the point: Letters From Wuzzy are written with the health expertise and experience of a school nurse, and with the heart and humor of a bear. Here's what you do with them.
One day, a letter mysteriously appears in the class. The teacher says, "Oh my, what an unusual looking envelope! What can it be?" She opens it. "Why, it's a letter to the class! And it's from a bear named Wuzzy! Children, listen, I will read it to you." That first letter always hooks them. Because I am not like an adult, I am like a kid. Only I am a very smart cookie.
The letters keep coming, appearing mysteriously when the children aren't there. Since you, the school nurse, have a whole book full of letters on many topics, you pick and choose the ones to send. The teacher will tip you off about which one is needed sometimes, but often you will know already because school nurses are like that.
You can use my letters as mini- lessons which the teacher can read and discuss or as customized starting points for a lesson she has planned . If you want to have them hand-delivered by a Bear in a Basket, just get yourself a cute little bear and name him Wuzzy. Put the envelope in the basket with him. You can be sure that he will assume his own personna and that no one will miss his letters. His presence will serve as a magical reminder that he is a part of the class, and that he doesn't miss much. The advantage of having a cute little bear in a basket is that sometimes, I like to bring along little incentives too, like stickers, story books ( I have a suggested reading list you can either purchase or borrow from your school library) . I do all the work, the kids get the message, the teacher gets the lesson, and you, Wonderful, Busy School Nurse, get the credit. I even include some letters that you can use as a response to all the mail you will get when kids start writing to Wuzzy with their own questions.
See the topics and read the samples from the link below. And then, if you want me to move into your school, click the link at the end of the samples for ordering information. There's an introductory letter to the class from Wuzzy designed to be the first letter you send. . There isn't anything I can't talk about with elementary sensitivity, even things like ADD, getting glasses, body odor, and bathroom issues. I hope to hear from you, because I know that we both believe that it is better to build children than to fix adults.... that's why we are in this line of work.
Love Wuzzy
