Lynn Huggins Cooper (www.lynnhugginscooper.co.uk)

Had a cold lately? Or a sore throat? How about a dodgy belly? Minor (but no less debilitating) illnesses are the scourge of students and new teachers. I had a tutor at University who told us, depressingly, that every time we went into a new school, we dipped ourselves into a new pool of germs. Cheery picture, isn't it? Unfortunately, it seems to be true.

As we immerse ourselves in a new group of people, we expose ourselves to the slightly different variants of, particularly, the 'common cold' virus. Our poor bodies have to fight off each new strain, and that can be quite difficult. Sometimes, it feels to the poor beleaguered student or new teacher that they have a cold for months on end. It is much more likely that they are catching 'serial colds', but the fact is they never have the time between infections to recover properly.

It's not that your class are a seething mass of infection, either (OK, they might be). It's more in the tactile nature of young children. The amount of infections you get are in direct proportion to the age of the children you teach. If you are teaching KS3 or above, you may be unlucky and be sneezed or coughed on - but that's about it. In KS2, you enter the margins of the danger zone. Children are more likely to crowd closely as you demonstrate an experiment or the finer points of multiplication. Then you hit the hot spot - KS1 and Early Years. Be afraid. Very afraid. The children will cluster around you, tugging at your clothing and bodily parts, reminding you of the scarier scenes in the Night of the Living Dead. They may stroke your hair absent mindedly, or snuggle up to your legs during story time. I once had a child who couldn't resist a huge blue flowing hippy skirt I used to wear - she used to try to wrap herself in it when I wasn't looking. And I was wearing it at the time.

These little ones, in the main, have yet to learn the finer points of nose - blowing. Enough said. Make sure you have a fancy box of tissues handy - you may even manage to hand one out without looking at the sniffer directly, which is useful if you are squeamish! In time, you will manage to teach them to go and help themselves to a tissue.

Make sure you point out to the children in your class, in a low key way, without making anyone embarrassed or awkward, that germs are spread easily by coughs and sneezes. Perhaps something along the lines of, 'Oh dear - you DO have a bad cold! Would you like to take some hankies from the box for the next time you sneeze? Then you'll be ready and the germs won't spread so easily.'

But apart from the 'classroom - as - plaguepit' scenario, there are other reasons why students and new teachers walk around in a cloud of 'Vic', leaving a trail of hankies behind them like Hansel in the woods. Not that I wish to sound like your mother, but you are probably getting what is scientifically known as 'A Bit Run Down'. You will be working long hours, and getting very tired. Added to the lack of sleep, the stress of your new role also lowers your immune system. Your eating habits may be at best sporadic, and at worst a catalogue of pot noodles and fast food. You may find you have little time for relaxation or exercise - and when you are getting to school in the morning in the dark, and coming home again in the dark, outdoor exercise and fresh air - or indeed any exercise - may be the last thing you feel like.

But the message is - you MUST take care of yourself. A little bit of time spent eating the right food, getting a decent amount of sleep and some exercise will help you to beat more infections - even in the formidably germ - filled air of the average classroom!

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