LCPS School closed for a week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in finance for a company. We have reporting requirements at the end of every quarter. No one in our department takes off at the end of a quarter and in fact we work extra hours. We don’t whine or stomp our feet or tell our bosses “it’s our leave and we’ll do what we want!” We have 40+ other weeks a year we can take off. This isn’t that hard people.

But that’s not how it should be. For any of us. You really think it’s normal or ok that for a whole quarter filled with holidays employees not only don’t take time off to rest and celebrate but WORK HARDER to make a company money you will never see? You really think that company would collapse if you weren’t there December 22-24? Covid has really laid bare how much some of you have built your identity around some goofy sense of honor of working yourselves into the ground for n o t h i n g.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in finance for a company. We have reporting requirements at the end of every quarter. No one in our department takes off at the end of a quarter and in fact we work extra hours. We don’t whine or stomp our feet or tell our bosses “it’s our leave and we’ll do what we want!” We have 40+ other weeks a year we can take off. This isn’t that hard people.

But that’s not how it should be. For any of us. You really think it’s normal or ok that for a whole quarter filled with holidays employees not only don’t take time off to rest and celebrate but WORK HARDER to make a company money you will never see? You really think that company would collapse if you weren’t there December 22-24? Covid has really laid bare how much some of you have built your identity around some goofy sense of honor of working yourselves into the ground for n o t h i n g.

This kind of attitude is why China is going to win. I'm really hoping the folks who are, for example, monitoring the hypersonic missile coming over the South Pole don't just decide to take leave because they're owed it.

I really think these posters who are insisting all leave must be taken whenever they want must just push papers around all day.

[Anonymous]

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We all know that’s in place to prevent people from doing things like taking a month off. Some of my colleagues have 220+ days banked and could technically “take off” an entire year with those days. A one off personal day isn’t going to get denied and if it does guess what, you just wake up sick and call in. You’re all so weird with this “well I let my employer dictate every single thing I do and I would never ever inconvenience my job.” It’s a JOB. It doesn’t care about you or love you back or honor any single sacrifice you make. Take a day. I swear those schools and offices will still function.

Do you work for LCPS? Because teachers and school staff get just 3 personal days per year. If they go unused, they roll over to sick leave, so the next year you again have just three personal days. So you can't just take a month off. You can't take more than three sick days without a doctor's note. And yes, a single personal day CAN be denied if coverage is not expected to be found.

I used to think the rules and regulations around leave made no sense, but I see their wisdom in light of comments like this. Some jobs are more flexible with when you take your leave. Many--like teaching and medical care--are understandably less flexible, as there is a minimum number of staff who must be present to get the job done. I 100% support us using the leave we are allotted and taking care of ourselves and our families, but we can't all take the same two days and say "well, I hope someone else shows up to teach the kids."

Yes I do. And to be clear , I didn’t take off for 11/3 or 11/5. I didn’t take off a single day last year so as not to burden my colleagues and I should have. I don’t blame any teacher for taking their days off just like I don’t blame any other employee. Those are your days. If someone takes one, we figure it out. The issue is there’s no subs who want those days either. And the bus drivers would call out. And we simply don’t have enough. Like every other industry in the country we have a shortage of employees . It is is what it is. Feel free to apply to sub or drive a bus because that is truly the only solution here. Not banning all employees from ever taking a day.

Stop with the hysteria. No one is banning anyone from “ever taking a day.” It’s certain days, and tons of industries ban employees from taking leave on certain days. Enough with the fake persecution.

People are literally calling teachers lazy and entitled for taking days. I’m not hysterical, I’m explaining to you workers have rights. Even you! Those are benefits of your job.

Still wrong. “Workers” in many many industries cannot just take any day off they like because it’s “their leave” and they can “use it whenever they want to.” It doesn’t work like that. Grow up.

This is such a pathetic mindset. It really is. You yourself are allowed to devote your life to a job that doesn’t care about you but stop with the moral judgment of people who realize a job is a job. The job will either figure it out or replace you but some things in your life don’t need to revolve around that job. Your loved ones are only here for awhile. How many times a year do you see your parents? For me, it’s 2 at best. I’ve got maybe 40 more times in my whole life to see my mom. Think about that. And I’m gonna miss one of those because the day I can see her is inconvenient for my job? Please.

Don’t have to explain yourself. Let alone to random strangers and mentally warped people.
They have an indentured vision of a teacher. They really think they rule over us. I’m taking the week before Xmas break starts off so I can have a longer stay with my parents. Precisely for the reason you have indicated. And there’s not a damn thing anyone can or will do anything about it.

How? You only have 3 personal days. So I think you are a troll.

I love how the first resort is to call someone a troll. That demonstrates that you’re either extremely ignorant or blatantly bothered (or triggered) that we can pull this off.

How, do you ask? Simple. Just spoke with my principal and got permission to use my 3 personal days + 2 sick days. Makes 5 days.

So my last class is Friday December 10th. Flying away on Saturday the 11th. flying back on Sunday January 2nd. In class Monday January 3rd.

I know you dont believe it which makes the trip even sweeter.

[Anonymous]

The attitude of this entire thread is why my sister received an email this weekend as a heads-up that her daughter's teacher had quit. Less than 12 weeks into the school year and a teacher with 10+ years of experience quit. Insane.

Last week my neighbor had part of another 2nd grade class join hers. They carried their little chairs into her room with some supplies and followed along with her lessons for the day. Why? Because at 10:30 they still had no sub and couldn't make coverage work for the whole day. The Principal broke them up into little pods to try to keep as much social distancing as possible in the classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The attitude of this entire thread is why my sister received an email this weekend as a heads-up that her daughter's teacher had quit. Less than 12 weeks into the school year and a teacher with 10+ years of experience quit. Insane.

Last week my neighbor had part of another 2nd grade class join hers. They carried their little chairs into her room with some supplies and followed along with her lessons for the day. Why? Because at 10:30 they still had no sub and couldn't make coverage work for the whole day. The Principal broke them up into little pods to try to keep as much social distancing as possible in the classrooms.

+1

Stop driving away the teachers, bullies. You are part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else predicting the same for the week of Thanksgiving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else predicting the same for the week of Thanksgiving?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else predicting the same for the week of Thanksgiving?

Can’t decide. They haven’t officially notified us those are “high volume” days yet but they always are and subs NEVER want them (subs don’t want the days before break). So we have trouble staffing them in NORMAL years, let alone this year with the sub/bus drivers shortages. I think it goes one of 3 ways:

1. They call them as asynchronous independent work days (I think this unlikely since they are already doing it the 3/5 week)
2. They just make it work and schools split up classes the way PP above mentions her 2nd grade neighbor had to do (and btw I think that was my kids’ school because my 2nd grader had to join another class last Friday because her poor teacher couldn’t get a sub). They will have their teacher’s work provided on Schoology but go sit in another class and do it.
3. They make the district level employees come in and sub again which they had to do 2 Fridays ago due to sub shortages. The issue there is those employee also want to take days and might have done so.

I’m guessing 2 is the winner since really those are no new content / show a movie / do make up work days anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else predicting the same for the week of Thanksgiving?

Yes.
I’m a LCPS parent (older DD is in K this year, so we are new to this). DH and I both work full time and are fortunate we can juggle schedules that week to cover for the 2 additional days off. I feel for the parents who can’t. I’m now making plans to arrange for some sort of childcare coverage for the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week in anticipation that this will happen again.
Both my mom and my MIL are retired elementary school teachers, and they were never allowed to use personal days immediately before or after a scheduled school holiday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else predicting the same for the week of Thanksgiving?

Yes.
I’m a LCPS parent (older DD is in K this year, so we are new to this). DH and I both work full time and are fortunate we can juggle schedules that week to cover for the 2 additional days off. I feel for the parents who can’t. I’m now making plans to arrange for some sort of childcare coverage for the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week in anticipation that this will happen again.
Both my mom and my MIL are retired elementary school teachers, and they were never allowed to use personal days immediately before or after a scheduled school holiday.

I am a teacher and I usually take the Tuesday of thanksgiving week because we travel. It’s never been an issue, usually because I put in for it the day we return for in service in august and I don’t habitually take leave any other time. It isnt “forbidden,” they just ask you be mindful to put in for it early and understand if you wait til mid November it probably won’t be approved at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We all know that’s in place to prevent people from doing things like taking a month off. Some of my colleagues have 220+ days banked and could technically “take off” an entire year with those days. A one off personal day isn’t going to get denied and if it does guess what, you just wake up sick and call in. You’re all so weird with this “well I let my employer dictate every single thing I do and I would never ever inconvenience my job.” It’s a JOB. It doesn’t care about you or love you back or honor any single sacrifice you make. Take a day. I swear those schools and offices will still function.

Do you work for LCPS? Because teachers and school staff get just 3 personal days per year. If they go unused, they roll over to sick leave, so the next year you again have just three personal days. So you can't just take a month off. You can't take more than three sick days without a doctor's note. And yes, a single personal day CAN be denied if coverage is not expected to be found.

I used to think the rules and regulations around leave made no sense, but I see their wisdom in light of comments like this. Some jobs are more flexible with when you take your leave. Many--like teaching and medical care--are understandably less flexible, as there is a minimum number of staff who must be present to get the job done. I 100% support us using the leave we are allotted and taking care of ourselves and our families, but we can't all take the same two days and say "well, I hope someone else shows up to teach the kids."

Yes I do. And to be clear , I didn’t take off for 11/3 or 11/5. I didn’t take off a single day last year so as not to burden my colleagues and I should have. I don’t blame any teacher for taking their days off just like I don’t blame any other employee. Those are your days. If someone takes one, we figure it out. The issue is there’s no subs who want those days either. And the bus drivers would call out. And we simply don’t have enough. Like every other industry in the country we have a shortage of employees . It is is what it is. Feel free to apply to sub or drive a bus because that is truly the only solution here. Not banning all employees from ever taking a day.

Stop with the hysteria. No one is banning anyone from “ever taking a day.” It’s certain days, and tons of industries ban employees from taking leave on certain days. Enough with the fake persecution.

People are literally calling teachers lazy and entitled for taking days. I’m not hysterical, I’m explaining to you workers have rights. Even you! Those are benefits of your job.

Still wrong. “Workers” in many many industries cannot just take any day off they like because it’s “their leave” and they can “use it whenever they want to.” It doesn’t work like that. Grow up.

This is such a pathetic mindset. It really is. You yourself are allowed to devote your life to a job that doesn’t care about you but stop with the moral judgment of people who realize a job is a job. The job will either figure it out or replace you but some things in your life don’t need to revolve around that job. Your loved ones are only here for awhile. How many times a year do you see your parents? For me, it’s 2 at best. I’ve got maybe 40 more times in my whole life to see my mom. Think about that. And I’m gonna miss one of those because the day I can see her is inconvenient for my job? Please.

Don’t have to explain yourself. Let alone to random strangers and mentally warped people.
They have an indentured vision of a teacher. They really think they rule over us. I’m taking the week before Xmas break starts off so I can have a longer stay with my parents. Precisely for the reason you have indicated. And there’s not a damn thing anyone can or will do anything about it.

How? You only have 3 personal days. So I think you are a troll.

I love how the first resort is to call someone a troll. That demonstrates that you’re either extremely ignorant or blatantly bothered (or triggered) that we can pull this off.

How, do you ask? Simple. Just spoke with my principal and got permission to use my 3 personal days + 2 sick days. Makes 5 days.

So my last class is Friday December 10th. Flying away on Saturday the 11th. flying back on Sunday January 2nd. In class Monday January 3rd.

I know you dont believe it which makes the trip even sweeter.

+1

I’m doing the same but the week after. So back in class on Jan 10

[Anonymous]

People please don’t feed the trolls. These were the same posters posting all last year that they were teaching from their beach houses, etc. just to rile parents up.

I have 4 kids and have been in the public school system a long time and no teacher has even taken an entire week off of school barring a medical emergency or death in the family. No teacher is taking a week at a time just to vacation. Those saying so are just trying to upset parents and it’s working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People please don’t feed the trolls. These were the same posters posting all last year that they were teaching from their beach houses, etc. just to rile parents up.

I have 4 kids and have been in the public school system a long time and no teacher has even taken an entire week off of school barring a medical emergency or death in the family. No teacher is taking a week at a time just to vacation. Those saying so are just trying to upset parents and it’s working.

My experience has been a bit different. I’ve been with FCPS for a long time too. I can’t say that teachers never do this. There have been quite a few times when a colleague of mine has taken leave for a week to vacation. I’m not saying it’s widespread, but isn’t isn’t unheard of. I know of a teacher who taught from a different state last year (but different time zone) and another who was allowed to teach from another continent.

ES Teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:What is going on that week that they need so many subs?

According to my neighbor, who is a teacher, because of the weird way the days off fell that week, tons of teachers requested the whole week off.

Yes, but the were told they couldn’t have those two days off (3rd and 5th.) Why leave was granted I have no idea, it wasn’t supposed to be.

No. We recently got an email that so many people had already requested those days AND subs wouldn’t pick them up that *new* leave requests for those dates wouldn’t be approved. But ultimately they couldn’t staff it. Subs don’t work high volume days either. And you actually can’t just deny everyone leave. It’s a benefit of your job.

Eh, I think the teachers ultimately screwed themselves here. It will just become harder and harder in the future. My friend who teaches in HS said a bunch of his coworkers deliberately took leave AFTER the email as a F-U to admin. Very mature.

It’s our leave, we can do whatever we want with it.

That's not how leave works in jobs where people have to cover for you. Do you think nurses and doctors are all taking off wherever they feel like it or is there a level of coordination so that the hospital can still run?

The idea that you can just take leave whenever regardless of the impact is such entitled behavior coming from the adults that we can't expect the kids to be any better.

+1
This. Imagine government agencies in public facing roles just shut down like LCPS now has to do. For example, I work for the federal government and my leave is restricted the days before and after major holidays. My supervisor can say no to my leave request if there won't be enough staff left to cover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is going on that week that they need so many subs?

According to my neighbor, who is a teacher, because of the weird way the days off fell that week, tons of teachers requested the whole week off.

Yes, but the were told they couldn’t have those two days off (3rd and 5th.) Why leave was granted I have no idea, it wasn’t supposed to be.

No. We recently got an email that so many people had already requested those days AND subs wouldn’t pick them up that *new* leave requests for those dates wouldn’t be approved. But ultimately they couldn’t staff it. Subs don’t work high volume days either. And you actually can’t just deny everyone leave. It’s a benefit of your job.

Eh, I think the teachers ultimately screwed themselves here. It will just become harder and harder in the future. My friend who teaches in HS said a bunch of his coworkers deliberately took leave AFTER the email as a F-U to admin. Very mature.

It’s our leave, we can do whatever we want with it.

That's not how leave works in jobs where people have to cover for you. Do you think nurses and doctors are all taking off wherever they feel like it or is there a level of coordination so that the hospital can still run?

The idea that you can just take leave whenever regardless of the impact is such entitled behavior coming from the adults that we can't expect the kids to be any better.

+1
This. Imagine government agencies in public facing roles just shut down like LCPS now has to do. For example, I work for the federal government and my leave is restricted the days before and after major holidays. My supervisor can say no to my leave request if there won't be enough staff left to cover.

Sure. Because I have the same responsibility as the guy reading the antimisiles defense system that the nation relies on …

Lmao shut up. Still taking my week off before Christmas because the country doesn’t rely on me but my mental sanity and happiness of family overseas do.