grrr... pregnant teacher

[Anonymous]

I've been the pregnant teacher twice. Once with competent admin who found a wonderful permanent sub (with whom I collaborated before and even during my leave and we've remained friends) and once with bumbling fools who had no plan in place despite my pleas. Definitely bug the admin and find out the plan, if guest lessons are planned, if there will be shadow/overlap time, etc. and show the beloved teacher some love ... My kids threw me a surprise shower and I tear up thinking about it. Not the gifts even though that was super sweet but more the thought/the letters they wrote.

[Anonymous]

The part that bothers me about OP's question isn't the title, it's the idea that the school would do anything less than their best to find a competent long-term sub.

Unless, of course, a bunch of folks with no educational experience step in and micromanage the process.

It demonstrates a total lack of respect for the profession of school administrator, and assumes an absence of good faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this only happens to your child once in your DC's school career you will be lucky.

Nothing you can do about getting a 'good' sub.

Your child will survive it.

Hope that you got a better reception from your colleagues or clients when you announced you were pregnant.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The part that bothers me about OP's question isn't the title, it's the idea that the school would do anything less than their best to find a competent long-term sub.

Unless, of course, a bunch of folks with no educational experience step in and micromanage the process.

It demonstrates a total lack of respect for the profession of school administrator, and assumes an absence of good faith.

My experience with school admins is that perfectly competent, but they're overworked and mostly moving from crisis to crisis. A little grumbling from parents might make it clear they need to deal with a wheel before it becomes squeaky.

[Anonymous]

OP, I get you: I wrote a similar post a couple of years ago, got slammed, felt aggrieved, and later realized I was an idiot. (or a worse name I won't type.)

It's hard in the moment to separate the desire to make sure your kid has a good educational experience from the obvious reality that teachers are humans whose life events should be celebrated not growled about. (as well as the obvious reality that worrying about a long term sub in young elementary school is pretty much the definition of a first world problem.)

We're in MCPS but if it helps give you some perspective my kid had a fabulous long-term sub, the teacher came back right now schedule and was even more fabulous. I still feel a little ashamed about my jerky post here.

[Anonymous]

I was that teacher once. It felt horrible knowing how bummed parents were. The children were fine. Resilient as always, a long term sub was an adventure and then I reappeared and we finished the year. Pregnancy leave flies by.

[Anonymous]

Op, I started a thread about our K teacher who goes out on leave the first week of October.

It turns out the classroom assistant they assigned to her is a certified K teacher and she will step into the primary role and a sub will be found for the assistant teacher.

I say this mostly to give you hope that the principal is already on top of this issue and the transition will be smooth.

And, a big thanks to Jeff for jumping in and setting the thread back to the topic. I also got hammered by the posters in my thread.

[Anonymous]

the subject line was not the best, that much is true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get you: I wrote a similar post a couple of years ago, got slammed, felt aggrieved, and later realized I was an idiot. (or a worse name I won't type.)

It's hard in the moment to separate the desire to make sure your kid has a good educational experience from the obvious reality that teachers are humans whose life events should be celebrated not growled about. (as well as the obvious reality that worrying about a long term sub in young elementary school is pretty much the definition of a first world problem.)

We're in MCPS but if it helps give you some perspective my kid had a fabulous long-term sub, the teacher came back right now schedule and was even more fabulous. I still feel a little ashamed about my jerky post here.

I expect a teacher to be in a classroom all year. It's too disruptive to children to have to switch. Lots of lost educational time.

I planned my pregnancies around work. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get you: I wrote a similar post a couple of years ago, got slammed, felt aggrieved, and later realized I was an idiot. (or a worse name I won't type.)

It's hard in the moment to separate the desire to make sure your kid has a good educational experience from the obvious reality that teachers are humans whose life events should be celebrated not growled about. (as well as the obvious reality that worrying about a long term sub in young elementary school is pretty much the definition of a first world problem.)

We're in MCPS but if it helps give you some perspective my kid had a fabulous long-term sub, the teacher came back right now schedule and was even more fabulous. I still feel a little ashamed about my jerky post here.

Why? You were correct to be concerned. My child lost a year of schooling because of the timing of the teacher's leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get you: I wrote a similar post a couple of years ago, got slammed, felt aggrieved, and later realized I was an idiot. (or a worse name I won't type.)

It's hard in the moment to separate the desire to make sure your kid has a good educational experience from the obvious reality that teachers are humans whose life events should be celebrated not growled about. (as well as the obvious reality that worrying about a long term sub in young elementary school is pretty much the definition of a first world problem.)

We're in MCPS but if it helps give you some perspective my kid had a fabulous long-term sub, the teacher came back right now schedule and was even more fabulous. I still feel a little ashamed about my jerky post here.

I expect a teacher to be in a classroom all year. It's too disruptive to children to have to switch. Lots of lost educational time.

I planned my pregnancies around work. Simple.

My kids' summer break was exactly 10 weeks this summer. Even if it were possible for a teacher to so thoroughly control her body so as to guarantee that she had the baby the day after school ended for the summer, how is she supposed to fit a 12-week maternity leave into 10 weeks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The part that bothers me about OP's question isn't the title, it's the idea that the school would do anything less than their best to find a competent long-term sub.

Unless, of course, a bunch of folks with no educational experience step in and micromanage the process.

It demonstrates a total lack of respect for the profession of school administrator, and assumes an absence of good faith.

My experience with school admins is that perfectly competent, but they're overworked and mostly moving from crisis to crisis. A little grumbling from parents might make it clear they need to deal with a wheel before it becomes squeaky.

So...you think grumbly parents will convince them to get a "high quality" long-term sub rather than the crappy one they would have recruited if it weren't for your advocacy? That shows a pretty low level of respect for the school right there, not to mention some serious special snowflake syndrome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get you: I wrote a similar post a couple of years ago, got slammed, felt aggrieved, and later realized I was an idiot. (or a worse name I won't type.)

It's hard in the moment to separate the desire to make sure your kid has a good educational experience from the obvious reality that teachers are humans whose life events should be celebrated not growled about. (as well as the obvious reality that worrying about a long term sub in young elementary school is pretty much the definition of a first world problem.)

We're in MCPS but if it helps give you some perspective my kid had a fabulous long-term sub, the teacher came back right now schedule and was even more fabulous. I still feel a little ashamed about my jerky post here.

I expect a teacher to be in a classroom all year. It's too disruptive to children to have to switch. Lots of lost educational time.

I planned my pregnancies around work. Simple.

I take it you are super fertile.

How ignorant can you be????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was that teacher once. It felt horrible knowing how bummed parents were. The children were fine. Resilient as always, a long term sub was an adventure and then I reappeared and we finished the year. Pregnancy leave flies by.

I'm sorry you felt that way. My son's teacher will give birth any day now (seriously, we're into "don't plan on her being there tomorrow" territory), and while I'm not certain the long-term sub and my child will be the best personality fit (I have no doubts about the sub's skills or qualifications, it's truly a personality thing that's not anyone's "fault"), we will get through those three months. I would never begrudge his teacher her time off with her baby, and I hope she doesn't feel like any of us resent it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get you: I wrote a similar post a couple of years ago, got slammed, felt aggrieved, and later realized I was an idiot. (or a worse name I won't type.)

It's hard in the moment to separate the desire to make sure your kid has a good educational experience from the obvious reality that teachers are humans whose life events should be celebrated not growled about. (as well as the obvious reality that worrying about a long term sub in young elementary school is pretty much the definition of a first world problem.)

We're in MCPS but if it helps give you some perspective my kid had a fabulous long-term sub, the teacher came back right now schedule and was even more fabulous. I still feel a little ashamed about my jerky post here.

I expect a teacher to be in a classroom all year. It's too disruptive to children to have to switch. Lots of lost educational time.

I planned my pregnancies around work. Simple.

Are you really that clued out? Not everybody gets pregnant as planned.

OP, keep in touch with administration.

My youngest had an absolutely awful kindergarten teacher, and too old to get pregnant. She never got sick, I'm not sure she ever missed a day. Everyone got through it.