No substitute available?

[Anonymous]

My DS came home from school and said that his teacher was absent and they did not have a substitute avilable so his class was divided into the other classes and did not do any work. WTF? Has anyone else ever had that happen?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I've heard of that happening; sometimes it also happens if a teacher has to leave school suddenly.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty sure the teacher had advance warning she would be out since she cancelled an even that was scheduled for today about a week ago.

[Anonymous]

The substitute might have cancelled at the last moment. If the teacher knew she was going to be out perhaps there was a teacher training that many teachers attended and the school district needed many subs. The school probably couldn't find a back up sub. It occasionally happens.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP, that makes more sense.

[Anonymous]

Even if they go to other classrooms they should still do work as there are always emergency sub plans in the office.

[Anonymous]

It can happen that a sub cancels at the last minute, gets sick or is a no show. Some schools have staff subs on hand that can float to classrooms as needed if something like this happens .....but not all the time. The school has to make do and will "divide and conquer". Doesn't happen often.

[Anonymous]

There are issues at times with a lack of substitutes. However, as a teacher in an elementary school, I will say we've had unusually high absences of students AND teachers this year due to several nasty illnesses (several rounds of stomach bugs, strep, flu....). We've had a lot of our scheduled subs cancelling due to illness and/or the ones we use frequently declining last minute jobs because they are sick. Several teacher friends at other elementary schools have shared the same thing this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are issues at times with a lack of substitutes. However, as a teacher in an elementary school, I will say we've had unusually high absences of students AND teachers this year due to several nasty illnesses (several rounds of stomach bugs, strep, flu....). We've had a lot of our scheduled subs cancelling due to illness and/or the ones we use frequently declining last minute jobs because they are sick. Several teacher friends at other elementary schools have shared the same thing this year.

Happen twice last year at my kids school.