K teacher going on maternity leave?
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Anonymous
| We just got our daughter's K teacher assignment and I googled her name in hopes of figuring out which teacher she was (please don't flame me - I realize this is stalkerish, but my older kids attended the same school a few years ago and I don't quite remember who is who.) Anyway, all the top search results for the name are for baby registries with a due date not far away. I'm kind of bummed that my kid will start school with a teacher who will only be present for a few weeks, then a sub for who knows how long. My DD is a challenging kid and definitely not academically advanced at this stage. We're trying really hard to get her started on the right foot with K and I'm worried that this won't help things. Has anyone had a good experience with a long-term sub in early elementary? Any advice in general? I know this is hardly a unique experience, and it's obviously a very happy one for the teacher herself, but the longest my older kids have ever had subs was maybe a month (teacher with back problems). I assume maternity leave will be 3 months if not longer. |
Anonymous
| My SN son had long term subs in first and fourth grades. Maternity leaves were short compared to what I'm used to seeing - like 6 weeks. Pregnancy is better than other long term absences because the schools have time to plan so you get the stability of just one teacher. One of his best teachers ever was his first grade long term sub. |
Anonymous
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You are right--it is stalkerish. It's also jumping to conclusions, since you don't know the baby registry is actually for the same person. The teacher could have an internet twin.
Having said that, I've had a pretty good experience with long-term subs in the elem. grades--once for maternity, once for a surgery. The biggest issue for us was missing the initial teacher conference, since the sub wasn't required to conference with the parents. To remedy this, I would just check in from time to time to make sure all is well. |
Anonymous
| It happens. It's not ideal for you or the child, but just remember that you wanted to take maternity leave when you had your child (or you would want your adult child to be able to take maternity leave). Rolling with it is just the price we pay for living in a society where women can work and have families. The school will likely have the sub come in before she takes over full time for the maternity leave. And if there is an assistant in the classroom, you can be sure that she will know the routines and know which kid has which issues. It'll work out o.k. |
Anonymous
This. OP, it really will be okay. Be mindful that you are not projecting a negative attitude towards your kid about school, her abilities or what her year will be like. Kids pick up on the slightest change in tone of voice, the words you choose and facial expressions. Embrace a growth mindset for your child--don't box her in with low expectations or descriptors such as "challenging kid." |
Anonymous
| My 2nd grade teacher did this (and my 5th grade teacher). The former is still my fav teacher ever. 5th grade was a really good teacher too...she didn't return though until the following school year (had a Spring baby). Our sub was great too (I've had sucky ones since). |
Anonymous
| You mentioned that your child is challenging so it actually might be nice to have a fresh face partway through the year. The "real" teacher may find your child difficult whereas a sub will take over without having him/her already "labeled." |
Anonymous
| Principals hire the subs. Have a talk about who he or she has in mind. In MCPS a long-term sub (as in a mat leave) does not need to have any kind of teaching credential. Also, don't assume it's going to be one person and not a mish-mash of several. My child with SN had a teacher go on mat leave and I did this. Principal did not like me questioning her and said she planned to use a non-credentialed person she had used before. I have no idea if it was the result of the conversation, but in the end they were able to get a credentialed SN teacher to replace her (I actually like her better than the reg teacher). |
Anonymous
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Your right to be concerned. My DS started K with a long term sub. On the plus side it was the same sub for 2 months, but the sub was not a K teacher and really didn't understand how to interact with them at their level. While not a teacher myself, this is my 3rd child so I am familiar with how a K class should be run. On the plus side, I don't really worry too much about my kids' performance in K, outside of the socialization and the routines. However, my DS did not get any real reading help until the teacher came back and assessed the kids.
I think it would depend on when in the school year the maternity leave takes place. Also in our case the administration was not very helpful in finding the sub (big surprise to me) and I'm not sure why. I learned that because I became friendly with the teacher. All that said, it's not the end of the world and teachers do leave/take leave of absences for all sorts of reasons during the school year and the kids adjust. Hopefully the teacher will let you know and give you her transition plan. You can also talk to the administration, but not until the teacher announces her pregnancy. On the plus side, pregnancies are scheduled and can be planned for versus some other reasons for leave. |
Anonymous
"You're" not "Your" oops!! probably other typos too  .
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Anonymous
| I'm generally against meddling. In this case, however, I think PP is right about asking the principal what the plans are. Also, some teacher never come back from maternity leave--they change their minds after baby arrives. |
Anonymous
It's not stalkerish, OP. Who doesn't want to know who their child's teacher is and a little bit about what they're like? I agree with PPs who suggest asking the principal. Maybe wait until the first day and see if the teacher is visibly pregnant, so you don't have to cop to tracking her down on the Internet. 
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Anonymous
| Don't meddle. Not your business. |
Anonymous
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Thanks everyone. Went to open house; she's due very soon. It is what it is and we'll just deal - and in the end who knows if it will be any less imperfect than any other situation.
She's supposed to be a great teacher but the open house experience wasn't a confidence-builder. It's always a madhouse at our kids' school, but she spent the entire time standing in the hallway talking to other kids and parents from previous years about the pregnancy. Which meant she barely engaged with all the new kindergarteners & their parents, who were in the classroom. Obviously that won't be the case on Monday, but it didn't leave me feeling that she was all that interested in her new students. |
Anonymous
| OP, I think it's ok to approach the principal and ask what the plan is. Especially since it's kindergarten! |