Teaching missing way too many days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there anything we can do when a teacher is out a lot?

Does anything happen to them?
Does the principal care?

Do you realize that they may have something going on with their own health or a family member’s health? It’s truly none of your business but the likelihood that they’re just taking off for something light and not serious is minimal. Please have some grace.

She looks healthy. I will need to start writing down the days she out

I looked healthy until I was near the end of chemo. There was a gross parent who made some awful comments on social media, but just that one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my oldest was in third grade his teacher took a lot of days off. Not all in a row, but 1 or 2 at a time. She must have maxed out the total number of sick/personal days because it really was a lot. He didn’t learn a whole lot that year, and whenever I helped out in the classroom and on their field trip I couldn’t believe how wild the kids were, like no one was really disciplining them. It was not long after Covid and she used a lot of videos and slides created during that time. She is a nice person but I just don’t think she really cared. She has young kids and I think she wanted to be home with them. She ended up moving somewhere cheaper and quit teaching. My guess is they can afford one income in the new location. I don’t begrudge her at all for making that life choice, but it would’ve been nice if she hadn’t been so checked out when she was still in the position.

It is possible that you have cause and effect flipped. You yourself said the class was unbelievably wild. Teachers can try and try and try and not be able to get that under control, especially if the principal is not on board. That may have contributed to the teacher burning out. I know it would have done it to me.

I'm a teacher and that's also exactly what went through my mind when I read that. Once in a while you'll have kids who are so miserable to deal with that you just dread dealing with that class. Some parents are no help in dealing with their child. Some actively make things worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are human beings, too. With kids and spouses and things going on in their lives.

I'm sorry you've never been in a position or had a rough year where you missed a lot of work, but that's life and it happens.

I think the two things need to be separated.

Teachers are entitled to take their sick time; things happen to them just like everyone else

AND parents who don’t raise concerns about lost instruction to the principal are not going to get any solutions, and if their kid falls behind due to lack of instruction, if this concern isn’t raised and documented, the school will blame the parents.

Yes, two separate things. Raise the concern and the school has to provide a solution.

The school never has a solution. They will pay you lip service but nothing will actually change. Their hands are tied. You’ll have to take matters in your own hand by getting tutor or risk looking like a crazy parent with complaints that won’t be solved.

They do when you’re willing to escalate and advocate for your kid, and make it clear you’ll involve Gatehouse and the board.

This is an EXHAUSTING way to go through your child's education and it should not be necessary, but I suggest if you have something in mind when you start the meeting (another teacher reviews the lesson plans, your kid is switched to another section of the class which is taught by someone else, the school provides tutor, etc) and go in with the facts clear— you can’t just say they’re always out— you may get a better outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are human beings, too. With kids and spouses and things going on in their lives.

I'm sorry you've never been in a position or had a rough year where you missed a lot of work, but that's life and it happens.

My 3rd grader had a teacher with a parent with failing health. She was out at least 3-4 times a week the whole fall. I assumed she was using intermittent FMLA. Then her dad passed and she was gone for 3 months to take him back to their home country for a funeral. I'm assuming the principal gave discretionary leave for this. It was super disruptive and the school never arranged for adequate support or subs to make sure instruction was still happening in that classroom. There was a parent who they'd hired as a sub who basically babysat the kids but didn't teach. Lots of watching movies, iPad time and playing games.

I totally get that stuff happens and that teachers are people. I have no complaints for that teacher. But I do think it was really wrong that the principal didn't sort out a permanent sub or other solution for her classroom. It wasn't okay that those kids weren't taught for more than half the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are human beings, too. With kids and spouses and things going on in their lives.

I'm sorry you've never been in a position or had a rough year where you missed a lot of work, but that's life and it happens.

In other jobs when an employee can't do their work, the employer is responsible for sorting out a backfill so the work still gets done. You don't just not do the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are human beings, too. With kids and spouses and things going on in their lives.

I'm sorry you've never been in a position or had a rough year where you missed a lot of work, but that's life and it happens.

In other jobs when an employee can't do their work, the employer is responsible for sorting out a backfill so the work still gets done. You don't just not do the work.

It doesn’t work like that in schools. Admin do not do lesson plans. They really have no idea what the units are on a day to day basis.

[Anonymous]

“Missing way too many days” is up to her employer, not you.

No, the pittance of your property taxes earmarked directly for public education do *not* make you her employer, so don’t even try it. 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there anything we can do when a teacher is out a lot?

Does anything happen to them?
Does the principal care?

Do you realize that they may have something going on with their own health or a family member’s health? It’s truly none of your business but the likelihood that they’re just taking off for something light and not serious is minimal. Please have some grace.

She looks healthy. I will need to start writing down the days she out

🙄

[Anonymous]

I am healthy and took 15 days off last year. 3 were for me, when I was sick with a fever from the flu. The rest were when a family member died and to take a kid to multiple medical appointments. Parents would not know that.

I have not had to take a single day off this year yet, thankfully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are human beings, too. With kids and spouses and things going on in their lives.

I'm sorry you've never been in a position or had a rough year where you missed a lot of work, but that's life and it happens.

In other jobs when an employee can't do their work, the employer is responsible for sorting out a backfill so the work still gets done. You don't just not do the work.

It doesn’t work like that in schools. Admin do not do lesson plans. They really have no idea what the units are on a day to day basis.

Administrators can hire qualified subs. They can also talk to teams about sharing planning to support a teacher going through a tough time. And there are reading, math and sped specialists who can spend more time in a classroom. On occasion, administrators can also spend time helping. They could even seek PTA volunteers to help a struggling sub. There are options.

Again, it's not okay to just abandon a classroom of kids for an extended period. You have to find a way for them to be taught. That's the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my oldest was in third grade his teacher took a lot of days off. Not all in a row, but 1 or 2 at a time. She must have maxed out the total number of sick/personal days because it really was a lot. He didn’t learn a whole lot that year, and whenever I helped out in the classroom and on their field trip I couldn’t believe how wild the kids were, like no one was really disciplining them. It was not long after Covid and she used a lot of videos and slides created during that time. She is a nice person but I just don’t think she really cared. She has young kids and I think she wanted to be home with them. She ended up moving somewhere cheaper and quit teaching. My guess is they can afford one income in the new location. I don’t begrudge her at all for making that life choice, but it would’ve been nice if she hadn’t been so checked out when she was still in the position.

It is possible that you have cause and effect flipped. You yourself said the class was unbelievably wild. Teachers can try and try and try and not be able to get that under control, especially if the principal is not on board. That may have contributed to the teacher burning out. I know it would have done it to me.

Maybe. It was more run of the mill horseplay stuff and not using indoor voices, as opposed to serious behavioral problems. They seemed to know they could get away with things that would not fly under a more strict teacher. I have seen my kids' other teachers shut that type of thing down real quick. It just didn't seem like she had a real strong classroom management system. My kid says it was his favorite year because of how much they got to go on the computer and because she let them do what they wanted. That whole grade level team was known as being the nice teachers, and I think the kids took advantage to some extent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are human beings, too. With kids and spouses and things going on in their lives.

I'm sorry you've never been in a position or had a rough year where you missed a lot of work, but that's life and it happens.

In other jobs when an employee can't do their work, the employer is responsible for sorting out a backfill so the work still gets done. You don't just not do the work.

It doesn’t work like that in schools. Admin do not do lesson plans. They really have no idea what the units are on a day to day basis.

Administrators can hire qualified subs. They can also talk to teams about sharing planning to support a teacher going through a tough time. And there are reading, math and sped specialists who can spend more time in a classroom. On occasion, administrators can also spend time helping. They could even seek PTA volunteers to help a struggling sub. There are options.

Again, it's not okay to just abandon a classroom of kids for an extended period. You have to find a way for them to be taught. That's the job.

No, no, they really can't. Not for $20 a hour. You make more stocking shelves, with a lot less stress.
And teams already share planning.
And reading, math and SPED teachers have work to do.
And admin are usually running around with their hair on fire dealing with issues in the building or answering parent A's email complaining that the teacher gives too much homework and parent B's email complaining that the teacher gives too little homework.
And no, you can't put a PTA volunteer in a classroom for a dozen legal reasons to start with.

[Anonymous]

Lots of teachers are developing autoimmune issues from catching Covid so many times.

[Anonymous]

You can’t just take off a lot and pretend you are sick. FCPS staff have to file for short term disability if they are out 5 consecutive days or 5 days in a month. Then they have to wait to be medically cleared by a doctor and the disability company before returning to work. If the teacher is out a lot then there is something wrong with them or a close family member.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can’t just take off a lot and pretend you are sick. FCPS staff have to file for short term disability if they are out 5 consecutive days or 5 days in a month. Then they have to wait to be medically cleared by a doctor and the disability company before returning to work. If the teacher is out a lot then there is something wrong with them or a close family member.

This. The school knows why the teacher is out OP. It's probably confidential health information.