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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Maybe this issue with poor sub plans is a bigger issue in elementary school, but as I said, my experience with elementary school is quite limited.[/quote]

Retired elementary teacher:

Many years ago, when I first began teaching, my principal had a rule:
When you leave in the afternoon, your desk must be clean.
You leave your lesson plan book [b]open [/b]on top of the desk with detailed plans.
You leave your materials for the next day also.
[b]You also have a substitute folder prepared with "busy work" just in case it is needed [/b]along with suggestions of how to manage the class.

I am not my nature an orderly person, but I continued to do this throughout my teaching career.  I was not frequently absent, but it gave me peace of mind if I did call in sick.  But, not only was this helpful for substitutes, it was also helpful to me to be prepared for the next day and not run around gathering materials or lining up at the copy machine.
[/quote]

And as a retired teacher, is it your judgment that the contents of this folder were so valuable to children’s learning that their parents should spend thousands of extra dollars and spend less time with their extended families to receive it?[/quote]

Yes.  That folder was "just in case."  There were years when I missed NO days.  The most I ever missed at a time were five days because of a serious hospitalization with a family member. I had a wonderful sub who praised the plans I left. (I must also admit that the students I taught that year were wonderful.) Most teachers are not absent when your child is [b]away.  I would assume that you have made a choice to live away from your extended family.  Visit in the summer when school is out.[/b]

That folder was "just in case."  And, yes, it teaches kids that they need to be in school.

Did you know that your child's absence means that the schools get less money?  Funds are dispersed on average daily attendance.  [/quote]

This is an incredibly offensive sentiment and a really good example of what my teachers told
me happens when we “assume”.

While I know you’re not going to teach my child as you are retired, your attitude toward international families would make me more, not less, likely to take my kid out during school. I would want to limit her exposure to ignorant people who make assumptions about her family. 
[/quote]

DP. Why is this offensive? Can you not see family AND keep your kids in school?
[/quote]

For medical reasons we cannot see my FIL in the summers, I assure you we didn’t choose his diagnosis.

Families are made up of more than one person. It would be impossible to choose to live in the same country as all of our immediate family, as they are in three countries.

An educator blithely assuming everyone chooses the circumstances of where they live is ignorance of the highest caliber.

Our families story is a happy one,
there are plenty who cannot choose where they’re resettled as refugees, where cancer treatments are available to their children, where their military orders will send them or where their spouses and children can legally live. A teacher who doesn’t know that has no business teaching especially in this area. [/quote]

You get two weeks off plus weekends.  Go during vacation.  It sounds like you want our system to adapt to yours.  Sorry about the expense, but that is your choice.  With three different countries, surely you can visit one of them in the summer.[/quote]

Happily, I get as many days off as I say I do. The only adaptation needed is for FCPS to  come yo realize that the time and money of the parents isn’t at their disposal, and if they want families to make sacrifices they need to make it worth it.[/quote]

And teachers are saying those days are instructional days when they do teach content. 
[/quote]

Then they should be easy for FCPS to solve. Next year, release the data that shows that there were no substitutes in the final week of school. Then the parents will see that the teachers are being asked to make the same financial sacrifices they are. [/quote]

There always will be subs. Teachers get sick, their kids get sick, and things happen. I guess the gist is, very few teachers in FCPS are taking off a full week to go travel. Very few will be taking the Thursday/Friday off to start their vacation early. Does that mean some are? Yes. But that needs to be approved by the principal. Many principals limit personal leave before a break.

So unless you ask for data of personal leave vs sick leave, you won’t get much info. [/quote]

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