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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I mean “their teacher going on mat leave”[/quote]

I know!!  Couldn't she just drop the kid and keep teaching?  And then she might have appointments.   Why is she allowed to do that?  I mean, is there a union or something?[/quote]

Do you not know how to read? She was on mat leave for 4 months and just got back in Jan and ever since she has been back she is constantly absent at least two days every week. She was actually absent for one entire week in late Jan.  She is allowed to do whatever she needs for her child and my child is also allowed to get a proper education form a teacher who takes her job responsibilities seriously. [/quote]

They were out a lot... in January... during... the surge... of... ... ... COVID ... ... cases.

What
A 
Terrible 
Woman. [/quote]

Oh being worried about my child’s lack of education makes me a terrible woman? You don’t know how appreciative I always am of teachers but I also expect them to take their job seriously and teach my child. I understand it’s a hard time with an infant and maybe she should have taken an entire year off and given someone else this job while she takes care of her kids and gets into a routine. [/quote]

OP, any time someone posts a similar concern, they are judged, blamed, and scoffed at. However, you are identifying a real problem, which is systemic, and not the fault of any single teacher. Teachers, like all of us, have times when their work attendance is poor and that poor attendance has consequences. It doesn't matter if the absences are justified, the fact is that teachers with excessive absences are not doing their jobs effectively and it hurts their students. DCUM will tell you that you need to fill in the blanks as parents, but I don't agree that every family in a class of 20 should be ready to react based on absences that are not planned or expected. There really should be more backup built into the system with highly trained teachers to step in to help make up gaps in classes where the teachers have used large amounts of leave. This type of backup will probably never be available, but it would take pressure off teachers and benefit students, especially those whose families can't, for whatever reason, step in to fill holes created by circumstances they have no control over (and often no information about).

My best advice grounded in reality and personal experience with a teacher to missed a great deal of time and then left mid-year is that you have to accept that you need to step in to do more.  Rather than complaining about the absences, perhaps you could ask for help working with your child to help keep them on track. [/quote]

OP here. Thank you for such a thoughtful and mature response. Yes I am appalled at the teacher brigade that pounced on me because I’m concerned about my child’s teacher constantly being absent. It is absolutely affecting the class. The subs come in and most of the kids don’t take them seriously and as a result nothing is being taught. My concern is that the teacher isn’t doing her job seriously and it’s affecting our kids. We expect healthcare workers to show up even if they have sick kids. Well teachers need to show up too because there are a lot of families counting on them especially given how last year was such a wash. And for the record, I was always very supportive of teachers taking a leave of absence in the midst of COVID and choosing what they are comfortable with. My mother was a teacher so I am well aware of what a demanding job it is. Yes they deserve higher pay and more respect but I also think showing up to work and taking your job responsibly is required in any profession. All the other teachers in the school are there and I know most of them have kids. Of course there are days when teachers have appointments, emergencies, personal issues but to make this a regular occurrence is not acceptable and you all can call me terrible or whatever you want for that. [/quote]

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