Anonymous
Post 12/23/2025 12:28     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t MCPS have some kind of policy about teachers taking planned leave right before a break? Multiple of my kid’s teachers at Pyle were already gone on vacation yesterday or have announced they will be gone Monday and Tuesday.

I get having easy/review lessons or even playing movies, but to be already gone on vacation seems unprofessional.


Are you just a stay at home mommy? Stay in your lane.


Jealous that you have to work? Stay in your lane.

No reason why a teacher cannot travel at Christmas, but it does seem a bit absurd to take an entire week off given there is a longer holiday. We have several teachers out frequently and it ends up being they don't get through the curriculum.


+1 to the bolded. What makes it absurd is how much time teachers already get off. Even if you don't count the summer, the breaks during the year are about as much time as most people get off in a 12 month job. That's fine, but it feels like a very minimal expectation to say you need to be there on the days students are, unless you're sick. If my office were about to close for two weeks, I wouldn't be allowed to take the two days before that off. My boss and clients would object.


My family and my health will ALWAYS come first. I know we like to martyr our teachers because they should care more about their students than their own families, but many of us increasingly are putting ourselves first. And that’s a good thing because it’ll keep us from spectacularly burning out like so many of our colleagues before us.



Going to work on your scheduled days doesn't make you a martyr. You get two weeks off for Christmas which is more than most of us. It won't hurt your family or your health to go to work.


And yet when they use the days they’re allotted is not up to you. For some strange reason, that bothers you.

Weird.
Anonymous
Post 12/23/2025 12:23     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t MCPS have some kind of policy about teachers taking planned leave right before a break? Multiple of my kid’s teachers at Pyle were already gone on vacation yesterday or have announced they will be gone Monday and Tuesday.

I get having easy/review lessons or even playing movies, but to be already gone on vacation seems unprofessional.


Are you just a stay at home mommy? Stay in your lane.


You mean the taxpayer lane?


No, she meant what she said. Are you slow?

P.S. The pittance of your property taxes earmarked directly for public education makes you the boss of exactly zero teachers. Now you know.
Anonymous
Post 12/23/2025 12:20     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a current Pyle parent I am horrified by this post. Teachers are human beings just like everyone else and entitled to their leave. Stay in your lane SAHM. If you’re that concerned your kid won’t get a quality education because their teacher took a well deserved vacation a couple of days before winter break, you’re out of your mind.


Why slam SAHMs? Seems like plenty of WOHMs complaining that they don’t get two weeks off at Christmas so why should teachers?

Or do you like fighting the mommy wars all over again?



Oh not all SAHMs, only the ones like OP (who hate on their kid’s teachers for doing things that normal human beings do and accuse working moms of being jealous). Like I said before, my son is so lucky to have fabulous teachers at Pyle. I will gladly take on any parent, working or not, who comes for my son’s teachers


Where does OP indicate they are a SAHM? Or a mom, for that matter?

Any targeted criticism of the many WOH parents who post that they don’t get leave that teachers get?



OP clearly stated that her kid is a student at Pyle. When someone asked if OP was a SAHM, her response was “Jealous that you have to work?”


Why take digs on someone who doesn’t work? You are wealthy at Pyle.


Nobody cares if OP works or not. The issue is that OP is unfairly attacking her kid’s teachers


That's not the issue. The issue is that an anonymous poster is being attacked for pointing out the obvious. The teachers union agreed to a two day work week and then teachers do not want to show up for work but students must show up.


What do you mean that students must show up? Many students are not coming Monday or Tuesday. They are free to miss school if they want.


Not in HS, and many teachers don't allow make up work.


This is not true. HS teachers allow make up work especially on days like this.



It varies by the teacher. Some of ours only do worksheets in class and its not posted online and often they don't anwser email or promise make up and don't so kids get 0's. There is no consistency.
Anonymous
Post 12/23/2025 07:27     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a current Pyle parent I am horrified by this post. Teachers are human beings just like everyone else and entitled to their leave. Stay in your lane SAHM. If you’re that concerned your kid won’t get a quality education because their teacher took a well deserved vacation a couple of days before winter break, you’re out of your mind.


Why slam SAHMs? Seems like plenty of WOHMs complaining that they don’t get two weeks off at Christmas so why should teachers?

Or do you like fighting the mommy wars all over again?



Oh not all SAHMs, only the ones like OP (who hate on their kid’s teachers for doing things that normal human beings do and accuse working moms of being jealous). Like I said before, my son is so lucky to have fabulous teachers at Pyle. I will gladly take on any parent, working or not, who comes for my son’s teachers


Where does OP indicate they are a SAHM? Or a mom, for that matter?

Any targeted criticism of the many WOH parents who post that they don’t get leave that teachers get?



OP clearly stated that her kid is a student at Pyle. When someone asked if OP was a SAHM, her response was “Jealous that you have to work?”


Why take digs on someone who doesn’t work? You are wealthy at Pyle.


Nobody cares if OP works or not. The issue is that OP is unfairly attacking her kid’s teachers


That's not the issue. The issue is that an anonymous poster is being attacked for pointing out the obvious. The teachers union agreed to a two day work week and then teachers do not want to show up for work but students must show up.


What do you mean that students must show up? Many students are not coming Monday or Tuesday. They are free to miss school if they want.


Not in HS, and many teachers don't allow make up work.


This is not true. HS teachers allow make up work especially on days like this.

Anonymous
Post 12/23/2025 06:01     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

My district only pays me for 1/4 of my unused sick days upon retirement. I’m going to use mine or I’ll lose them.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 22:28     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:Teachers should not be allowed to take vacations, period.

Thankfully they can. Just to piss you off.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:24     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:Teachers should not be allowed to take vacations, period.


Assuming this is a troll or sarcasm…
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 16:24     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Sometimes there are subs because teachers have iep and other meetings too.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 16:21     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:Over the years, a sort of vicious cycle has emerged. Families leave early for vacation. Teachers know a lot of kids will be gone so some don't plan important lessons. Parents who otherwise wouldn't leave early then figure out that few classes. have important lessons the few days before vacations (and the other teachers pretty much always plan for makeups) so they, themselves, leave early. And the teachers that were holding out to doing substantive things those days face even smaller classes so plan easy-to-miss lessons, accordingly.

If anything, having teachers use their leave on these days where the collective has decided to eschew substantive work is optimal for everyone!


Yup this! Obviously teachers are entitled to take leave but it seemed like they didn’t miss as much school before the pandemic. Now my kids have subs pretty frequently and no learning happens when there is a sub. But I can understand where they are coming from when some parents pulled their kids for vacation in the middle of last week. It makes you feel like what is the point. Meanwhile we got multiple letters from MCPS last year furious about my son missing 11 days of school, every single one of which was for fever, vomiting or contagious pink eye. It’s all just insane
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 16:03     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:Teachers should not be allowed to take vacations, period.


Ha! Was this sarcasm?
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 10:55     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Many teachers plan medical procedures for which they need time to recover right before a break.


These teachers told the kids where they are going on vacation.


I’d tell kids that before I disclosed my medical information. I had a family get very invasive about my chronic illness to the point of the mom offering medical advice!


Same here. I’ve never disclosed medical issues to students or parents. I’ll either say I’m heading on a trip or (preferably) say nothing at all.


Same here as well. Had a medical procedure last year and I missed the 3 days of school leading up to winter break. The only person who knew about it was admin. Luckily I didn’t get any nosy parents like this one questioning my “unprofessionalism”.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 10:34     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Many teachers plan medical procedures for which they need time to recover right before a break.


These teachers told the kids where they are going on vacation.


I’d tell kids that before I disclosed my medical information. I had a family get very invasive about my chronic illness to the point of the mom offering medical advice!


Same here. I’ve never disclosed medical issues to students or parents. I’ll either say I’m heading on a trip or (preferably) say nothing at all.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 10:31     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:Another issue here, though, is that when there’s a sub, NO INSTRUCTION takes place. Instead there’s maybe a movie put on and general chaos. For something like elementary school, when the kids spend most of their day with their homeroom teacher, this truly makes for a wasted day. I wouldn’t care if the teacher was absent if actual instruction was still going on. I’m not OP, and I agree that teachers should take their leave as needed, but I also can see why it’s frustrating.



Subs have always been a waste of time in public education.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 10:14     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Another issue here, though, is that when there’s a sub, NO INSTRUCTION takes place. Instead there’s maybe a movie put on and general chaos. For something like elementary school, when the kids spend most of their day with their homeroom teacher, this truly makes for a wasted day. I wouldn’t care if the teacher was absent if actual instruction was still going on. I’m not OP, and I agree that teachers should take their leave as needed, but I also can see why it’s frustrating.


This is not true.


Yes elementary assignments for subs are very demanding. I have never put on a movie at that level. Most teachers have very involved lesson plans.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 10:10     Subject: Teachers absent for days before winter break

Teachers should not be allowed to take vacations, period.