Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is the childcare leave people are talking about. Parents have been unable to work because teachers aren't back in person. Teachers and school districts have no sympathy- they said to hire childcare. And now teachers are saying they can't work because of daycare and childcare issues.

Yes, this.

Yes, the issue is teachers saying they can't work because they have kids at home. It's mindblowing.

"Parental leave" is generally related to birth or adoption of a newborn. Is that what OP is talking about? Because I don't see anyone in the schools debate talking about preventing people from taking leave related to a newborn.

I asked if people who took Parental Leave realize the hypocrisy of then protesting when people take other types of FMLA leave.

It doesn't surprise me, I got attacked here for making a comment about taking FMLA when my child had a fatal degenerative disorder, and was told that people only supported it for healthy newborns.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

So negotiate for it. We should have more options like unpaid leave.

And who would do the work when people take advantage of this unpaid leave? Just curious. It makes sense in teaching where someone can do the job and fill in for a year or two, but extended absences from the the workforce in other professions aren't as easy to address.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also occurs to me that if OP would like to continue virtual teaching because of a young child not yet in school, what she's really saying is that (perhaps indirectly) some other person (likely a woman) should have to quit/go broke/etc for her. How very feminist!

The answer to all of this is that an individual's job should be subject to a level of professionalism, absent emergency circumstances, but general leave policies require systemic support. Individuals in a workforce cannot enter and exit at random without collateral consequences. Emergencies, like a spouse having a stroke or a child needing cancer treatment, require co-workers to step up to fill the hole to allow a co-worker to address those family needs. Leave granted for reasons like I'm not going to bother to find childcare for a few months is less professional and more likely to be received unsympathetically. Take your leave, but don't complain when the public doesn't respect your profession.

As a feminist, a working mother, and a committed public servant, I feel strongly that we should not demand accommodations for family without holding up our end of the bargain as professionals. I work in a low paid, public interest job and have great benefits and liberal leave policies. Sometimes, my job requires me to work well in excess of my scheduled hours and to outsource family help that I really can't afford. I do it, because I value the unique benefits I have, the stable nature of my employment, and because I'm committed to the stakeholders I serve. Approaching your profession as a victim, convinced you are undervalued and taken advantage of tends to make your performance worse. I think that's the way it is for many teachers. They feel disrespected, undervalued, and act accordingly.

Anonymous wrote:It also occurs to me that if OP would like to continue virtual teaching because of a young child not yet in school, what she's really saying is that (perhaps indirectly) some other person (likely a woman) should have to quit/go broke/etc for her. How very feminist!

Anonymous wrote:It also occurs to me that if OP would like to continue virtual teaching because of a young child not yet in school, what she's really saying is that (perhaps indirectly) some other person (likely a woman) should have to quit/go broke/etc for her. How very feminist!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you take parental leave for your children's birth? Do you think family leave is something that should only be offered to you and not other people? Or only in professions that aren't female dominated?

How does it feel, if you're a woman who has benefited from feminism to be on the other side?

I am not screaming about this or anything else. But I'd ask you, what were these teachers doing for childcare pre-Covid? Some teachers are saying they can't afford to pay for childcare, but are also saying that parents that have to work outside ( as more and more things continue to open) should go hire someone and stop complaining.

The few teachers who have had to quit are not complaining; they are taking the hit by leaving their jobs or taking a leave of absence. For many people, their pre-covid childcare plans have disappeared. Not sure why you would expect teachers to not have similar problems.

MOST of everyone's pre-covid childcare plans were public schooling. It's like the chicken or the egg problem. We all need every public school to open so that we ALL can return to work, teachers included.

People with young children did not have public school as an option. I think we seem to forget that school-aged children are not the only children out there. I know as a parent of a teenager, I sometimes do, but I see my all my friends with younger kids struggling, teachers and non-teachers. I think there needs to be more room for everyone for empathy and understanding that schools aren't closed to make our lives difficult.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

So negotiate for it. We should have more options like unpaid leave.

And who would do the work when people take advantage of this unpaid leave? Just curious. It makes sense in teaching where someone can do the job and fill in for a year or two, but extended absences from the the workforce in other professions aren't as easy to address.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

So negotiate for it. We should have more options like unpaid leave.

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

Does it say they can take it at any time? Anyway, I'm fine with it, particularly the "without pay" part.

Ditto. You've got a benefit that you are entitled to take. I haven't seen anyone mad about teachers taking benefits allowed to them.

Certainly does put the lie to the idea that teachers are the most put-upon profession. Good salaries, good benefits, 10 month employment, etc.

That's it exactly. Teachers, and particular women as teachers who have their own childcare responsibilities, are given priority status that other working professionals are not. We are told, falsely in the DMV, that they are underpaid. In addition, while nothing would prevent teachers from using a benefit to which they are entitled, it is also not unreasonable to view their professionalism unfavorably, when taking advantage of the benefit has a harmful impact on the students. The most valued professionals in my office are not the ones who use every last hour of leave, regardless of how it impacts their performance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

Does it say they can take it at any time? Anyway, I'm fine with it, particularly the "without pay" part.

Ditto. You've got a benefit that you are entitled to take. I haven't seen anyone mad about teachers taking benefits allowed to them.

Certainly does put the lie to the idea that teachers are the most put-upon profession. Good salaries, good benefits, 10 month employment, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

Does it say they can take it at any time? Anyway, I'm fine with it, particularly the "without pay" part.

Ditto. You've got a benefit that you are entitled to take. I haven't seen anyone mad about teachers taking benefits allowed to them.

Anonymous wrote:FFS, daycares have been open for months now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the teachers' contract in the county I live in. It actually provides that teachers may be given a leave of absence, without pay, for up to two years for "child rearing." The leave being granted might be a matter of contract that is a benefit that teachers receive, but that other professions do not receive.

Does it say they can take it at any time? Anyway, I'm fine with it, particularly the "without pay" part.