There is a hazard to being a teacher. It is impossible to take a day off.
Sure, we get sick days. We accumulate lots of them. In order to use one, you have to work just as hard as showing up. So it is easier to just drag yourself through the day. I sometimes dream of a job where I could just call in sick and then flop back into bed.
Instead, teachers call in. Then we drag ourselves in and write lesson plans, in excruciating detail. We prepare the board with all the necessary info and copy the worksheets. We lay it all out in a neat pile on the desk. We write a note to the substitute thanking them for coming in. Then we return home. And ponder all the things we forgot to leave or write or think about. We hope that the students behave better than they do for us.
Monday, I was pondering coming in to work. We have a morning kindergarten teacher that will substitute in the afternoon. I pondered on Sunday while hanging out in urgent care. I pondered all Monday morning. I pondered as I walked in the building and saw her in her classroom. And decided to stick around and work anyway. The entire time dreaming of taking a nap.
I have reached the point that it takes an ER visit to keep me home. How sad is that? But I still love my job. The kids are aggravating and entertaining and fun. I love sharing my love of math and science. So, for the time being I will drag my sick self in and teach away.
The chronic misadventures of parenting, teaching, friendship and life. Take the plan and throw it out the window, because life isn't following it anyway!
Headache Tally
- March - 1 migraine (3 days)
- February - 3 migraine days
- January - 6 migraine days
- December - 7 migraine days
- November - 5 migraine days
- October - 9 migraine days
- September - 9 migraine days
- August - 13 migraine days
- July - 9 migraine days
- June - 4 migraines
- May - 3 migraines
- April - 7 migraines
- March - 7 migraines
- February - 3 migraines
- January - 4 migraines
- December - 10 migraines
Current Books
- A Brain Wider than the Sky by Andrew Levy
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
- Breaking the Chain of Low Self Esteem by Marilyn Sorenson
6 comments:
I know exactly what you mean. My mom has accumulated the maximum number of sick days that she can carry from year to year. The only good thing about it is that in this state, she'll be paid for all of those sick days when she retires.
I don't think most people understand how tough it is to be a teacher. All they see is the benefit of short days (ha) and summers off (ha, again).
That sounds awful. And I would think that being around kids all day, you're exposed to all kinds of germs.
My dad works for a college and gets to accumulate a ridiculous number of sick days. 9 years ago, he used those sick days to take 6 months off when he had 2 open heart surgeries.
Hope you feel better soon.
oh i am soo sorry you are sick...you really do need to take a day though to recoupe...just think...it may be work but it is worth it to go home and take that nap right!!.Be careful..i dont want you to end up way worse if you dont take it easy! I hope that you feel better soon!
man. i hadn't realized when you got a sub you needed to go in first and get everything ready. i'm not sure how that is even physically possible.
are you having migraines? i'm very sorry.
You were in the ER? So sorry to hear about that. I hope you are feeling better soon.
I think of being a stay-at-home mom in the same way--no sick days!
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