Simultaneously Whining and Cringing
Two colleagues of mine took a sick day yesterday so that they could grade papers. One is really new, and she wondered if she could get in trouble for this since they are “sick days” and she is not sick. I told her not to worry and that, when I’m working full time, I inevitably end up taking one sick day toward the end of each semester to do just that. The huge end-of-semester projects come in, and grades will be due, and we’re still teaching our full loads, and there are only so many hours in a day.
In what other profession would anyone have to be docked a sick day to do their jobs? In what other profession would a person feel so scrutinized and feel so much like people were out to prove her lazy and shiftless that she would worry about getting in trouble for giving up one of her sick days in order to do paper work for the company? It’s ridiculous!
On the other hand, well, it’s really hard to fire a teacher for much of anything. This lamb is new to the profession, so she worries about job security. Once you have it, it can be very hard to remove someone who actually is lazy or shiftless or worse.
So yesterday, while this young woman was worried that she was breaking the rules for grading papers instead of being sick, another teacher in our building was removed in handcuffs. He’s presumed innocent and all, but should that presumption prove false, his career is over. There are very few things for which a teacher can be fired and even fewer for which he can also be arrested. Are you catching my drift?
All I can say is that if he did what rumor says he did, he’s an idiot. Yes, emotions are powerful things, and yes, when you’re a young teacher, the kids can seem an awful lot like peers, but they are not. Anyway, I can’t say a lot about this because I have almost none of the relevant facts—mostly innuendo and some circumstantial stuff. There’s supposed to be a press release about this. The next question is, will this be local news, as such stories usually are, or will it be national because we are who we are?
If it hits the national news, all I ask is this, remember that for every twit who does something this stupid, there are countless numbers of us giving up sick days to grade papers.
I am always amazed at the amount of work that teachers have to put in
during a normal work day. It is sad that a few bad teachers seem to cause
people to lose trust in the profession; however, the good teachers are
definitely life changers.
It's a shame that a profession as wonderful as teaching sometimes gets
shrouded in controversy by a few bad apples. I have always hated when
people spew about teachers having tenure and then becoming lazy. Sure this
happens, but I know this is a small minority and the rest of the hard
working teachers suffer for this. You are teaching the next generation, if
you shouldn't be rightly rewarded for this, then what should be?
The educational system seems to be taking over or rather having thrust on
them many things that were once done by parents or the church or some other
institution out side the system.
I would definitely not like to be a teacher in this peiod of history and
consider it to be one of the most difficult and demanding professions a
person can do. Good on you and the young teacher taking your sick days to
mark papers.
About five years ago it seemed there was a huge outbreak of teachers
running off with or engaging in sex with their students in the news. After
that, the priest sex abuse scandels were all the rage. Then there are the
stories about the little league coaches, social workers, and police. I'd
say there is enough mud to sling around that blame shouldn't be placed on
the profession, but whatever else creates these betrayers of our youth.
We had a local teacher recently arrested with her ELEVEN year old student
right in the classroom. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Paula, your school needs what mine has, something called "Spring Schedule."
This is a modified schedule in which we're finished after lunch. It's just
what the doctor ordered at this point in the year!
I alwasy dreamed what having a half day everyday would feel like :). It
would benefit the teachers and students alike.
Man, I wish that we had "Spring Schedule" when I was in school!