Dear We are teachers,
My 3rd grade group and I have to meet every day around our PLC. One of our team members always comes to work when he is obviously very ill. We’re talking about coughing, tissues all over his desk, he can’t even open his eyes, that kind of thing. When we encourage him to go home, he says “he doesn’t like to use his sick days.” (What he doesn’t really mean is that he likes to save his sick days to travel.) Should we confront him about this?
– We have a team that kills the epidemic
Hello WHATP,
I am of two minds when it comes to this matter.
On the other hand, I think he should be able to spend his days as he likes. Teachers get so little flexibility during their contract year with their personal days (as if our personal needs must always magically coincide with the pre-existing calendar?) that to me, this is not a battle worth fighting. Since your meeting place is close, start by setting a schedule for the whole group. If anyone feels sick, you are committed to joining the PLC remotely via Zoom to prevent the spread of disease.
On the other hand, I think it’s somewhat irresponsible to come to school when she looks sick, and she’s putting others at risk if she comes to school with a fever (even one that’s medicated). If a teacher refuses to respect your PLC’s boundaries about meeting remotely when you don’t feel well, I think it’s okay to bring the administrator into the conversation at that point.
So, proceed with caution. And maybe an N95 mask for your PLC at the moment.
Dear We are teachers,
I have a 6th grader who went from needing a regular 10 minute bathroom break in my 50 minute classroom to taking 20 to 30 minutes in the bathroom every day. I reached out to her mom when this first happened to let her know how much she was missing from class, but she just thanked me for letting her know. His peers have started commenting on how far he has gone during class, and this is making it difficult for many of our activities (eg, group work, missing notes/instructions, etc.). I don’t want to check if it’s a personal/medical issue, but it’s becoming an academic one as well. Should I talk about this again or just let it go?
—Bathroom Break Turns into Bathroom Bill
Hello BBITIABC,
This type of situation is always tricky. But when in doubt, let them go to the toilet. It is good for you not to interfere with what could be a medical problem.
Talk to the administrator first about this extra entry. Most likely, your administrator will see the need to grant the student 504 and medical accommodations. Your administrator may take this situation completely (whew!), or at least direct you to the right place to start/people for this process.
With your administrator already familiar with this situation, if Mom refuses to 504 and insists that a bathroom break that takes up 40 to 60 percent of your class every day is not a problem, your administrator is already in a position to implement solutions as well. .
Dear We are teachers,
I am in my third year of teaching at a completely toxic school, and this morning I handed in my two week notice. I can’t take it anymore. Would you put the semester + two weeks at school on your resume for future jobs (I’m applying to other schools and jobs in completely different fields), or just skip this year’s experience altogether?
-It’s been a long time, If you’re telling the truth
Dear IPTH,
I was about to leave your experience this year. Future employers will want to talk to the manager or principal at your most recent school. You don’t want to set yourself up with conflicting information.
Your application or resume will ask for reasons for leaving your workplace. Do not assign “toxic workplace” or any other subjective descriptors. I think the best thing you can do is to get praise points, and then state your reasons for leaving as searching for the goodnot trying to escape the negative. Here’s what I mean:
- “I’m thankful for what I learned when I was at Oakwood and now I’m looking for a school with more opportunities for growth and leadership.”
- “I have learned many valuable skills during my time as a teacher and am looking to apply them to a new and exciting field.”
- “I had an amazing mentor at Oakwood and I want a school where I can have the same impact on others that I had.”
Will they read between the lines you left during the year? Yes, maybe. But principals and other employers know this happens. (And there’s always the chance that your principal already knows that the principal at Oakwood is toxic too. 👀)
Do you have a burning question? Email us at [email protected].
Dear We are teachers,
I am in my first year teaching high school biology. Since the start of the new semester, my students are completely indifferent or spend the whole class playing. There is nothing we can do, and it feels like they hate me. How do I reset them to factory settings? And please tell me it doesn’t take weeks!
-I got the New Year Blues
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