You'd think...

[Veronica]

Send 'em to California - please!


Veronica

[azfiddle]

Veronica- I have almost as many sick days as you. And as retirement is getting closer, realize that I will not get that many of them paid to me - only about 1/3. But I hate being gone and writing lesson plans so I almost never take my days off.

Fortunately, we usually have subs available...

[Tri Girl]

my silly school district caps you at 60 sick days. You can't accumulate more than that. When you hit 60 sick days in the bank you lose them if you don't use them. I'm at 44. Hmmm...

[Trek420]

No sick days. If I'm sick I call in sick and I'm paid, if I do it often enough I'm fired. Most of us come to work unless "calling in dead". Which is why I'm home today with broncho pneumonea which I got from working with the bronchitis which I got from working with the cold.

But I love my job and would never kvetch about it online Currently I do get 3 weeks plus 6 days plus regular holidays plus a half day plus unpaid time if I could afford .... off. But to get the time off I have to ask for it at least 42 hours in advance. Really works out to be 72 hours. This makes taking that for emergencies such as unexpected illness impossible.

It's really tough on me because like many of us I'm generally healthy. Coworkers with ongoing conditions specifically mostly diabetese, high blood pressure wrack up the time off on FMLA. I'm not resenting them but when I try to get time off the schedule is full and mostly with people off work to treat conditions which might just might be lessened by taking a walk or two or 50.

[ny biker]

We used to get "Personal Time Off" which was for both vacation and sick days. I got 4 weeks per year, due to the fact that I've been at my job for a long time.

Last year they changed the policy, and gave us "unlimited" sick days, with the qualification that you went on short-term disability after 5 consecutive sick days and your manager could require a note from a doctor after 3 consecutive days. They also reduced our vacation time -- I still managed to qualify for 3 weeks, but many of my coworkers were cut to 2.

This year they changed the policy again, and we are limited to a total of 5 sick days per year.

As for substitute teachers, I was unemployed for almost a year back in 1998-99, and it never occurred to me to look into that. I worked temp jobs at various offices while taking classes part-time at a local university. Since I don't know anything about teaching and would rather not deal with a room full of kids, I think being a substitute would be a last resort for me as a job.

[solobiker]

I know how you feel V. I work in health care and I am the only OT in the building so I can't call in if "i feel like it". I have to plan months in advance for a day off and sometimes that does not work either. I also get to work all holidays at straight time...no time 1/2. Hope you can fine some subs for your next training day.

[Veronica]

They managed to find someone about an hour into the training.

We can request subs. I'm out so little that I really don't know very many of them. The one I do usually request has been put on special assignment. Good for her, it's regular income! Bad for me.

The training was good - it was part of this math grant that I have been participating in for the last three years. I do wish I could have gone last week when I was suppose to go. That was with the 5th, 6th and 7th grade teachers. Today was mainly with third and fourth. I like hearing from the middle school teachers and what their expectations are.

I've got mainly the same group of kids I had last year - 24 stayed with me and I got 8 new ones. They are mostly a good group of kids, love to learn, are curious and interested. They can't shut up to save their lives! I don't know what they have to talk about, but they really NEED to talk and talk and talk and talk some more! Really... can we talk?!

I gotta pour test taking strategies down their throats because it's REALLY important that we do well on the state test and they want to chitchat. Where are their priorities?

Veronica