What would drive an intelligent, confident and capable teacher, whom I witnessed, reduce the gnarliest year ten boy to tears, scare the eye liner off the goth- year nine girls, and run an entire department like clock- work, stay?
Why did this obviously very clever, capable, confident person remain in a career which she obviously hated so much?
I have seen it ALL TOO OFTEN!
Despite the daily complaints about eating on the bell, cramming a stale biscuit and cold coffee in while on duty, holding on to go to the toilet all day because there is simply no time, bouts of gastro, parent’s razor blade, jelly-fish-stinging comments, behaviour management, poor decision making in schools all impacting classroom teaching and …show more content…
Some are healthy, some are not. The job takes it’s toll on us in many ways. I have personally had kidney infections due to holding on all day, never having a moment to race to the ladies, which have seen me laid up in hospital for over a week. Why do we do this to our bodies?
I have lost teaching colleagues and friends to skin cancer, breast cancer, kidney disease and Lupus. All of whom confided in me that they were too busy, tired or not the right time in semester to get a skin check or lump check. Teachers who were so committed to their students and families that they supressed their own health issues for the holiday period. I have watched teachers work when they are so ill because a relief or substitute cannot be found. I have even been guilty of going into work because it is simply too hard to make the necessary arrangements for someone else to take my class. It involves far more effort to prepare a daily plan for an unknown teacher to pick up where you left off. So just going in sick and delivering it myself is the best option.
We often go onto work for fear of letting our students down. Particularly in times when we are doing exam revision or even for ceremonies, celebrations, and …show more content…
What do we need to take from this?
NOBODY WANTS A SICK TEACHER! STAY HOME IF YOU ARE UNWELL AND GET BETTER.
We can email lesson plans from home. You will NOT ruin a student’s life by being absent a day or two or even for a week. Students can be farmed into other classes if the administration cannot get a relief teacher. You have 10 sick days per year for a reason. It is a job where you are exposed to many different bugs and ailments. Take precautions and use hand gel! I keep it on my desk! Remember this- my Biology students swabbed the door handles in our school- they contain faeces bacteria. So do keypads and ipad screens. Be vigilant with your own hands as they are the pathway to your respiratory track through your mouth! We touch our faces thousands of times a day!!
Students WILL come in sick! A flu jab is a good start if you can get one.
Remember, your colleagues although they are intrigued and curious by you, they are too busy to care like your mum, sister, husband, or family will care if you are sick or worse still dead. LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH AND GO TO THE