It's amazing to me how much work is involved in order to take a day off work. Wednesday I woke up a little light headed with a sore throat. No worries, I'm a trooper...I can carry on. I went into work and went through the day with continued symptoms. When I reached the end of my day I added shivers and aching to my list of ailments. I felt like I had been hit by a dump truck but knew it was coming back to get me again.
I decided that it would probably be best for me to take a sick day on Thursday - I didn't know what was coming, but I sure didn't feel well enough to teach at that moment. That meant that before I got to go home (to my sick bed), I had to make preparations for my classes the next day. I had to organize, photocopy and plan for the next day. What could my students do without me there. Sometimes you're lucky and they're in the middle of working on an assignment that the students can work on without you there. This can happen more often in art than in history, but I really does depend on where in the curriculum you are. Sometimes you are not that lucky and you're in the middle of teaching information when the sick day pops up on the radar. That means that you've got to figure out what the students can do without you, with a supply teacher, and without too much loss to either the credibility or flow of your course. Then you need to prepare, write instructions (for students and supply teacher) and photocopy...all so you can have a day off to wallow in your sickness.
I mention the supply teacher because you're playing a game of Russian Roulette when a supply teacher is brought into your room. Don't get me wrong, I've been that supply teacher. I understand what it is to come into a class that isn't yours, have the students assume they can walk all over you, attempt to assert control with expectations that the students may or may not respect, and then do it all again the next day. I get it, it's a tough job. Except that there are four kinds of supply teachers.
One: The supply teacher who barely passed teacher's college and still can't get hired, so they're still on the supply list after being an accredited teacher for 7 years. Two: The supply teacher who retired from teaching because they 'were done with teaching' but has decided to return for that bit of extra pay. Three: The individual who, for reasons unapparent, somehow got onto the supply list without having been a certified teacher and decide that it is better to ignore the students and take the day in further their personal interest (i.e., the daily crossword, the sweater they are knitting, or ensuring the daily newspaper is read from cover to cover). Four: The dynamic teacher who, because of a lull in hiring, has been designated as a supply teacher. (This category has a sub-category; the retired teacher who still loves teaching, but is supplementing their income and keeping busy because they still love the kids and being in the classroom.) This supply teacher is biding their time until they get hired (an eventuality, which is why this group is the most rare), but is highly sought after.
Most teachers have a list of supply teachers from this last category. The list is not long, and is often shortened throughout the year as these dynamic teachers get hired. Now, officially we cannot request a supply teacher, but if we know that there will be an absence in advance (due to, say, an appointment or a trip) we fight for the chance to employ these teachers as often as we can. We know that our lesson plans with be followed and our students will be left in good hands. We know that it will be like we were never gone.
When you don't know you're going to be taking that sick day until the evening before, you are not guaranteed a category four supply teacher - ironic because in teacher talk, "category" or "level" 4 is an exceptional exemplar of student work.
Yesterday, while I lay abed and drinking lots of liquids, I was lucky. My supply teacher ensured that my lesson plans were followed and my students did their work. That is all I can ask for.
Today, when I returned I picked up right back where I left off, but with more marking (I had to leave them something meaningful yet worthwhile for their time). Oh, and midterm marks were due yesterday...so I spent my prep period and free time today submitting marks and comments for a deadline that I missed. I stayed late to finish and to photocopy what I need for Monday.
Man, I'm glad it's the weekend and I can recover from my sick day!
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