Teachers Taking "Sick Days" - Anyone want to defend this one?

[TeasePlease]

http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/...ng_sick_days_as_end_of_school_year_nears.html

"Ontario school boards are scrambling to cover a record number of teachers taking time off, as they use sick days they no longer can bank until retirement.The sudden need for substitute teachers in recent weeks has so outstripped supply — especially on Fridays and Mondays — that some elementary principals have asked librarians, special education and ESL teachers to scrap regular duties for a day to supervise classrooms.

A handful of high schools have cancelled classes in the senior grades for lack of a teacher.

“Last Friday we had the highest volume of teachers taking ‘family responsibility’ days we’ve ever seen; but our ‘fill rates’ (the number of vacancies they could fill) are very low — this is an irregular level of vacancies,” noted Scott Moreash, associate director of the Peel District School Board. A record 1,664 of Peel’s 10,000 teachers were absent last Friday, of whom only 1,210 could be replaced with a substitute teacher."


Unconscionable, IMO.

 

[red]

see- they care about the kids so much, they realize by staying away from the classroom the students will be better off

 

[saxon]

The entire notion of paid sick days is a joke. If you don't come to work you shouldn't get paid simple as that.

 

[Ms.FemmeFatale]

My daughter in highschool has had "study hall" for one class all week because there is no one available to cover the class. I am not impressed with our education system.

 

[Toke]

My daughter in highschool has had "study hall" for one class all week because there is no one available to cover the class. I am not impressed with our education system.

Blame the imposed contract.

 

[red]

Blame the imposed contract.

the imposed contract made them call in sick when they aren't? wow- good contract

 

[Ms.FemmeFatale]

Blame the imposed contract.

Why? The imposed contract did not make the teacher, who is suppose to be teaching my child, scurry off and take paid sick days. That was his choice.

 

[Toke]

the imposed contract made them call in sick when they aren't? wow- good contract

No. The taking away of banked sick days did.

 

[Toke]

Why? The imposed contract did not make the teacher, who is suppose to be teaching my child, scurry off and take paid sick days. That was his choice.

If they don't use them then they lose them. Many jobs have this type of situation in place. When it is coming to the end of the period in which 'paid days' can be used, employees use them.

 

[4everkasey]

Don't get me started on this topic.......lol. My daughter attends high school and I am constantly shocked at the unprofessional, slimy used car salesmen attitude of almost everyone I have come in contact. I often wonder when the important respectful job of teaching our children the skills that will carry them through life became a half assed scam to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. Recently my daughter showed me a major project she scored very high marks on in HISTORY, the person she picked to do the project on.......wait for it, Justin Beiber. I would be embarassed to be a teacher today. Another shining example, recently during a parent-teacher interview I was informed by her english teacher that she does not give homework because "she knows it is difficult for the children to read". I could write a book, lol

 

[FAST]

They are doing it for the students

Blame the imposed contract.

So the contract made them liars,...good example for the students !!!

FAST

 

[thewheelman]

similar to the deal the city workers got a couple of years ago, isn't it?
no more banked sick days, but they get something like 130 sick days a year

 

[Ms.FemmeFatale]

the imposed contract made them call in sick when they aren't? wow- good contract

My point exactly....

No. **The taking away of banked sick days did.

If they don't use them then they lose them. Many jobs have this type of situation in place. When it is coming to the end of the period in which 'paid days' can be used, employees use them.

Sorry, but that does not mean the "caring and honest" teacher HAD to take the sick days. They are available so that when you are sick, you can still get paid and not lose the income. Not for teachers to take advantage and enjoy extra long weekends, etc when they are perfectly healthy. Sorry but my child's PROPER education is more important to me then fraudsters. Just my opinion.

Thanks

 

[Toke]

Don't get me started on this topic.......lol. My daughter attends high school and I am constantly shocked at the unprofessional, slimy used car salesmen attitude of almost everyone I have come in contact. I often wonder when the important respectful job of teaching our children the skills that will carry them through life became a half assed scam to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. Recently my daughter showed me a major project she scored very high marks on in HISTORY, the person she picked to do the project on.......wait for it, Justin Beiber. I would be embarassed to be a teacher today. Another shining example, recently during a parent-teacher interview I was informed by her english teacher that she does not give homework because "she knows it is difficult for the children to read". I could write a book, lol

Since you're such an involved parent, why didn't you know what your daughter's assignment was being written about?

 

[red]

If they don't use them then they lose them. Many jobs have this type of situation in place. When it is coming to the end of the period in which 'paid days' can be used, employees use them.

so they are fraudulently calling in sick

 

[Toke]

My point exactly....




Sorry, but that does not mean the "caring and honest" teacher HAD to take the sick days. They are available so that when you are sick, you can still get paid and not lose the income. Not for teachers to take advantage and enjoy extra long weekends, etc when they are perfectly healthy. Sorry but my child's PROPER education is more important to me then fraudsters. Just my opinion.

Thanks

Of course your child is more important. You're emotionally tied. However, if you look at it objectively, you would at least understand otherwise. The Province bullied them into a contract that was/is flawed. I saw this very situation coming back in December. If you did, and care so much about your child's education, you may not have supported the teachers but also would not have supported an imposed contract.

 

[Toke]

so they are fraudulently calling in sick

Perhaps.

 

[4everkasey]

Of course I am involved, it is my child. There are assignments done on their time and assignments which are done only in class. As much as I would love to know everything, it is impossible unless of course I went to school with her which would just be creepy....lol

Since you're such an involved parent, why didn't you know what your daughter's assignment was being written about?

 

[Ms.FemmeFatale]

Since you're such an involved parent, why didn't you know what your daughter's assignment was being written about?

What does that have to do with the lack of professionalism of teachers. The lack of proper education and the fraudulent use of sick days? Is it somehow her fault now that she is not stalking the teachers daily to ensure that her child is doing history projects on a more prolific person????? Is that really our job now as parents? And why are teachers giving so many ISU assignements to be done in class, instead of before when it was sent home and they actually taught something during class time????

And when that does not work because you get nothing but arrogant elitist attitude from the teacher, your suggestion is????

Of course your child is more important. You're emotionally tied. However, if you look at it objectively, you would at least understand otherwise. The Province bullied them into a contract that was/is flawed. I saw this very situation coming back in December. If you did, and care so much about your child's education, you may not have supported the teachers but also would not have supported an imposed contract.

I have no issue with the imposed contract. I have an issue with a lot of teachers and their attitude regarding their job. That is my opinion. EOD

 

[jjbee62]

I can't speak for Ontario, but in the states, teachers get the short end of the stick every time. Many have to resort to buying their own classroom supplies, because the school budget has all been spent on the sports teams. Most are required to perform frequent extra duties without pay; monitoring after school detention or study sessions, working weekends for test preparation and taking work home because there isn't enough time in their day to complete all they need to do. Add to that the lousy pay most receive and it's a rather thankless job.

If you require the teachers to take all of their paid time off every year, or lose those days, then why wouldn't they take the time off? How often do you tell your employer "no thanks, you don't have to pay me every thing you agreed on when you hired me"? Why should the teachers be any different?

Letting anyone bank unpaid time off indefinitely can lead to problems. A teacher that has worked 40 years and never missed a day would be due a significant amount of money at retirement, at their current level of pay, significantly more than what the pay was when they earned those days. The simple solution is to place a limit of 2 years on the days they can accrue, and then allow them to sell the days back at the end of the year. The teachers are getting their days or getting paid for them, so no need to take all the days and the schools don't have to worry about the significant impact the time value of money will have on their budgets.