New Teacher Academy

Experiments with Sick Days

I'm home sick today for the third day in a row. I go back and forth between freezing shivers and feverishly sweating buckets. I'm more coherent today, but still not ready to go back. It's early in the morning - I just finished writing four pages of lesson plans for my substitute and putting out fires/calling in favors via email. All of this thinking, working, and communicating at a time I shouldn't be thinking, working, or communicating has me wondering: What is the best way for a teacher to handle and be prepared for absences?

Experiment 1: Sick? Go to work anyway.

Pros: When you're there, you don't have to write sub plans. But then again, when you're not all there, can you really teach?

Cons: I risked getting my students sick, and we all know the quality teaching that happens