Teacher absences: Are they excessive and do they hurt students?
Most discussions about school attendance focus on students. Now, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants to talk about teachers.
Duncan has made teacher attendance one of the measures to determine which low-achieving schools receive federal improvement funds. So, for the first time, the federal government will collect data on how many days teachers miss classes each year.
The reason is simple: Research shows that students suffer a small, but significant decline in academic performance as a result of teacher absences.
In addition, the nation’s public schools pay a big price — as much as $4 billion a year according to the National Center for Education Statistics — to hire substitutes to fill in for absent staff.
When he was CEO of Chicago public schools, Duncan was dismayed to discover that the system was spending more than $10 million a year on substitute teachers. He tangled with the teacher unions when he added teacher attendance data to school scorecards.
“This is important to parents,” Duncan said at the time. “There’s never been a spotlight on this, and that’s a mistake. I think it’s like any workplace. When people feel good about the work, people want to be there. This is not only important for student learning, it’s important to school culture.”
As one of the leading researchers on the impact of teacher absences on achievement, Raegen T. Miller, associate director for education research at the Center for American Progress, applauds the new emphasis on teacher attendance.
Patterns of high absences within a school can be a marker of deeper problems. “Controlling for age and other factors, there are still wildly different patterns that tell you about the professional culture in the school building. The Department of Education really gets this,” says Miller.
In his research, Miller found that public school teachers are absent between nine and 10 days per year on average.
Between kindergarten and 12th grade, that means a student is taught by someone other than the regularly assigned teacher for the equivalent of two-thirds of a school year, he says.
Every 10 absences lowers mathematics achievement by the same amount as having a teacher with one year to two years of experience instead of a teacher with three years to five years of experience, says Miller.
In his analysis, Miller found that most teacher absences — 56 percent — were discretionary, meaning they were either short-term sick days or personal days.
Those days often fell on Mondays, Fridays and before vacation breaks, suggesting that teachers were deliberate in the days they chose to stay home from work. (Nondiscretionary absences would include a family death, long-term illnesses or jury duty.)
That’s led Miller to advocate for public disclosure of teacher absences so that the public is aware of patterns within schools, patterns that may undermine student achievement.
Miller also says states should look at leave policies that may be overly generous or that encourage teachers to take off time.
“There is no question that a ton of resources are devoted to paying teachers when they are not there,” Miller says. “In some states, the statute provides for 10 days a year. In other states, it is nearly twice as much.” (Georgia gives 12.5 days per year.)
Many leave policies reflect political concessions.
“In years where there is no money for a raise, just to get people to go away from the table, the administration is likely to throw people another sick day . Or it may be the Legislature throwing out another day rather than more money,’’ says Miller. “But when teachers get paid leave for 10 percent of the school year, it’s probably excessive.”
Miller advises local systems to consider incentives to reduce teacher absences.
Teacher absence rates are about three times those of managerial and professional employees, a fact that teachers attribute to the health risks of working with children. Because the profession remains largely female, Miller says absences are often linked to child care needs.
Because teacher attendance data is not published, there’s little information about how often teachers miss school in Georgia. An exception is Cobb County where a school system official recently studied the question.
For her graduate work at Kennesaw State University, Mary Finlayson, investigations manager for the Cobb system’s human resources department, examined absences in the county and the impact on students.
Her 37-page study, “The Impact of Teacher Absenteeism on Student Performance: The Case of the Cobb County School District,” contains these findings:
-While the national average is 10 days, Cobb teachers are out of the classroom an average of 14 days per year.
-Cobb spent $8.5 million to hire substitutes to fill in for 6,800 classroom teachers and clinic nurses in the 2008-2009 school year. The system had only budgeted $4.6 million for subs.
-Students in lower-income areas experienced more teacher absences.
An analysis of third-grade CRCT scores in Cobb supported the national research that higher teacher absenteeism led to lower math scores.
In her report, Finlayson echoes the conclusions of most national researchers:
“From experience, I have learned that if employee attendance is allowed to become a problem in a school, it will affect other employees who also begin to take time off work. There needs to be an awareness of how pervasive this problem might be and consistency among all schools about what is expected from teachers and staff.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
211 comments Add your comment
College Professor
November 29th, 2009
10:44 am
The permanent absences of parents are far more detrimental to student learning than the infrequent absences of teachers.
Cobb Teacher
November 29th, 2009
10:45 am
So this study explains our new attendance policy…interesting…
I’m am sure that the “average of 14 days” includes two things that should be noted: first, training, and second, maternity leave. Why am I sure that those must be included? Because at 14 days, this would mean the average teacher taking off is taking off one and a half days without pay, and I’m just not seeing that or believing that in this economy.
We have had a few textbook adoptions and trainings on the new standards and new textbooks materials the last couple years, and teachers chosen for those are out, but it doesn’t come out of their own leave time. Some of that could be done over the summer (and often is – but not for free – either stipends or PLUs), but some of it requires the teacher to be able to go back to a classroom and use what they have learned.
Anyone who has a baby is going to be out for doctor’s appointments leading up to and maternity leave after the birth. A teacher only gets to take paid maternity leave for the number of days she has – dads get to take some time, too, under the FMLA. The majority of teachers are women – enough said.
I think the study is important though, because it does raise some good questions about the necessity of in-school training, the physical and mental stresses of being a teacher, and attendance rates at “challenging” schools.
Jacks Mum – we are not unionized here in Georgia – please stop promoting that inaccuracy.
Southern Gal – The carrying over of sick leave/PTO/vacation days is actually MORE common than not. I have worked in several private sector jobs, both large and small companies and they all accrued time off. My husband’s job does as well, and an informal survey of my family members (from states as varied as Nevada to New Hampshire and jobs ranging from large corporation to the United States military) showed the majority of their PTO also accrued. The one exception separated sick leave from vacation days – vacation days accrued, but sick days did not – however the person would be paid for any unpaid sick days at the end of the year. Maybe you need to work for another company?
Kelly
November 29th, 2009
10:57 am
As a very happy teacher for 8 years I was stunned when 2 teens walked into my room/trailer and began fighting. One had the equivalent of a cafeteria knife. I am 5 ft tall and weigh 115 lbs. These guys were 180 lbs+. They were returned to my room and 1 didn’t even belong there. After confronting the admin assis. I was told my main job was to make sure the kids were not smoking pot out behind the trailers. All those years of training, college, Masters degree, 8 different certifications and it came down to making sure no one was smoking and selling pot next to my trailer. I quit and have not taught in the public schools for 3 yrs although I retain a HQ teaching status due to my excessive certifications and training hrs. Ha! Sick leave! When’s the last time you had a knife fight in your cubicle?
Kristin
November 29th, 2009
10:57 am
I wonder if you or the study took/will take into consideration the fact that the large majority of teachers are women…women who are mothers and primary care givers of their own children. As a teacher, my sick days were saved to stay home when my children were sick. They were also used for maternity leave…which requires teachers to use sick days.
J Getright
November 29th, 2009
10:59 am
I am sick and tired of the system blaming teachers!!!!! What’s needed is parental involvement!!!!! Some things kids should know how to do before they start school, like ABCs and 123s… Then you have parents that send kids to school for babysitting services—no involvement in education after the school day!!! Teachers are now expected to be parents, teachers, counselors, etc… Just look at the difference between public schools, charter and private schools and you will OVERWHELMINGLY find that the key to greater success in charter and private schools is PARENT INVOLVEMENT and TEACHER CONTROL (not the administration). Do the REAL RESEARCH!!!!! Don’t look for someone to blame for broken SYSTEMS!! And don’t get it wrong, I am not a teacher because I don’t have time for the lack of parental and administration support!
Chris Murphy, Atlanta, GA
November 29th, 2009
11:22 am
Well, this topic certainly riled the troops! (i.e., the teachers) Those of you getting so exercised about the subject of teacher absenteeism somehow didn’t note that the studies are saying that the *average* of sick days for teachers is 10. As an average, that is outrageous, but human nature being what it is, the figure means that some are not taking any or just a few days, while many are getting a couple extra weeks of vacation at everyone elses’ expense. The teaching employees should get some formulaic reward for unused sick days, but quit putting your martyr’s status on here as a reason to abuse the system.
Psychologist
November 29th, 2009
11:24 am
I began teaching after graduating from college, and I’m not completing my doctoral degree in Psychology. I am in my late 20’s, and I see where the problem lies. The problems arise when teachers continue to work in school systems and school buildings where they are not happy. Research shows that teachers are less likely to get sick and stress where they are in an environment that makes them happy. Primary positive reinforcement may include pay, teacher support, and recognition. At this point, teachers know that students are not going to be angels…BUT thats why teaching is a calling and not just a job. I transferred to a new school this year due to promotion, but I have been more stressed this year more than any other year in the profession. My administrator is great, but the problem lies with teacher absenteeism. My coworkers abuse the system, and the teachers that are present everyday suffer, because they “have to lend an extra hand.” One teacher has been absent for 15 days already, and it is always excuse after excuse. Why is it that he always complain about things not going right, and the students not learning, when he is the one that is absent? This is a problem, and I think that tracking teacher absences and why is a great start to controlling this issue.
Psychologist
November 29th, 2009
11:25 am
I’m now completing my doctoral degree (not..not)
Ann Berry
November 29th, 2009
11:30 am
I would say take a survey of the substitute teachers with open ended questions and see what you get. They, truly, will tell the story. I am not a teacher anymore; I am a data driven mummy led by incompetent people who are also led by incompetence from the top of the order. When this country understands that teachers cannot be “everything to all”, things will take a turn. For now, I am a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, nurse, social worker, custodian, coach, RTI specialist, SPED specialist, interdisiplinary guru, behavior monitor, babysitter, bookkeeper, hall monitor, bathroom monitor, bus monitor, lunchroom monitor, before school facilitator, after school facilitator, and oh, yes….now Friday Academy until 6 pm infringing upon my private time as a private citizen…….are you tired and confused yet?
The biggest gripe from teachers is that they are tired of doing everything half-assed. There is so much to do and so many titles to perform. No one title is ever performed to the best of my ability because there is so much to do. So, when you get overachievers (teachers) time and time again pushed into the corner because there is no time to do the job well…..the result will be taking days off to regroup and refresh. I do not speak that it is right or wrong…..I speak for all educators and ask that you let us teach the curriculum and hire additional staff to do all the other jobs I perform on a daily basis.
What a joke
November 29th, 2009
11:33 am
The problem isn’t teachers calling in sick, it’s that the school systems give the teachers 30+ sick days every year!!!! I am litterally falling over laughing at these teachers thinking they are something special for accumulating 2 years of “sick” days. Come to the real world teacher honey, 5 sick days a year (if you’re lucky!) and they don’t carry forward. And then to require a doctors note if you are “sick” for 2 days or more.
Get rid of the sick days, teachers obviously do not need 30+ days a year to be home sick (in addition to another 4.5 months of paid holidays AND vacation!!!!!!!).
SpaceyG on Twitter
November 29th, 2009
11:33 am
My child’s wonderful teacher took a surprising leave of absence in middle of the term. Now my child has some hideous Wicked Witch of the Teaching West, resurrected from some old teacher dead zone for this personal crisis of someone else’s, as a substitute teacher. For months. Kid’s grades are suddenly dropping for the fist time ever. Not good.
Philosopher
November 29th, 2009
11:34 am
@Proud teacher: well-said… These issues are not unique to teachers… healthcare providers face the same issues…so I understand…”Do I go to work sick and put patients and coworkers at risk or do I stay home and leave patients without adequate care? “I would hope that it is not the norm for teachers to take days off because they feel entitled. Those teachers make make a bad impression on the public…so track it and fire the abusers as they do in any other profession…don’t blame all teachers for the few bad ones. They hurt kids.
@WOW: It is good that you do not teach kids!!! The nasty attitude your portray towards parents and kids is sadly seen a lot in these blogs. Folks who struggle to do the best they can for their kids, and the kids who are the target of this malice, do not need you!
In fact, I had a whole lot more respect for teachers before I read these blogs…tell me again why you remain teachers…why you continue to put up with these parents and children you seem to despise so much. I have seen not a whiff of concern from teachers for the human beings on the other side of any of the issues here, but I have seen a heck of a lot of support from parents for teachers…how very,very sad!
Maureen Downey
November 29th, 2009
11:36 am
Kristin, Dr. Miller notes that the teaching profession is largely women and that the higher-than-other-profession absence rates are likely associated with child care, including sick kids and day care issues.
Maureen
Courtney
November 29th, 2009
11:37 am
A lot of time teachers are out for MANDATORY professional learning which is usually useless and just justification of the jobs done by County office folk. Should teachers be given less sick days? Yes. But the real fat is in the County Office.
Guy
November 29th, 2009
11:39 am
They should have drug test for teachers. I know a girl who teaches 5th grade and she smokes weed every day. I can’t believe she can do that and teach kids.
Real
November 29th, 2009
11:45 am
All the more reason that we continue to pay approx. $7,000 each year in property taxes in Dekalb County yet chose to send our children to private school.
It seems the entire “Atlanta” public school system failed in schools not serving the neighborhoods in which they are located — add in the teacher’s union (e.g., inability to fire poor teachers), teaching to the lowest common denominator, complaints about teacher’s pay (which is approx 9 months of work) and no discipline in the schools and it’s been downhill since…
John Henry Nations
November 29th, 2009
11:47 am
Non-story on this one Maureen. You are reaching.
Teachers get sick, have sick kids, are on jury duty, wakeup with a hangover and miss work just like the general populace.
If you want to really stir up the pot, ask how many kids are sent to school sick because mommy doesn’t have day care and doesn’t want to be absent from her job.
Now that is a real story with legs.
JHN
WakeUpPeople
November 29th, 2009
11:48 am
Jack’s Mum…I would like to comment on a few things. As others have said, teachers only get paid for 9 months. HR allows may teachers to stretch their pay over 12 months, but teachers are really only paid for 9 months (thus the lower salaries). As a former classroom teacher, I can tell you summers tend to be spent either taking graduate courses (paid for by the teachers, not the school districts) to meet certification requirements and/or working an extra job to supplement the low 9-month salary. I know very few teachers who actually have the summer months “off.” Teachers, like health care workers, are in very close contact with many viruses and therefore tend to perhaps get sick a couple days more than the average employee. (Have we looked at the average absentee rate of health care or day care workers? I bet teachers are directly in line with these close professions). Not to mention that (as someone mentioned before) may teacher have to take days off for mandatory trainings during the school year. Why do we (as a society) hold professors on such a higher pedestal than we do teachers and yet they both are “teachers” working 9 months? I have never heard the media or parents talk about professors in the same way they talk about K-12 teachers. Perhaps one large reason our country does not do as well on international tests is that we continue to act in a way that demonizes the teacher. The top nations (Japan, as one example, is always ranked in the top 3) revere teachers and the education system, but here in the U.S.A. teachers are treated as second class citzens and babysitters. Schools in some areas (those where teachers tend to miss the most days) are like battle zones and yet teachers must come to work every day with a smile on their face. Teachers were trained in teaching pedagogy, yet they now act as counselors on a regular basis and have to worry about things like dealing with gangs and drugs in upper elementary and middle schools. When is the last time the researcher in this article had some threats from gang member parents? Parents fighting middle school students in your classroom? Abused children to report to DFCS? Yes, teaching is a calling and that is precisely why over 50% of teachers leave within the first 5 years (for those who thought it would be a fun “job” with summers off, they learn quickly it is not). Those who have been there over 5 years are there because they love their profession. Let’s start treating it like a profession and engaging in a culture that supports our schools and teachers and we might be able to continually improve our educational system. It is the 21sy century and our schools look the same as they did in the 1950’s! Wake up, America!
irisheyes
November 29th, 2009
11:53 am
“The problem isn’t teachers calling in sick, it’s that the school systems give the teachers 30+ sick days every year!!!! I am litterally falling over laughing at these teachers thinking they are something special for accumulating 2 years of “sick” days. Come to the real world teacher honey, 5 sick days a year (if you’re lucky!) and they don’t carry forward. And then to require a doctors note if you are “sick” for 2 days or more.”
Who said they got 30+ sick days a year??? I get 10 HOURS a month for each of the 10 months of my contract. That’s 100 HOURS a year. Nowhere near 30 days. For those of you in the business world, don’t just talk about your sick days. Include all of the vacation days you get as well. (I know some people don’t, but lots of people do.)
BTW, I’m one of those teachers who used a ton of sick days one year. I had a baby and took the minimum six weeks (two of which were Christmas break, so my kids only had a sub for a little over 3 weeks). Then my baby was diagnosed with a birth defect that needed surgery to correct it. I had to take a day or so a month off to visit the neurosurgeon. Then, my grandfather died in May, so I took two days to go home for his funeral. That year, I was out a total of 20 or so days. But guess what, life happens. People get sick, kids get sick, parents get sick. Plus, add in all of the meetings and conferences, plus SST meetings, IEP eligibility meetings, and professional development, and you have teachers out of the classroom all the time. Trust me, as a teacher, it’s as frustrating to me as it is to parents. I know my kids aren’t getting the best when there’s a sub, but sometimes, things are just out of my control.
BTW, I scheduled my son’s surgery over Spring Break so as not to miss more time.
Courtney
November 29th, 2009
11:55 am
Hey “Guy” – Have you ever heard of the U.S. Constitution? Read it or the book “1984″ and get back with me.
irisheyes
November 29th, 2009
11:56 am
In addition, to answer your question Maureen, yes, teachers absences can hurt students, and they can be excessive. What would be a better question is why they happen. Are the absences because of the teacher or because of the school system? That would tell me if teacher attendance should be included in NCLB or not.
dawggirl
November 29th, 2009
11:58 am
This article is typical of all “reform” that goes into education. Instead of tackling the issue of the small number of teachers who abuse their sick days, the article implies that there needs to be a huge overhaul of all teachers and ALL teachers need to be whipped into shape. Like most of the teachers who responded here, I also rarely miss a day of work and when I do need to miss time I try to carefully plan it around what I have going on in the classroom. I can’t use the restroom when I want or need to, I don’t get paid bonuses or overtime when I certainly work more than 40 hours a week, and there are certainly very few perks to what I do. I teach because I love it, but don’t mistake that dedication for being submissive to the abuse that comes my way. Just because teaching is a “calling and not a job” doesn’t mean that you get to treat me like crap and demand that I thank you for it. If an administrator has a teacher who abuses days off, then deal with that teacher and not the whole staff. If you have a teacher who rarely uses or carefully uses his or her sick days, then show appreciation for that. Do NOT crack down on an entire profession because there are some who behave unprofessionally.
Courtney
November 29th, 2009
11:58 am
Teachers would be out less if people would stop sending their sick children to school; or better yet pick them up when they are called to. A lot of parents refuse to come get their kids if the school calls these days. How sad………..
sickteacher
November 29th, 2009
12:03 pm
I am a teacher in a large county. My first year at my new school, my students missed 40 days of math class due to chorus performances, plays, testing, pep rallies, etc. That was with me present all of those days. I also had 8 days of professional development-which I did not plan, and missed. I am a single parent, and when my child is sick-there is no one else. Also, I would like to add, teachers are exposed to EVERY illness that comes into the building. We cannot use chemical cleaners-even bleach wipes when students are present. I have to wait until the end of the day to dis-infect.
I am sure that some teachers do take advantage of having days off, but we do have families that require our attention, too. If there are no subs already in the building, they have to pay a sub for a half-day, not just the two hours that we need to be gone.
ScienceTeacher671
November 29th, 2009
12:05 pm
When I worked in the private sector, I got paid maternity leave – and it wasn’t based on years of employment, either.
Maureen Downey
November 29th, 2009
12:12 pm
Because the U.S. Congress is debating a mandated sick day law in response to the Swine flu threat, there was testimony last week on the issue.
Nearly 40 percent of private sector workers have no paid sick leave, including 78 percent of hotel workers and 85 percent of food service workers. All told, 50 million American workers have no paid sick time at their jobs.
In one study, 68 percent of employees without paid sick time reported that they have come to work ill.
Maureen
Philosopher
November 29th, 2009
12:16 pm
In the private sector, maternity leave is only paid through sick, vacation days and short term disability insurance, do teachers not have these benefits?
Philosopher
November 29th, 2009
12:17 pm
sick days…correction
Maureen Downey
November 29th, 2009
12:21 pm
I neglected to post the link to the federal School Improvement Program that lists teacher attendance as part of the evaluation process for stimulus funds. For those who are interested:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2009-3/082609d.pdf
Maureen
DigALittleDeeper
November 29th, 2009
12:23 pm
Some of you are just making up excuses for the excessive absentees. There are rules and consequences in place for students who are absent excessively. There should be consequences for teachers who abuse the system and cause harm to students like my daughter, who has only been absent approximately 6 times in the last 10 years. I make sure she dresses appropriately and eats healthy. I do not send her to school sick or hungry. She doesn’t get into trouble and makes ‘A’’s and B’s. If the teacher is absent excessively, it hurts my childs education.
I’m a parent and I work 5 days a week, with 7 sick days and 3 weeks vacation(earned over the years). If I’m absent excessively, I will be fired. I do not have a sub to take my place when I am absent, so my work accumulates when I’m out sick or on vacation. There are usually emails and phone calls to respond too as well. I’ve usually missed meetings and have to cath up. I work on a team and I have a specific job to perform that only I am responsible for completing. If I am not there, my teammates catch attitudes and rightfully so. They can’t complete projects, unless my part has been completed. We are responsible for projects internally and externally (customers). Which means we don’t make money, if the customer is unhappy. I’ve learned over the years that our customers do not care if I am sick or dying, they expect deadlines to be met and our service to be rendered if my daughter is out sick or I am in bed dying. I’ve brought workhome on many occassions, including this holiday.
The only thing I have seen in response to this topic are excuses and finger pointing. You people can get no sympathy from this hard working parent. I have a job to perform or I might be one of the unfortunate unemployeed people in this economy.
Germy
November 29th, 2009
12:30 pm
I missed 4 days this year from teaching. The next time I get swine flu would you rather I taught and shared it with your children?
Paula
November 29th, 2009
12:37 pm
Why not have all of the training sessions over the summer break (or other breaks)?
Or switch to paid time off (PTO) instead of sick time? Semanitcs, but it seems like everyone is having heartache over the use of sick time for anything other than “teacher-is-sick-in-bed” time.
Annually, pay an equivalent salary rate for accrued PTO in excess of 20 days so we minimize liabilities on the books. I’d think it’s easier to budget for this than to have lots of teachers with 2 years of sick time accrued. It’s also a more immediate incentive.
Eliminate pensions and go to a 401k/403b instead. This way you can pay them more now instead of waiting until. If they start at 25 years old, working 20-25 years could allow them to retire as early as 50, and then they live to be 85 so we’re paying out 35 years of pension and health benefits. Ridiculous.
Side note — the rest of the world has to use sick time/PTO for maternity leave and sick children, too.
ScienceTeacher671
November 29th, 2009
12:38 pm
When I worked in the private sector, hourly workers did not have sick leave, but salaried workers did, and that is probably still the case in that particular industry, but I can’t say for certain.
@philosopher, teachers don’t get vacation days. They are paid for 190 days of employment (less this year with furlough days). There is the “joke” that smart teachers schedule their pregnancies so they’ll deliver in early June, but nature doesn’t always cooperate with that. Sick days can be used for maternity leave, depending upon how many you have built up. As someone already commented, pregnant teachers have to use some of their sick days for the monthly & then weekly obstetrician appts, because most doctors won’t schedule late in the day and schools won’t let you use “comp time” since the students’ schedule isn’t variable. Short term disability may be an option in some counties but (at least when I was worried about it) wasn’t an option where I worked.
Harris Schnall
November 29th, 2009
12:44 pm
How about looking at the reasons teachers are absent. They are stressed out and often become ill from the abuse they take from principals. http://www.whenteacherstalk.com
Stop Blaming Teachers
November 29th, 2009
12:50 pm
I taught for five years at the secondary level, and rarely took off for being sick. Anyone who has taught a day knows that it is way more of a headache to be absent from school (some substitutes are totally incompetent) than go to school sick. However, I am a single female so I could do this. Most of my colleagues took off to take care of loved ones, or in one case the fabulous English teacher next door to me (one of the best in the school) took off periodically as ordered by her doctor to keep her blood pressure low. As some mentioned, the stress of teaching can be overwhelming.
Georgia doesn’t have unions – stop spreading those lies. But GA is frequently ranked in lower 48th in anything related to education. In this “right to work state,” who is to blame now? Subject of another thread.
@irisheyes, teachers probably have 30+ days of sick leave because in many states maternity can only be taken as part of sick leave. Personally it has always disgusted me that having a child is equivalent to being sick, but that is an indication of our morals in this country. After all, the people that spend the most time with our children are constantly berated and get paid the least while those who produce imaginary products that help no one are billionaires and exalted by society. . . but that also is the subject of thread.
seriously, teaching is a very difficult profession and in general the public is completely ignorant to what happens in schools. Yes it is rewarding, but teachers are not robots, despite adminstration’s best efforts to make them so. Teachers get sick, move, and OMG even have family members who choose to die, get married, or graduate in months other than the summer. Those on the post who are overly concerned with how many days teachers take off should volunteer at their child’s or neighborhood school. That will do way more towards improving education than anything else.
Stop Blaming Teachers
November 29th, 2009
12:51 pm
@irisheyes
sorry didn’t read your entire post. you are on the side of sense
Philosopher
November 29th, 2009
12:56 pm
@Germy…No one here is saying teachers shoud go to work while running fevers or while truly too sick to work…the complaints are about unwarranted absences.
Also, for the record, some good infection control practices would really help you guys out. Teaching kids NOT to sneeze into their hands would be a huge deterrent to you catching illnesses but I see teachers doing it all the time. Bathrooms with hands-free facilities would make tremendous strides into keeping all of you well-(get involved in the building and renovation processes). Handsanitizer available as the kids walk out of the bathrooms is simple and cheap and smart! Put your school nurse to work!…a school nurse who educates and reinforces would be a really big help. Schools are germ heavens and education could make all the difference.
As for bladder and kidney infections…you teachers are not the only ones at risk..With 3 to 5 minutes between classes, a girl cannot get to the bathroom and her locker. Sometimes my daughter goes 9 hours a day without a bathroom break. Her teachers attitude is, “well, we can’t go, either”. Wonderful!!!
Harris Schnall
November 29th, 2009
12:59 pm
Survey results from research….Godldenring Publishing, LLC, 2009 http://www.whenteacherstalk.com
“I have used and/or know other teachers who have used one or more sick days, commonly known as ‘mental health days,’ because of principal-related stress (i.e. problems created by the principal directly, or ones that the principal should have been correcting but was not.”) .True 81% (403)
False 9% (97)
Been There. . . Done, well. . . just done!
November 29th, 2009
1:00 pm
Previous bloggers have addressed the workshops & the “feel-good” sessions of – and I love this comment – days out for attending a professional outing on the “cure du jour,” so I ask this question: is Secretary Duncan REALLY looking at this sub-category of days out, or just making a blanket generalization teacher absences?! If they look CLOSER at teacher absences, I (along with other former/current teachers) would INSIST they remove these days from the analysis! Having noted some remarks about Cobb County’s habit of sending educators to workshops touting the “cure du jour,” I’d also like to address the 2-3 days teachers MAY be out, on average, for dealing with administrative beat-downs (figurative and literal). Yes, knowing about such dictators as Bynum (both, for that matter) as well as other admins. who treat their position as a medieval kingdom where THEIR rule matters, & how THEIR interpretation of how he/she (some of both genders of this type still abound in that district) applies the rules is, of course, THE best way to do it. One educator with whom I talk regularly scheduled a sick day on a Friday one week just after an admin. COMBINED two written behavior referrals on a student in this person’s class into ONE for the purpose (of course, it wasn’t stated this way) of making sure DOUBLE the out-of-school-suspension time was only counted once. Forget the fact this was a “repeat offender” behavior – the two completely different infractions were treated as one! While this may make logistical sense to those not familiar with the workings of any school where behaviorally-challenged students are more prevalent than in other squeaky-clean suburban schools (or in any school, PERIOD), doing this for a “repeater” who gives others (teachers AND students) more problems than any one, normal, school should have to handle is similar to taking a harpoon & gouging the wobbly bubble of teacher morale and synergistic relationships with administrators! If what I’d discussed with this friend is as prevalent as other bloggers’ have noted in replies to other articles, then no wonder some schools deal with higher teacher absence than others! What COULD make a difference here?! Sound administrators who address it with realistic, insightful approaches (and NOT the superficial “touchy-feely”, “let’s hold hands and sing a song together” wastes of time!; yes, THOSE types are in Cobb as well!) to make their site’s environment more enjoyable to the staff as a whole.
One tired American teacher
November 29th, 2009
1:02 pm
I agree with those who say check the days teachers are out for professional learning and collaborative training. Many teachers I know come to school sick or spend the night before their absence trying to find a sub(between nausea or worse). We actually had an assistant superintendent in our system offer we give up our sick days or face having to use our planning time to teach classes for absent colleagues. By the way, that person has never taught in a real classroom. How do these morons ever get into central offices? Until the politicians and the non-eductors who elect these people ever spend a day in our shoes, will they ever understand what we endure. Better yet stop letting Sonny Perdue and the Republican power base use public school teachers as scapegoats for their private school vouchure constitutents. Pay us what we are worth and stop blaming us for lousy parenting and shoody political policy.
You want stress?????
November 29th, 2009
1:02 pm
Enuff about how stressful teaching is. Stress is a minimum wage at a Walmart with no health care. Stress is having two jobs because the factory closed and now you’re deliving pizza at night and cleaning houses in day day. Stress is watching your company layoff two-thirds of the employees and cut your pay by half. I show up every day not knowing if the doors to my compnay are going to be locked and an out of business sign posted. No sick time for me. If I’m sick, I am docked my pay.
Please, no more about how stressful teaching is. You have no idea what the rest of the country is dealing with. You sound like a bunch of whiners.
Been There. . . Done, well. . . just done!
November 29th, 2009
1:10 pm
All right, “You want stress?????”: I despise the calling out of others in a blog (publicly), but I have to address your comments: your situation IS definitely the tragedy of the last 8+ years of this economy grinding down & the U.S. as a whole having to re-work some things – I absolutely hate what has happened to you and others in a similar situation (I JUST recently got a job after lengthly out-of-work time); HOWEVER, the majority of these responses address something Maureen brought up due to – in my humble opinion – a blanket generalization made by a politician on a topic needing DEEPER analysis (something politicians, in general, may be afraid to do). Teaching in Georgia (& other Deep South states) is NOT protected by unions like the UAW, IBEW, etc., the way some professions in the corporate world have been. Does this mean teachers think they’re worse off than everyone else? ABSOLUTELY not – the point is answering why it happens AND how will school districts address it, without branding every absent teacher a “drain on the system”. Besides, you don’t see many (if any at all) responses here blasting individuals who talk about blue-collar positions being eliminated, do you?! I don’t think so. A suggestion would be to re-phrase some of those comments and STOP blasting the general group of teachers!
kenneth
November 29th, 2009
1:24 pm
Enter your comments here
irisheyes
November 29th, 2009
1:27 pm
@Philosopher, speaking of infection control practices, I do have hand sanitizer and kleenex in my room. Of course, guess who provides hand sanitzer for 20+ kids for the entire year? Oh yeah, that’s right. Me. Thankfully, I got kleenex from most of my kids as that was an item on their supply list, but I know that’s also an issue with a lot of people. They don’t want to send it in, thinking the school should supply it. My system doesn’t, so if the parents don’t send it in, I have to buy it. If attendance is going to be included in NCLB, then my system better start buying me all of the items I need to ensure that I can keep germs to a minimum in my room. And, I do teach my kids to sneeze into their arms, but if you’ve been around kids for more than 10 minutes, you know they don’t always remember. I’ve had kids sneeze onto their papers just before they hand them to me. Gross.
kenneth
November 29th, 2009
1:33 pm
Maureen….unless something has changed that I am not aware of, if you get personal days and sick leave then you should be able to take them at your own discretion. My wife is a teacher and she goes in even when she feels sick but if she needs to take a day then she takes a day. Why don’t you write a story about what the real problem is?
The real problem is that we live in a society who expects the government to do everything for them. You don’t have to feed your kid breakfast or lunch because the schools will do it. There is daycare before and after school and all the parents have to do is pick their kid up at some point and take them home and help them with there homework and put them to bed and some of them can’t even do that.
English, Math, and other scores will go up when moms and dads will take time to read to their kids and be involved in there lives. So get over all these fluffy stories about teacher abscences and people bringing Bibles to kids. Maybe you should take a personal day and give us all a break.
RJ
November 29th, 2009
1:40 pm
@Real, there are no “unions” in Georgia. They are simply professional organizations. This is a right to work state. Teachers are terminated often for various reasons. So are administrators. This is why I don’t belong to any of them.
I invite any parent to come into my classroom and witness what I deal with daily. Those that have are amazed. Also, we are payed for 10 months, not 9. Holiday breaks during the school year are payed, at least in the 3 school systems in which I’ve worked.
Teachers are often required to attend training during the school day. In most schoools it is frowned upon to take days off outside of the 3 personal days. I always have a doctor’s excuse when I’m absent. I don’t take “mental health” days. It’s important that I’m at work every day. I have known teachers to sign up for every professional development class offered and the principal signed off on it. The problem really lies with those that schedule these courses during the school day. Also, I spend my summers taking classes necessary for renewing my certification. This is always on my dime. It would be wonderful to have my education payed for like it’s done in the private sector. I’ve had many friends get advanced degrees on their employers dime. We don’t have that luxury.
@Elaine, teachers may be paid for having more degrees, but that also comes at a price. Most teachers I know with several advanced degrees are in debt up to their eyeballs! They owe $100K, which they’ll never earn unless they become an administrator. This is why I stopped at my masters. I refuse to still be paying student loans when I’m 80! Sure, the pay isn’t great, but it surely isn’t equal to what someone in the private sector would be paid. Imagine working for a Fortune 500 company, managing 150 people. Do you really think after say 15 years of working in this position you would only be paid $65K? Of course that’s only if you have at least one advanced degree. If not, you make less than $60K. I wouldn’t call that a great salary. Even for only 10 months of work. I don’t do this job for the time off, I do it because I enjoy it. But I’m not foolish enough to think that I’m well paid. I’ve never seen my husband spend a dime to do his job…oh, he does buy gas to get to work! Does that count?!
BlondeHoney
November 29th, 2009
1:40 pm
Hmmm….I work in the private sector (NYSE symbol T) and my company does not, nor ever had in the 29 years I have been with them, sick days. Don’t know what that is. Every absence, unless it is covered by FMLA, is a summarized absence and the employee is subject to disciplinary action no matter who that employee is; because of that, abuse of sick time is minimal. We can use vacation days when we are sick so our attendance doesn’t suffer; inthat respect, teachers should be thanking their lucky stars that they DO have sick days. Having said that, I believe the root cause of the problem is that teacher’s vacation time is dictated by the school calendar and there is NO room for the type of flexibility that I have of using a vacation day when sick. Also, in EVERY profession there are people who abuse sick time. Those are the people who need to be addressed by disciplinary action, up to termination as we do in my company, no matter what sector, public or private.
EducationCEO
November 29th, 2009
1:47 pm
All I can say is: What the hell? This probablywon’t get published because of the profane word, but, I agree: This sickens me. Why don’t you do a story on teachers’ viewpoint on why they just cannnot get out of the bed some days? It may be a day they dont feel like getting cursed out or belittled by administration in front of their students annd colleagues….or maybe, just maybe, the thought of working under someone is too incompetent to be an administrator has taken its toll on the teachers. Just a thought. And BTW, parents in the classroom as volunteers to cover classes? Oh HTTN! If teachers have to be certified, then so to do parent substitutes! This is absurd!
Northview (Ex) Teacher
November 29th, 2009
1:48 pm
When I left teaching, I never wanted to miss school unless it was absolutely necessary. One morning when I had the stomach flu, I drove to school to make sure that my sub plans were available before driving myself to the emergency clinic. I think that most teachers, in their heart of hearts, would do the same. When I left teaching, I had more than 500 hours of sick time, for which I received nothing.
All this talk about teachers abusing the system strikes me as incredibly one-sided. Please remember that Georgia broke contracts with teachers this year. Teachers agreed to work for a certain sum, and Sonny and the rest of the moron republicans broke the deal. They don’t care about education of children at all, so that leaves teachers in the unfortunate position of needing to get their attention.
I encourage all teachers to take enough sick days this year to make up for the loss of income through Purdue’s so-called furloughs (of course, he would never dare to call a pay cut a pay cut). If every teacher would take enough sick days to make back more than twice than the pay cut, it would get the attention of the tobacco-chewing rednecks that run this state. I have encouraged every teacher I know to take this tactic, and several are doing so. I know that it is passive-aggressive, but teachers in Georgia have few alternatives.
If the State wants to pay less, then the State should get less. This whole idea of more for less comes from the plantation mentality that good-old-boys like Sonny Purdue think is the way things ought to be run down here in Dixie. I wonder how much the loathsome and despicable Ashley Widener would whine if teachers cost her more money than her stupid ideas cost teachers.
Get uppity, teachers! Make them pay.
BlondeHoney
November 29th, 2009
1:49 pm
Blog monster ate my post Maureen