Teacher absenteeism: Are mental health days on the rise?
Teacher absenteeism can adversely affect students. (AP Images)
The AJC has an interesting piece this morning on absenteeism among metro Atlanta teachers. The story by education writer Ty Tagami and database specialist Kelly Guckian is subscriber only and will not appear online so I can’t share a link. But I can provide a summary.
The AJC analyzed metro Atlanta attendance data for the past three years and found that teachers in nearly all districts missed on average more than 10 days due to illness, training, personal leave or jury duty. Sickness was the most common cause.
The story examines whether “mental health” days are increasing because of class size, diminishing respect and increasing responsibilities and accountability.
“It used to be that teachers only worried about teaching,” said Connie Jackson, president of the Cobb County Association of Educators. “Now, they have to worry about paperwork, evaluations, test scores, data management, keeping your students happy and keeping your parents happy. There’s so much more on teachers, that I think it’s contributed to absences.”
The piece says that research shows that when a teacher misses school, students learn less. Research suggests that the impact of a teacher missing 10 days a year compared with one who has perfect attendance is like the difference between a new teacher and one with three to four years experience.
Here is a brief snippet of the story:
“Nationally, teachers are out one day a month” or about 10 days a year, said education researcher Raegen Miller, whose work on teacher absence is widely cited. “If in Georgia it’s more than that, that inevitably raises the question — what’s going on?”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed data reported by school systems to the Georgia Department of Education. The newspaper also used the state Open Records law to obtain figures on how much money each school district spent on substitute teachers.
Gwinnett County Public Schools, the largest system in Georgia, was the only large metro district to match the national average in each of the past three years. Elsewhere, though, the rates were higher. Last year, for instance, in Atlanta Public Schools and in Fulton and DeKalb counties, teachers were absent on average about 13 days. They were out 11 days in Cobb County.
Studies show a link between teacher absence and lower student test scores, especially in math — something that students, parents and educators have always known.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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208 comments Add your comment
EduKtr
March 29th, 2012
7:35 pm
@ Connie Jackson: Am I “misinformed” about the National Education Association endorsing every Democrat nominee for president since the 1970s? Or that your CCAE members are required to also belong to the NEA — and pay $130+ yearly into its coffers, on top of state and local dues?
And am I incorrect in pointing out that your state parent, GAE, has never endorsed a Republican for Georgia Governor?
You seem quite proud of your token endorsement of Nathan Deal. But how much CCAE campaign cash went with that endorsement? And how much cash did your parent GAE contribute to his Democrat opponent’s campaign?
Just watching
March 29th, 2012
7:39 pm
Many charter schools get it right by building common planning time and time for meetings (like Collab Teams, Vertical teams, SST, RtI, IEPs, training and faculty meetings) into their overall weekly schedule by extending the school day about 30 minutes 4 days a week, then having an early dismissal one day a week (about 2.5 to 3 hours earlier). Reduces the teachers being out of the classroom for meetings anyway.
jezel
March 29th, 2012
7:42 pm
I think smiley faces are the answer…maybe if a teacher gets enough smiley faces they won’t be absent. It is a novel idea…right Maureen?
Hey Teacher
March 29th, 2012
7:56 pm
Is there any where we can view this data and is it broken down by system? I am curious to see if there is a difference between systems that have week-long breaks throughout the year versus schools that do not. I’d also like to see the data broken down by type of absence — I know that at least in my system you report leave in many different ways (jury, family medical, personal medical, long-term medical).
Dekalbite
March 29th, 2012
8:12 pm
What I want to see is the teacher turnover rate broken down by school system. Personnel turnover is VERY expensive – in this case for taxpayers.
Does anyone know where the teacher turnover rate for school systems in Georgia is located?
On the Georgia DOE website, I noticed that the Title 1 schools in DeKalb have the highest percentage of NOT Highly Qualified Teachers as compared to non Title 1 schools. Parents in these schools deserve to see the teacher turnover rate as well.
teacher&mom
March 29th, 2012
8:21 pm
A word of support:
http://www.empoweredga.org/Articles/Yarbrough/yarbrough-legcutandrun.html
Jennifer
March 29th, 2012
8:21 pm
What would the data look like if you were to compare low performing schools (Focus/Priority) absenteeism within a district against the district averages…….
Don't Feed the Good Mother Troll
March 29th, 2012
8:40 pm
Good Mother/GM/gm has blogged at these times on this blog-thread: March 29 at 9:18 am, 9:22 am, 9:24 am, 9:27 am, 9:42 am, 2:46 pm, 2:57 pm, 3:01 pm, 3:44 pm, 4:01 pm.
On the previous thread about the Testing Season: March 28 at 2:56 pm, 3:47 pm, 3:49 pm, 3:52 pm, 4:01 pm; and on March 29 at 10:04 am and 4:13 pm.
Plus many assorted posts on the other threads during these days.
He/she clearly spends most of the precious days of his/her only life on earth blogging. A virtual life.
GothamSchools » Remainders: Resistance to special ed push at selective schools
March 29th, 2012
8:40 pm
[...] Teacher absenteeism is up in Atlanta, raising questions about mental health days. (Get Schooled) [...]
Brandy
March 29th, 2012
9:11 pm
This report’s methodology seems extremely flawed. Absenteeism is on the rise–must be “mental health” days! It couldn’t be the jury duty, training, or, heck, absences for actual illness that you also included in the numbers? When people are stressed or depressed, they get sick (really, truly sick) more often. Then, you toss in how much more often people who work face-to-face with 30+ children on a daily basis? You get more REAL sick days. I’d also love to know how many teachers have been forced to use personal days to attend job fairs or interviews, sometimes in their own systems, due to layoffs, cuts, etc. Of course, Good Mother and his or her ilk believe teachers should be sub-human drones who only have real lives when school is not in session…
dekalbed
March 29th, 2012
9:16 pm
This reads as a great story to appeal to parents of students who have suffered from absent teachers, but this is not the real problem.
First, districts report absences differently. So one district’s high rate of abseentism is another’s inability to place teachers in classrooms and another’s suffering from the misfortune of having real people who get sick-not just colds but serious illnesses.
Instead or in tandem, I wish the AJC would investigate the high number of student absences, especially in a system like Dekalb, where it would seem that as long as the county can collect money to sustain highly paid out of school staff, it really doesn’t matter whether the student on the school’s roster actually attends school.
Concern Parent
March 29th, 2012
9:27 pm
Connie Jackson-thanks -please keep fighting for education and teachers!
SickTeach
March 29th, 2012
9:39 pm
I agree with Conservative Voice. Shut down Federal Department of Education NOW. Lock the doors and send the bureaucrats home. Not all public school teachers are ignorant, illiterate and ignoble. Entitlement Society, your subject verb agreement is TERRIBLE. Before you lump all teachers into a category and rail against public schools, take yourself back to your private school and learn how to properly link phrases and clauses.
Just Asking
March 29th, 2012
9:55 pm
Legislate 36 additional days to teacher’s contracts…students attend 4 days per week…one day each week set aside for planning, grading, training, etc…this will extend the school year…students will retain more information…stress will be reduced….students will achieve more…teacher’s salaries increase to higher level…may lower prison populations. Extended time off in summers is an old agrarian idea. We are not as serious about our educational system for our young as many other countries are…
Enough already
March 29th, 2012
10:19 pm
Hey! Here’s a bona fide true story for you…For once I guess I’m on the good side of the eduhaters! I got married on a Saturday and returned to work two days later on Monday…I’ve never had children so I didn’t have to be out due to any of their snotty nosed illnesses, crooked teeth appointments or broken bones, graduations and the like…and, God bless my father’s soul. He had the decency to die two days before Christmas (Oops! Is it okay to cite a religious holiday here?) while I was on winter break. I guess I rate right up there with private school, virtual school, and charter school teachers about whom we never hear a disparaging word. OMG, I’ve gone and done it now…I’ll be accused of whining and complaining knocking me off my short lived pedestal.
my two cents
March 29th, 2012
11:01 pm
Oh yes. And I’m pretty sure that 40% of those days are Mondays and Fridays.
Done!
March 29th, 2012
11:05 pm
Are people aware that teachers are paid for a contractual 180 days (even though the school systems divide the salary into 12 monthly installments), and within that contract, they receive two weeks of sick/personal leave? Do people know that most teachers leave detailed lesson plans for the substitute teacher? Whether the sub adheres to the plans is out of the teacher’s control. If only Georgia had a Teachers’ Union…
When are parents and lawmakers going to take some personal responsibility?
Oh, and the next time I’m out sick, maybe the writers of the original article Ty Tagami and Kelly Guckian would like to volunteer as substitutes in my classroom. I promise to leave great plans. This is a cost-efficient solution that will certainly benefit my students.
M. Sansone
March 29th, 2012
11:23 pm
It is funny that you use Connie Jackson as a spokesperson for this article. She attends every school board meting and still has a teaching job. Her rate of absences must bring the entire school up.
Teacher2
March 29th, 2012
11:31 pm
@Catlady
“irisheyes@4:13: Not to mention Jesus didn’t speak good English (a frequent complaint of GM), messed around with wine, hung out with lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, and other questionable folks, and told people what to do. Nope, GM would complain about Him, too. She’d get on the public scroll and tell everyone what a poor job He was doing.”
The post above is funny and true. I can picture GM doing just that with such pride and virtue (being oblivious to the significance of his actions). GM enjoys throwing rocks while looking out of her glass house, which is quite sickening.Thanks for the laugh.
Brandy
March 30th, 2012
12:02 am
@Done! You know, that is a great idea! Why doesn’t everyone who thinks teachers have it easy take one day as a volunteer substitute. Just try it out. Then, come back and tell us what they think. Even better, what if our law and policy makers had to do the same thing? One day as a volunteer substitute a year. Perhaps we might actually see better policies come out of the legislatures.
@Teacher2 & Catlady, Yes, I can’t help imagining GM as one of those people of Jerusalem in the crowd–you know, who first hailed Jesus and then condemned him to die on the cross? Where’s his or her pitchfork and burning torch?
old dude
March 30th, 2012
1:44 am
Finishing up year number forty- …oh, never mind. Can’t say I ever took a mental health day or faked a sick day. Maybe I should have … But, I read an interesting article the other day which informed me that teaching in the public schools is one of the ten worst job choices a person could make if they were prone to depression. More than ever, I believe that is true. And, maybe a year or so ago, I read another article which informed me that the number of teachers taking prescription medication for depression and anxiety has increased by 58% in just the past few years. I can believe that, too. The art and science of teaching is not what it used to be, folks. And, it can’t be until the current cycle of dabbling here and there, tinkering with the mechanics and systems of learning has run its course and some more radical theory comes to the fore. But, the “good old days” are not coming back. The old social mores, values and ethic which were part of our training in teacher education classes, reminding us to take sick days only when really too ill to stand in front of our students or furrow our brow in that manner which alerted all children to toe the mark without fail …”or, else”; well, I guess you get the idea. Of course!!! … teacher absenteeism is up and learning is down.
I have been thinking about retirement lately. But, if they offer me a contract, I believe I will come back to the classroom for one more year. You see, this year they gave me a master key and i am the person the substitutes come to in the morning to unlock the classroom they will be in and that keeps me pretty busy …makes me feel useful …instead of used.
Deiress Carmichael
March 30th, 2012
5:39 am
I taught for sixteen years and I left the field. I miss the kids, but if you aren’t in the environment, its hard to understand that a mental health break is needed once in awhile and the first line contact with germs and viruses: you got it!!!!!!!
I don’t miss it!
Cobb History Teacher
March 30th, 2012
6:07 am
Let see, I get vacation when the calendar tells me I can have it. I have children who have functions at school that occasionally require my presence yet I only get three personal days (the private business worlds version of vacation). Do I feel like I get enough time off yes, but that time off is not flexible. Would I work more days each yes, yes but with pay. If my county offered my my daily rate to work into the summer planning lessons, doing research for my subject I’d do it in a heart beat. I don’t need two months off in the summer I need flexibility through out the year so I can attend to my children’s needs. As for mental health days I don’t take them as I don’t believe in them, but if I’m sick or my child’s sick you bet I’ll take the day. My children deserve their parents just as much as my students deserve their parents. Teachers are stressed all we ever hear is how we don’t do a good enough job, as pay benefits, and resources are taken from us. Not to mention everyone and their brother claims they have to raise prices as we are told we will have to do do with out a cost of living raise or any kind of annual increase. I know people in the private sector are suffering too, but we are degreed professionals held to higher standards than any other profession not under educated hourly rate employees.
Revi
March 30th, 2012
6:33 am
People need to reevaluate what it is they complain about in America. This constant bashing of teachers and their very few benefits is ridiculous and disgusting.
When was the last time you read something about your workplace in the paper? For teachers, that is a daily occurrence. When was the last time your job rating was based on how well someone else could do theirs? Seriously?
You think that teaching is easy? You do it. Half of you cannot even spell, much less teach course material. Thank god I chose a different career path than teaching.
Just the Facts
March 30th, 2012
6:47 am
The charter school in my neighborhood empowers their teachers:
1. They are supported and admired by the parents and administration.
2. They sit on committees that make decisions about employment, curriculum,governance, etc.
3. They have low student/ teacher ratios with 2 teachers per classroom.
4. They truly like their jobs.
5. Unfortunately, their situation is not the norm.
Old Physics Teacher
March 30th, 2012
7:44 am
“…research shows that when a teacher misses school, students learn less.”
ALERT, ALERT!! NOW HEAR THIS; NOW HEAR THIS: Research shows that water is wet. Research shows that the density of air is less than the density of water, and amazingly enough, research shows that tall people can see over crowds better than short people…
Are you kidding me? Some idiot actually went to the trouble to write a paper on the lack of having a teacher retards learning? And some respectable journal printed it? What is education coming to? Has no publisher any shame anymore?
On the topic, when employers beat employees down, and the employees have no little chance of getting another job, morale plummets, the number, and severity, of illnesses increases – duh. Maybe a study can be done on this by some worthless (redundant) education researcher to prove a condition that is obvious to everyone. And GM? Don’t tell us we can quit and start over. Those of us who have spent the majority of our adult years in this field cannot find jobs at our ages. Whether or not the federal government makes (or has made) a law on age discrimination is irrelevant. Businesses age-discriminate, and always win when, or if, it gets to court; it’s a fact. Most of us knew this going in and did it anyways.
It every society there has to be some people to do the dirty, thankless jobs. Just let us do it, and quit kicking us while we’re working as hard as we do.
KIM
March 30th, 2012
8:59 am
@Entitlement Society: You would make better comments if you did not belittle those who are writing from experience and heart. You know nothing.
TeacherMom4
March 30th, 2012
9:17 am
So far this year I have come to school with strep once and a 102 fever another because I either had parent/teacher conferences or because it was so difficult to get a sub (I have to procure my own at 6:00 a.m.). I did take a personal day to be a field trip chaperone for my own 2 children. I have also stayed home with my own sick children twice. My husband gets few sick days and they don’t roll over, so we try to save his. I also send my children to daycare sick once in a while so I don’t miss school. This is terribly unfair to them, but my job demands it. I also figure the reason they’re sick is that someone else didn’t want to stay home with their sick kid, sent them to daycare, and got everyone else sick, too.
I still remember when I was pregnant with my twins ten years ago and had to be admitted to the hospital for preterm labor at 23 weeks. It was a weekend, and I called my principal at home to let her know I was hospitalized; she wasn’t home so I left her a message. She called me back at the hospital and, after a brief conversation where I outlined the problem, she asked if I had called the Sub Finder system yet. Uh, no, I’m in the hospital and didn’t bring the number with me. She was actually a good principal, and I had tried to downplay my condition a bit since the doctors really hadn’t given me real information about returning/not returning to work, but still it was Sunday, I’m in the hospital without any pending release date, and your asking if I’ve gotten a sub? I did end up missing most of that year of school because of preterm labor and, ultimately, delivery of twins. Forgive me for not putting my preemies in daycare and returning to work when they were 6 weeks old. Oh, and they were spontaneous twins–can’t blame it on drugs or IVF. I guess my ovaries should have been more aware of my responsibilities before they went to work.
I know of few teachers who take “mental health” days. Most of us just white knuckle it until the next scheduled day off. We feel too much responsibility to miss work on purpose.
Seriously?
March 30th, 2012
12:31 pm
Gwinnett County has an elementary school in Suwanee, across the street from a high school, where one first grade teacher missed around 30 days in the first semester. Thiss was not part of a maternity leave. The solution after four years of numerous absences: move her up to second grade.
To Old Physics Teacher
March 30th, 2012
3:32 pm
This is Gm. There are good teachers in the industry. I often mention Mary Elizabeth as one of them and the two that personally helped me. The issue for me and other parents is this:
There are incompetent teachers, especially in APS. The schools system here in APS cannot or will not rid itself of bad teachers.
You’ll hear from some of them on this blog: all whine and no do.
There are also those monsters who feed sp&rm to kids, mol$st kids and still stay in the system.
You personally aren’t responsible for everyone in your profession, of course, but you cannot defend the indefensible in the profession. There are child mol$sters in your field working in schools. You can incompetent teachers that keep on collecting paychecks and you do have liars and theives and cheaters in the profession. THOSE deserve to be kicked around. Don’t take offense to it — you should clamor to get rid of them too as they damage the reputation of your chosen profession.
GM
To Teacher2 and Catlady
March 30th, 2012
3:39 pm
You two are hilarious. Your ptiful little comments are funncy except that you teach innocent kids.
Go on though, show your true colors and your immaturity.
I don’t mind.
GM
I love the Feeder Troll
March 30th, 2012
3:41 pm
Feeder Troll, you are so funny. You criticize me for blogging too much and you have actually researched and copied and pasted all the times and dtaes taht I blog and you criticize me for blogging too much. Haven’t you any better thing to do than to stalk me online?
Go on though. I don’t mind. I am not complaining, I am just laughing at you.
Enjoy your weekend !
GM
Morgan Co. Mono...
March 30th, 2012
3:51 pm
Well…I make sure I take my 1.25 given to me by the county for sick leave as early in each month as possible. Sometimes I will take a full day and then save the quarter day for the next period and take a half day. Sometimes, I take all half days in a row, sometimes – I mix it up and will take a Friday afternoon and a Monday due to an illness at home that I must attend to. I just assumed that along with spending the money each month – my days were meant to be spent as well.
Count down to May
March 30th, 2012
4:05 pm
@Catlady
Got a big chuckle out of your comment.
Jesus had a terrible time with his class of 12. They never got the lesson the 1st time and had to have remediation constantly. BUT…like the good teachers here, He kept on until the class got the lesson.
Ole Guy
March 30th, 2012
4:41 pm
Lets remember one thing here…the teaching profession IS NOT the only gig wrought with stress and anxiety. While mental health days are certainly nothing new…in any field of endeavour…this entire blog seems to suggest that teachers, somehow, occupy a special rung on that ladder. At the possibility of repeating many of the issues I have forwarded in the past, let us not overlook the many facets; the sources of anxiety which the teacher corps has, through their apparent willingness, accepted over the,,,well, forever.
Any study of basic management tactics will reveal that worker satisfaction is maximized through job ownership. Anyone who has a history of successful leadership will qualify empowered workers as the #! ingredient in a wining organization. Apparently, this tenet, over the years, has been completely ignored, and the “workers”…the teacher corps…has accepted this as an apparent individual survival tool.
teachers, you know what’s coming…TAKE COMMAND OF YOUR PROFESSION…the politicians have, and the result…the PAINFUL result…has been all-too-apparent. The balls in your court…
Teacher2
March 30th, 2012
7:24 pm
@GM
You worry about me as a teacher. Well, I worry about you as mother.
In addition, stop the dribble regarding the grammar of your child’s teacher. It could not be any worse than your grammar skills and writing ability. Every post from you that criticizes the teacher is filled with grammar and word usage mistakes. You find fault in everyone but yourself. I could care less what you think, if thinking is possible on your part.
Teacher2
March 30th, 2012
7:26 pm
Corection: In addition, stop the drivel regarding the grammar of your child’s teacher.
Teacher&Soldier
March 30th, 2012
8:36 pm
I am a teaching and a soldier in the Army National Guard. I have never missed more than 3 days a year due to illness. However, uncle Sam has order me to active duty for stints ranging from 3 days to a year long deployment to Iraq. So, I wonder how my record makes my district look like?
Spedteacher
March 30th, 2012
8:50 pm
Spring break = watching videos about the new common core standards at home during time that I am not paid for
Summer = making lessons to match the common core standards at home again time that I am not paid for
Next year – looking at eight furlough days or more – days I am not paid for
I am so tired of hearing that teachers get all these days off and we should stop complaining about it. I am not complaining about it. I just want the public to realize that teachers are paid for the number of days they work – my contract used to say 190 days, now it doesn’t mention the number of days because the furlough days won’t be decided until the July budget meeting. So next year would be 182 days if we are lucky.
Teachers don’t get paid vacation days. This is about absences by teachers – last year I didn’t miss any days, this year missed 5 for a new grandchild. Yes, teachers are people too!
Think about this – do you want your child’s teacher in class spreading germs or out for a day or two? You decide.
Teacher&Soldier
March 30th, 2012
8:58 pm
To follow up on the comment above by Spedteacher, I also teach special education, our job never ends. It is a 24 hour a day job. I was doing research about teaching literacy and writing future lesson plans during my free time in Iraq. Furthermore, I have had tougher years mentally in the classroom than when I was on deployment.
Brandy
March 30th, 2012
9:51 pm
@SpedTeacher & Teacher&Soldier, Thank you both! You both are wonderful examples of the best and brightest of our honorable profession, whether trolls like GM believe it or not. And Teacher&Soldier, I’m sure people don’t tell you often enough, but thank you for the sacrifices you make on behalf of all of us.
@Teacher2, Dribble made sense, too! Yeesh, GM needs to grow up and get a life.
Brandy
March 30th, 2012
9:52 pm
@Count Down to May…Too true, too true. And yet, were He teaching here and now in GA, I’m sure certain people would find fault with Him.
To SpedTeacher
March 30th, 2012
11:04 pm
You wrote “Think about this – do you want your child’s teacher in class spreading germs or out for a day or two? You decide.”
The article isn’t about teachers taking days off from work when they are physically sick. You’ve missed the point.
The point the article is trying to make is that teachers are taking off a lot of days that AREN NOT for physical illness. That’s why they are called “mental health” days. Do you understand now?
The “mental health” day is speculation that the teacher is stressed and chooses to lay out of work instead of doing their job.
The anger from parents and others comes from some teachers on this blog who openly (behind an anonymous moniker) openly admit they take off days just “for fun” as one teacher said and as payback for “furlow(sic)” days.
Those are not for physical sickness as you claim.
Social distancing during times when we are contagious is a good idea but that’s not what we are talking about here. Do you understand?
What’s also duplicitous is the school coming down hard on kids who miss ten days of school but allow teachers to miss ten or more days of school.
What is also duplicitous is for teachers to claim absenteeism is the cause of students not learning — but they themselves are also absent.
You see, honest people don’t like two-faced people. Honest people don’t like double standards.
It’s not about germs.
It’s about integrity.
GM
Enough already
March 30th, 2012
11:07 pm
@Brandy, He’d be gerrymandered out of his district! Tried and crucified for His beliefs!
===============================================================
And, to prove a point, not one compliment, not even one word on my blog from last night. Not that I would have expected any different from the eduhaters. It will never happen because all they can do is point out spelling and grammar mistakes, belittle and berate the dedication of the people toward their profession who blog here, and call out anyone whose research, comments, or opinions differ from theirs.
To SpedTeacher/ off time
March 30th, 2012
11:12 pm
You talk abo ut watching videos during times you are on Spring break and are not being paid.
This is the type of comment I call “whining.”
Here is the reason — we grown ups do work we are not paid for. It’s part of being a grown up.
I have a laptop and a cell phone. I work 9 hours a day at the office and open my laptop and work at home. I don’t whine about it. I don’t complain. Why should I?
It won’t change anything. Others do it too. I am not being singled out. I also feel fortunate to actually have a job in an economy while others do not.
As a parent and as a taxpayer it hurts to hear our government employees whining and complaining about something we are expected to do ourselves. In this day and age when communications keep us tied to our jobs, there is very little “off” time for any of us.
It’s just the way it is. You are not being picked on. You are not the only profession working during “off” time and when you whine and complain about it — you give your profession and all government employees that label — you know the one I am talking about — that “government worker” label, which means, you do very little and will never get fired regardless how well you perform.
So, if you feel the need to whine — do it someplace other than a public blog where your customers can read about it. It does you a disservice. It does not make your parents and students respect you. It has the opposite effect.
GM
Concerned
March 31st, 2012
2:06 am
GM, get a life.
Beverly Fraud
March 31st, 2012
7:00 am
There are incompetent teachers, especially in APS. The schools system here in APS cannot or will not rid itself of bad teachers.
Ask the professional organizations; are they MORE likely to have to represent poor teachers, or good teachers who were RETALIATED against for a stand they made for better teaching and learning conditions?
We need to track teacher absenteeism
March 31st, 2012
1:34 pm
We need to track teacher absenteeism just as we do student absenteeism. the amount of funding a school gets is often tied to attendance. That is the real reason schools are adamant that parents send their kids to school. However, teacher absenteeism is not tracked as student absenteeism is. When a student misses school, he or she is out of teh loop and is missing out but when a teacher is absent ALL the kids suffer.
Havng teachers take days off “just for fun” or as payback for “furlow(sic)” days should be a firable offense.
GM
Ole Guy
March 31st, 2012
1:34 pm
Teacher and Soldier, your issue is quite valid, however, please allow me to offer a bit of constructive criticism:
Your usage of the written language could use a little polishing. As an aducator, you are held, in the public eye…at least, in my eye…to a bit higher standard of expression. Please review your comments with the thought that you represent the teacher corps, not a bunch of dropouts and flunkies.
I generally get somewhat mifed…pissed off, if you will…when comments seem to stray from the topic of discussion and become sidetracked onto the superflous issues of spelling and gramatical usage. However, as a former Soldier; a proud warrior of an era following the Stone Age, I feel it important to help Soldiers “be all they can be”.
It is indeed admirable that you have chosen to serve youth while serving God and Country. Godspeed, Soldier!
Ole Guy
March 31st, 2012
1:39 pm
Talk about polishing up one’s remarks, Soldier…I kinda screwed that one up, didn’t I? I guess we all screw the pooch; crash n’ burn every now an’ then.
ABN!