Calling all teachers...

brooklynmama718

When are you telling your job? I'm 13 weeks and don't know when to tell my boss.

heath313

Already did because of all of my appointments I've had to schedule.

emichelle86

I let the head of my department know first, then I had my first observation meeting with my Principal and since it was good timing I let him know as well. I just emailed HR and have an appointment to go over maternity leave on Monday.

brooklynmama718

And you're around 13 weeks? 

EmeraldNC

I already have.  One, she knew we were trying... and two, she is so great at keeping things confidential, I told her early on purely for planning purposes.  We have had a really hard time finding long-term subs (3 women were out pregnant this year) so I figured the extra time and planning wouldn't hurt!

emichelle86

12 weeks. I will need someone to cover my classes if I give birth early and I'm thinking of taking September off as well for the following school year. I figure they will appreciate as much time as possible to plan for a sub.

bornmommy

Eaves dropping - when I taught I think I told my principal before I told my parents.  Its ridiculously hard to find a sped certified sub in my district though and I needed their help! 

awillis13

I work across multiple buildings.  I've told 1 of 2 principals who need to know, and I'll tell my sped director at our next meeting (in a week and a half).  I'm 9 1/2 weeks now but we've already had a good ultrasound and I don't have any reason to not tell at this point.  The administrators I have told so far are good with confidentiality so I'm not concerned.

FSUNole31

One of my AP's know and quite a few teachers as well.  I will tell the AP over my cirriculim probably by the end of this week as well as the principal.  I am 14 weeks today.

mrt

I'll tell my principal and supervisor next week. I'll be 13 weeks and I have my NT scan on Friday.

KB00

Yea I am struggling with timing this too. I'm about to be 9 weeks and feel like I should tell them (although I won't need a sub at all since summer will be long enough to cover "my leave.") but it's my first year at this new school so I'm a little more nervous than had I been at my old school. I'm thinking I will tell them in my next one on one meeting with them. But I'll definitely tell them before winter break at the end of December.

Anyone know how/when they will tell their students? I am making a math riddle word scramble for them. They have to solve the math problems to figure out the letters that solve the mystery phrase. The phrase will be "your teacher is pregnant." I teach fifth grade and they love math games so I figured this would work lol and I can't take credit because another fifth grade teacher I know did it so I'm just stealing her fantastic idea haha 
plus its something to keep them busy right before winter break

ashleyl31

I haven't yet, but literally only my husband and coworker know I'm pregnant. I'm not in a hurry because we will be out of school before the baby is born, so the impact won't be until next school year. I'm hoping to keep all quiet at school until after Christmas break. 

swanbrooner

@KB00 My students (8th grade) started asking other teachers if I was pregnant a couple of weeks ago. They said, "Is Mrs. P pregnant? She looks like it, but I don't want to ask!" 

After the 5th report of this question, I announced via my teacher Instagram and then told them in person the next day. 

Yailani23

I told my Principal on Monday after the break. I was 12w5d. She was very supportive and genuinely happy for us.

brooklynmama718

I teach high school students and I think I'll just have them find out when they see for themselves. I might start showing later December early January. It's my first and I'll be around 17 weeks then. I'm planning on telling my chair tomorrow and am freaking out. I'll be 13 weeks tomorrow. I just want the chair to know and will ask to keep it confidential. I'm a private person and prefer to just start showing instead of announcing. Everyone has been waiting for this since last year when I got married. People are super intrusive at my job. Good luck everyone! Keep the stories coming. I love to read them. 

brooklynmama718

  

ellie111227

@swanbrooner that's hilarious! When I taught middle school, I'm pretty sure the students were always on pregnancy alert for their young female teachers. There were constantly (occasionally true) rumors that one of us was pregnant! 

owensmom0807

I told my admin team before Thanksgiving Break because we announced on Thanksgiving Day on facebook. Most of my teacher friends know I am pregnant. I plan on telling my kids after Christmas so I can finally wear my cute maternity shirts. It's getting harder to hide. 

owensmom0807

@swanbrooner
I teach 8th too! Somehow the other day my students told me there is no way someone could hide a pregnancy past two months. Little do they know lol. 

kahlan82

I told my principal at 10 weeks. She knew I was seeking fertility treatments because I had to discuss all the appointments I was already having. She has kept it quiet. I have told 3 teachers at my school, who I am friends with. I plan to tell the rest of the staff once my genetic screening comes back.  They know we were trying, so I am getting tired of lying to them. Besides, I love talking about being pregnant, so I don't want to stay quiet much longer.  I am planning to take off the beginning of the next school year too, so I will need to find a sub. six months at home should be nice.

emichelle86

Jumping back in about students. I teach English as a Second Language and many of my students are hispanic, I swear as part of their culture they can sense when someone is pregnant. I had students asking when I was FIVE WEEKS PREGNANT! It was crazy, I denied it at first, but eventually it came out. 

brooklynmama718

emichelle86 said:

Jumping back in about students. I teach English as a Second Language and many of my students are hispanic, I swear as part of their culture they can sense when someone is pregnant. I had students asking when I was FIVE WEEKS PREGNANT! It was crazy, I denied it at first, but eventually it came out. 

As a Hispanic woman, I can assure you it's not part of our culture to sense when someone is pregnant. It's not part of our Hispanic blueprint or anything... You might have gained some weight. People assumed I was pregnant when I gained 10 lbs during the holidays. Lmao 

Waiting4Fred

I told my principal fairly early on (like 7-8 weeks) but nobody else until this week (12 weeks).

teacher mom-2

Told my principal today because I need someone to cover my class for just the last 30 minutes of the day for a high risk appointment. I teach middle school math. One of my students picked up on it around 2.5 months based on my habits the last time. She is one of 9 and is around a family friend often who had 3 kids in 3 years. The rest of the class did not believe her though because I didn't show until 5 months the last time. This time, my students are clueless and keep thinking the 7th grade teacher is because she got married a year ago so they think it is time LOL This might have them off my radar

teacher mom-2

It also took her 7 months to find me a sub last time because I work in a small private school and I teach the advanced math. It is hard to get someone to teach a more complicated subject for a lower salary. She will need to find me a substitute for the beginning of the new school year so I figured she can put out the word that we are looking especially with former students who are graduating this spring.

kahlan82

I don't get to this whole finding your own sub. I understand if you want a say in who they pick but I had friends who were told they HAD to find their own sub no matter what....,or what I can't  have my baby?  I also think having to make plans is BS. Again, if you want to (which i do) then go for it. But to be required? My hubby gets paid paternity leave and he doesn't have to do ANYTHING for work.  Last maternity leave they kept calling me at home asking me to do things for work...um no, I dont care that you and our shared assistant need a mediator. Sorry that was a tangent. Must have been inspired by UO Thursday. I really do love teaching but my time with LO is my time.

mrt

@kahlan82 I was thinking the same thing about finding your own sub... That's not my responsibility. Definitely sounds like an administrative responsibility. I will have worked in a different district for each of my kids. The first I wasn't expected to do anything, and I had two days of transition with my sub. The second, they didn't find a sub for me until after I left, even though I only left 3 days before I was supposed to, and I told my boss at 8 weeks. They kept talking about me leaving plans, and I questioned it, and I ended up leaving the curriculum binder with some suggested resources from what I had done with those units the year before. So it wasn't like day to day plans, just setting up the sub for success. We shall see what they expect this time. I will miss final exams, and I hope nobody thinks that I'm coming in with a 2 week old baby to grade exams.

brooklynmama718

Yes, that makes no sense. I'll help interview people in the spring but I don't find my own sub. That was never in my job description. I'm either taking 6 months or a year. My dept head seemed genuinely happy for me.

ellie111227

I totally agree about finding your own sub and leaving plans. I am a sahm now, but I used to teach, and when I went on maternity leave I left plans for the first week and info about how I had structured previous units. That's it. My sub did fine, and she left me a couple days worth of plans when i came back, too! I would not  be ok with having to do detailed plans for the whole time. Also, having first started at my school as a mat leave sub, I would not have wanted or expected that!

Also, I'm not sure why it looks like I am quoting...

EmeraldNC

After reading through the thread.... I'm sitting here wondering if I got taken advantage of the last time I was pregnant/on maternity leave and what is expected now at this school... Last time I had to find my own sub, and leave lesson plans for the entire time  I was out.  Also, schedule and have any meetings that I needed to have.

Ughhhh... feeling a little pissed off right now.

brooklynmama718

As women, we tend to feel like people are doing US a favor and we're always apologizing and feel guilty. Me included... By law, we're entitled to maternity leave and shouldn't be excepted to suffer for it. If you have a difficult pregnancy and are exhausted, how are you going to write lesson plans and except to be on call?  That's ridiculous! Men wouldn't deal with that nonsense. It's unjust! 

JessErinF

I am a college professor and this is my first job, first semester.  I told my dept head right before Thanksgiving because I've been classified high risk and now have lot of appts, plus I was already missing a lot of hours (no class but still) due to illness and exhaustion so I wanted him to know before he got the wrong idea.  He was really supportive.    Being due in June, I shouldn't miss any part of the semester (unless i go seriously early *knock on wood*) but it will disrupt my summer students.  I'm more concerned about this affect on my future career rather than this year...  

I realize k-12 schools go into June, not ending in May (I was a HS teacher before), but is it really that big of a deal to miss a few weeks at the end of the year for us due in June?  I would think that would be the best time!!!

@NYCProf are you a college professor?

kahlan82

@mrt @EmeraldNC   I am definitely doing things differently this time.  I will leave some units and resources but I am not planning daily and I am not going to feel guilty whenever the school "needs" me.  As my mom brought up, if you were out on leave because of cancer or something would they be bugging you, asking for plans, or making you find a sub? NO.  We will see if my type A personality will stick with that but that is the goal.

brooklynmama718

I teach high school full-time and college part-time. I had to pass On my college course next semester because doing both has been difficult and will be worse next semester when I grow. I hope to return to college teaching only in the fall. I will leave high school mid-May if I'm really due June 7th... @JessErinF

ashleyl31

Last time I was out I planned for the first week. After that, the sub did it. I did many maternity leave positions before I got my job, and always did the planning. My team does work together well, so we only plan a couple of things each. 

Next semester I have a student teacher, so I will gather materials for my units the first nine weeks for the sub to use, but I won't leave exact plans. All our plans are online though, so they can always copy what I did this year. 

jennas312

I told my one boss early, 8 weeks. I told the principal at 12 weeks. When did everyone tell students? I figured I would wait until I show, probably after winter break.

brooklynmama718

I told my students at the University yesterday because they asked why I wasn't teaching next semester. They all freaked out and were amazed I have been pregnant the whole time. I won't announce anything to my high school students until I start showing. It feels strange to mention to middle and high schoolers for no reason, especially when I'm not showing at all. Don't want the extra attention. I told my dept chair last week at 13 weeks. Don't know if I should tell male principal. It's not really necessary, but would be a courtesy. It's funny / interesting how people start to treat you like you're handicapped. My chair now asks how I'm feeling more. I don't like that very much. I want to feel normal.

Ahutch428

I told my principal right before Thanksgiving break, I think I was 9 weeks. He was extremely supportive. In my last district when I was pregnant, I had to find my own sub, but admin would help. I left about 3 weeks of plans, and then my sub was expected to plan with my team for the rest of the time. 

Virgo_1976

I'm waiting until I get back back from Christmas break. Unfortunately, a few years ago I had a positive result with the 10 week chromosomal abnormalities blood draw. The pregnancy didn't make it to term. It was very difficult telling people after I had already announced I was pregnant. I will have the results from this chromosomal blood draw by them. Praying everything will be okay this time. 

brooklynmama718

Virgo_1976 said:

I'm waiting until I get back back from Christmas break. Unfortunately, a few years ago I had a positive result with the 10 week chromosomal abnormalities blood draw. The pregnancy didn't make it to term. It was very difficult telling people after I had already announced I was pregnant. I will have the results from this chromosomal blood draw by them. Praying everything will be okay this time. 

I don't blame you. Best to be cautious. I'd do that same. I'm sure all will be great this time!! 

JessErinF

@NYCProf that sounds like what I may end up doing.  I love teaching college (and i did love teaching hs too), but this baby is putting a damper on my summer research plan which puts me at a big disadvantage for job searching next fall.  So if i go back to teach hs, then that's what i do and depending on how i feel, maybe adjunct...  i want this baby more than i want this job.... tho i do really really love my job.  :-)  What do you teach?  I also agree about people treating you different.  I like my chair, but like, he gives me weird smiles now, like i'm in a secret club... and i'm like ummm stop?  I'm still working and doing fine....

@jennas312 I actually told my students last week, a couple of reasons... 1) They assess me this week which is part of my performance review, and i figured a little bit of good news might make them nicer... hahahaha 2) i've been suffering seriously from preggo brain and i wanted to explain to them its not that i don't care, but i genuinely can't remember anything... lol