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December 2012 Moms
TiaS16
member
Quick question...
TiaS16
member
I might just be being a b*tch...so I wanted to ask you guys..
When you take your maternity leave, if there is somebody taking your place while your gone...are you still expected to come in a help?
back story:
I took my maternity leave early due to the doctor requesting that I do so... By 'request' I mean she said I either work 30hours a week, take leave or she puts me on hospitalized bed rest.
I'm a first grade teacher, my school requires that I am there by 7:30am and leave no earlier than 4:30pm. Working half days teaching elementary school doesn't work.
So, my principal and I decided that I should go ahead and take my leave. We called the retired teacher who had agreed to be my long-term sub and she agreed to take over early. I worked until the Thanksgiving break and for the last 2 weeks I have been home, resting, kinda cleaning.
Now, for the last 2 weeks, my long term sub calls me and asks if I'm planning on coming up over the weekend and setting up my room for the next week...by setting up, I'm cleaning desks, organizing lessons, gathering materials, checking notes from parents.
Now so far, I don't mind...but I don't want to be taking my newborn to the school over the weekends (GERMS!!!) to set up once he gets here, and if he comes on a Saturday I don't see me stopping at the school on the way home to set up for the next week.
So, in addition to my first question, I was wondering if I'm being bitchy to expect that she do this stuff?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Quick question...
BFP #1 12/02/11, M/C 12/08/11
BFP #2 04/06/12, DD born 12/20/12
BFP #3 06/09/14, M/C 06/15/14
Make a pregnancy ticker
Sounds like we're on the same schedule! I teach middle school science; I have gone in a couple of times to meet up with my long term sub - before I left we went over my discipline plan, once I made the decision to be out for good, we met up that Saturday to give her an idea about where lesson planning resources were located, tidy up my front desk area, gave her the plan books for the last couple of years so she'd have an idea about different activities, access to my files and she knows the other teachers who work in the same grade level who can be resources if needed. Since then, I have poped in twice (of my own accord) because I had some things at the house I wanted to drop off (decluttering) but was not at her request. She also stopped by my house once (we live 3 minutes away from each other) because someone had left a gift for me and I had a pile of papers to be returned to students (I had collected them before leaving the classroom). We have chatted a few times on the phone, and have emailed back and forth but I have left the classroom in her capable hands (she is a recent-retiree from our science department). She is doing the planning, copying, setting up of activities, etc. That is what a long term sub does, and in my district at least, they get paid a little more each day after 30 days for this reason.
I also put an auto-reply on my email stating that I am out until after the baby is born, to send notes with students or contact the school's front office if need to communicate with the long term sub, that I might occasionally check the email, however do not expect a reply prior to my return, and set it up so her Google Calendar showed up on my classroom webpage so student families could see what she posts for homework.
Planning wise, it might be different for different school districts however from what I have seen others do is give a pacing calendar that is a basic outline ... might say spend about x number of days on this topic, and here are some resources or activities to use, assignments you can give as classwork/homework, but she is responsible for setting up the activities, grading them, photocopying, having the STUDENTS clean up after themselves, etc. Plus it is difficult for you to give an exact plan because you do not know how long it will take to get through topics (our students are not identical to those in the past years so adjustments may need to be made).
You are not expected to be in, you have a MEDICAL reason - you are on medical leave and will be for 6 to 8 weeks after the baby is born. Once it is time for you to begin transitioning back into the classroom, I could see having more involvement, but other wise, you are not in the classroom. Your Principal and the workman's comp system does not want to see you get hurt, ill, etc. regardless of whether student's are there or not. It is unreasonable for your sub to expect you to go in at all. My guess is she is asking because you have not said no. It is hard to let go of the classroom, but we have to so we can focus on being ready for our LO who will need our full attention. You can tell her that you have now transitioned out of the classroom and are leaving the kiddos in her capable hands - you are happy to answer occasional questions or advise on order or pacing of the lessons, but that you need to rest and stay away from the students germs so you do not end up being ill when it is time to go into labor or are taking care of an infant who's immune system is not fully developed. Would probably be easiest to spell it out in an email and cc it to your principal. Or you could contact your principal, to make sure you two are on the same page about your responsibilities being on medical leave and the principal might be able to intercede in the matter (one of those, "if being a long term sub is more responsibility than you're willing to accept, let me know now so I can find another person to take on the role" type conversations). GL!
Was edited a bit to eliminate redundancy ...
I dont think you're being bitchy. Just nicely remind her you are on maternity leave by dr orders. You cant come in..
If she's your sub, it should be her job now IMO
My friends that are teachers do not go in at all, not even once during maternity leave unless they choose to visit. One of my friends had her baby in July and just went back to work this week, and never once went in.
I am not a teacher, but it is the same for me, if I go in it will just be to visit.
BFP 12/19/08- DS born 8/25/09 9lbs2oz via Zavanelli Maneuver
BFP 8/26/11- Missed miscarriage discovered 10/19/11 at 11w2d, measured at 9 weeks gestation w/ no HB. D&C 10/21/11
BFP 3/17/12 at 12dpo CP 3/21/12
BFP 4/23/12 at 10dpo Stick my little one! Beta #1: 83.3 @ 13dpo Beta #2: 197.7 @ 15dpo
Our little man is getting bigger every day!
My BFP Chart
IDK how your leave works, but if we are out on STD/FMLA we are out. As in, we cannot clock in or anything because that would mess up our benefits. I'm a nurse and being at my actual job is a lot more taxing than the quarterly meeting I had scheduled for today, but our job sees being at work as being at work, and if I cannot be at work for my job, I can't be at work.
So, thankfully, it's pretty cut and dry for us.
FWIW my best friend is a teacher and when she went with her first baby (which was over summer break) she did the initial work to set the classroom up, but didn't go back for set up or anything until she was ready to come back (I think she visited the class a week or so before she came back in order to meet the kids and let them meet the baby - who was no longer a newborn - since they were with the long term sub for so long).