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December 2013 Moms
Rachel5782
member
Maternity leave question for teachers
Rachel5782
member
Is anyone planning on going back to work the last couple weeks of the school year just to get health insurance back for the summer? Originally I was just going to take off the whole year until September but now DH wants me to check with my union rep to see if I can go back the last week or two just so we can be covered over the summer. A friend of ours in another district did this. It would save us money, but it seems like a douchey thing to do. I'm assuming my principal would just have me as a floating sub.
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Re: Maternity leave question for teachers
I only plan to take a couple months--if that. Thankfully, Christmas break will fall over my leave so that gives me a little more time without having to use sick days. I would love to take longer but I don't have enough leave time accrued.
We don't have a union in VA so I can't speak to that. My health insurance goes throughout the year and into the summer.
I am planning to take only the time I can get paid for, so this doesn't apply.
Check with your union/contract-- in my district, you have to pay 100% out of pocket when on unpaid leave, so aren't you going to be doing that during your unpaid time? Is the idea that you'd pay for those months but not the summer? I guess you would save the money, though.
I don't think I could do this in my district-- we get either 8-12 weeks (depending on medical necessity) or the rest of the year. I don't think we have the option of returning for just a couple of weeks unless that's when the leave happens to end. My district would not allow this because they wouldn't need me, and I don't think our contract has a protection for this.
i don't necessarily think it's douchey, because it's a benefit you've negotiated for. I just don't know if you could do it, and the child care hassle may not be worth it?
The way it works in our district is that you can use sick days before and after baby is born...health coverage continues during that time. Then you can take unpaid leave for an extended amount of time. I won't get my salary but I can continue health coverage for 12 weeks. That would mean my health care would cut out in April in which time I would switch to DH's coverage. But DH is wondering if I worked a short amount of time in June if I could go back on my benefits for the summer. We could continue using DH's health care over the summer just fine, but he still pays a few hundred dollars a month where I don't. And yes, we'd need to see if it's worth paying for child care. I'm hoping it's not worth it!!
The way it works in our district is that you can use sick days before and after baby is born...health coverage continues during that time. Then you can take unpaid leave for an extended amount of time. I won't get my salary but I can continue health coverage for 12 weeks. That would mean my health care would cut out in April in which time I would switch to DH's coverage. But DH is wondering if I worked a short amount of time in June if I could go back on my benefits for the summer. We could continue using DH's health care over the summer just fine, but he still pays a few hundred dollars a month where I don't. And yes, we'd need to see if it's worth paying for child care. I'm hoping it's not worth it!!
I don't really have any helpful advice either. I want to work up until winter break starts (last day is 12/20) but I can see my principal making me go early (he did this to another teacher last year because she REALLY needed to leave earlier, haha).
I plan on contacting HR once the school year starts to see how much leave I get before and after the birth, plus I have about 5 weeks of sick time/PTO I plan on using once my maternity leave runs out. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful! Ask this question again in a few months.
If I can get a teaching job in this district, I will be working up until Christmas break, then taking 6 weeks after break and going immediately back.
Can I ask why you are taking the rest of the year off? Just because or do you have a specific reason?
Just because financially we can do it and I love being home with my kids. I'd be a SAHM if we didn't live in a HCOL area and didnt want to pay for our kids' college. I'm also working so we both can retire comfortably at a younger age. This is most likely my last child so this is the only opportunity I have to be home with them, unless DH randomly finds a better job in a LCOL area that makes it worth leaving friends and family. We can survive just fine with being on DH's insurance until September but DH was just curious if it was worth it to me to go back a week or two in order to save x amount of money. I'm still not convinced that's something I want to do anyway, but I'm getting as much information about our options as possible so we can weigh the pros and cons.
I live in Texas, so there's no union here either. I plan to take 12 weeks off, unpaid, and go back to work at the end of February. My insurance coverage continues during that time.
I got hired in February and set myself up with disability insurance in case I got pregnant. My disability insurance plan started on April 1. I found out I was pregnant March 24. Bummer, I would have at least had 6 weeks paid at 66 percent of my pay.
You teach gasp
There was a teacher at the school I taught at last semester who only came back for the last couple weeks...and though many teachers were happy to see her again, I'm not going to lie, there was some talking behind her back while she was gone. Mostly because another teacher left right around the same time as her on maternity leave and came back probably 3 months earlier than her, so there was a lot of "well, she came back after having her baby, why couldn't the other teacher". If you have a good relationship with the other teachers, and would like to see them, that's fine, but I'm also letting you know that there was some not-so-nice things said about the teacher that did that. Also, would it be hard on your students? Having you for a semester, having a sub for most of the next semester and then having you for the end of the year?
Just some thoughts.
It's not the teachers I'd be concerned about caring. It's the administration. My coworkers are used to seeing each other come and go for maternity leave. Most of my coworkers encourage each other to take as much time off as possible, just because most of us are mothers and want to be home with our kids. The only teacher I've ever seen being side eyed is the teacher who's now on her third year of unpaid leave just because we don't think she's coming back at all and she's keeping a tenured track position from a maternity leave sub who deserves it. I'm more concerned about my principal being irritated at me.
Yes I'm aware that coming back at the end of the year is tough for the students. You are absolutely right about that. But if I came back the last couple weeks, they would most likely not put me back into my classroom anyway. They would probably make me a floating sub for teachers who called out.
Either way I'll have to talk to my union rep and see if she has any advice for me. She'll be able to tell me if many teachers have done it, and if it's worth it at all. I most likely won't...but just want to learn more about it. My principal already emailed me wanting to know soon because her plan is to hire a full time sub for the year. He/she will be used for a floating sub until I leave in December and then will take over for me thereafter until I return.
I am probably going back after my 8 weeks is up. This comment sucks though, it always amazes me how caddy some teachers can be. No you in particular but in general some teachers cause a lot of drama. If Mom's want to spend time with their kids it's none of the other teachers business how they set it up. Financially if I could take more time off I would too. I would definitely check with your union rep. I would guess to that if someone came back as a roaming sub they might be categorized as something different?
no, I teach special ed.
Your coworkers sound like nasty people.
I will take the 12 weeks covered by FMLA and then probably go back in March. I would like to take the rest of the year, but I don't think it would be best for us, financially.
Ha pp's coworkers actually remind me of parents who get pissed at teachers for having babies during the school year...cause you know, we all have such control when our bodies decide to conceive. How dare mothers stay home for more than the minimal time to take care of their children?! We're one of the only countries that shame parents for choosing to take an extended maternity leave (unpaid might I add). It's really sad.