@NiceyMeany he's not the one pregnant? Does this younger girlfriend go to your school, too? If so, you must speak up. For me, it'd be the school nurse I'd tell (she runs a program for our pregnant girls to help make sure they're getting prenatal care and have a support system, etc.) If she doesn't, I still think you should tell someone. I would talk to the student and let him know you need to tell someone who's in a better position to help him and maybe collaborate to decide who that will be.
Also: I haven't told my students and don't plan to announce it. They'll figure it out eventually lol
Not much to add since I don't teach kids. But I'm a psychology instructor at the local community college. And I have lots of students who are significantly older than me (I'm 23) and it's kind of awkward. They've always been very respectful, but it's hard to teach people who've had much more life experience. I wonder if the 40+ year old students feel like they're being taught by their kid...
@MommaBean no, he (I'll call him A... I don't want to keep saying "the trans student" because that makes me feel icky) absolutely wouldn't ever have been with a guy, but his girlfriend is notorious for cheating on him with other boys. The girlfriend is a sophomore at my school (A is a junior), and I feel like they're never NOT in the middle of one scandal or another. What especially concerns me is the way he said "I'm expecting a baby," as though he's planning to be responsible for this child.
I think letting him decide who to tell is a good idea. He may even want to tell that person on his own. Thanks for the advice!
Yikes @NiceyMeany that's a really tricky one. I think like @MommaBean said, a further conversation with A is the first step. Based on the pronoun use, I'm assuming A is FTM? Not to sound alarmist, but even if A would never consent to sex with a man, there is still a possibility that the child he is expecting is one he is biologically carrying.
Either way, I think it's important that you have further conversations with him before taking it to someone in a better position to help. He may feel that he's confided in you and would not expect you to take it further, so I think it'd be important to let him know that's not something you can do, and then he can be involved in the plan for moving forward.
Oh, and on the topic of telling kids, I've learned that nothing brings a rowdy afternoon class to a dead silence like announcing a pregnancy. I'm kinda disappointed I can only use that one once...
@laurenmichael725, our district only gives us the FMLA time. So I get until the end of May for that, and then childcare leave act until the end of June. The majority is unpaid but it's better than going back for just a month. I'll return in September too though!!
That's tough @NiceyMeany but I agree that I'd get more details first. I'm glad he has you to talk to!!
i havent told my classes but I'm showing. At open house the other night a parent asked me when I was going on maternity leave and I was like what the fuck??? I've never said I was pregnant! You have to have some big balls to call out a 16 week pregnant person. I don't think you should generally say abut just unless you see a baby crowning lol. I answered her questions anyway because I was so unprepared and shocked by it.
I told my kids on the first day of school. I just did not want to have to hide why I was running to the bathroom all the time in between the periods and why I was running late to let the students back into the classroom. Also half of these kids I taught last year since I last year I taught 7th and 8th grade so they would know this was not how I acted last year. I also already told my principal last year at the end of the year, so I could ask for a planning period for 4th or 5th period for pumping. I will have to go back to school April ish since I was scheduled for Feb 1st date but then they moved me up a week.
Oh lord guys, I feel like utter crap. I've been run down all last week, so I took it super easy this weekend, and I still feel absolutely atrocious. I can't tell if I'm fighting something or if my body is just not cut out for pregnancy + teaching. Either way, I am doing some prep for a few sub days to keep in my back pocket, because today is clearly one of those "I'd stay home except it'd be more work to explain to the sub what we're doing today" days.
If this "I'm fighting off a bug and feel super run down" feeling doesn't go away after 2 weeks, I think I might have to accept this is my new normal...
Oh lord guys, I feel like utter crap. I've been run down all last week, so I took it super easy this weekend, and I still feel absolutely atrocious. I can't tell if I'm fighting something or if my body is just not cut out for pregnancy + teaching. Either way, I am doing some prep for a few sub days to keep in my back pocket, because today is clearly one of those "I'd stay home except it'd be more work to explain to the sub what we're doing today" days.
If this "I'm fighting off a bug and feel super run down" feeling doesn't go away after 2 weeks, I think I might have to accept this is my new normal...
I feel EXACTLY the same today. I'm dyiiiiiing. I just taught for 35 minutes and now they are watching a video because I feel like I'm going to puke and fall over at the same time. So now I'm coming up with an element poster project for them to do if I'm not in tomorrow or one day soon! I'm sorry you're feeling this way too
I hope you're both getting sick so you can be done with it! I'm just getting over a cold and last week was ROUGH. And I felt bad every time I took sudafed but I didn't feel I had much choice
@Starfish113 This is a really shitty boat to have to share, I'm sorry you're in it with me. I'm really hoping to power through this week, because I have a lot of great stuff on the go that will make no sense with someone else in the room. I'm feeling like a shitty teacher because I'm considering shifting into a slightly less engaging format for the next few weeks, just so, if I'm out for a handful of days, things don't go completely off the rails.
One of my kids came to school with HFM (not knowing that's what it was) It wasn't until the end of the day that the blisters appeared around the face. I AM FREAKING OUT because I was in very close contact with the child and it would be just my luck to get it!
I'm not sure but it's a swap day for PD! DDs daycare is also closed so I wonder if it is Columbus Day.
Swap day? Do tell.
Also laughing at you bumping at 5:30a too. Good morning!
Hahahah just another day waking up before the entire neighborhood! And yes! If you do all your PD for the year before then, you don't have to go in. It's awesome.
We have the 10th off as well and I can't wait! Today I have a personal day for an ultrasound at the hospital. Caught two kids cheating during a test yesterday and I'm getting angry parent emails so I'm kind of glad to not be there & let the dust settle...
@MommaBean it's still a very weird situation. The girlfriend does not appear to be pregnant... at least not yet. I can't tell if he's talking about another girl or if he's completely out of his mind. Or. Yknow. Both.
I had to tell this to someone, and you ladies will understand: I had to take a day off today in order to handle some doctor shiz; I had guest speakers arranged so all was good, no scramble, etc.
So I decided to use my day off to get on top of my marking stack. I am currently 9 assignments away from the end (after marking 60+, I feel like a god... okay, some of those were multiple choice. I still feel like a god.)... and I am just. so. done. It's all ELL writing assignments so it's... a slog. And I just want to curl up with tea.
So I'm posting here to keep myself accountable. Someone ask me about those assignments in 2 hours so I will feel guilty if I say "I gave up."
@NiceyMeany weird. Maybe (hopefully) the gf made it up...
My classroom has been about 87° the past two days and it's been ruining my life. Like, I'm dehydrated and exhausted and cranky. Thank goodness I'm leaving the country tomorrow!! Lol
@MommaBean the same thing is happening in our classrooms. The district runs our air from the downtown office, and they keep just shutting it off. But we are in a brand new building with giant windows everywhere that are sealed shut. You can't just turn off the air. It gets hot and stagnant even if it's cold outside. I've been miserable!
I have no air conditioning even though we live in a semi desert, with months above 90 degrees, but God forbid we raise taxes to put air conditioning and in our schools. We have kids with nose bleeds because of the heat.
Our ventilation is also crazy. My room is always like 80 degrees and I'm sweating bullets while the girl next door is freezing and wearing gloves.
That's how my school is, but I'm always the cold classroom and the one across the hall is the hot one. Why they can't regulate the building is beyond me....
We just hired someone last week. She's never taught before, but she has a degree in chemistry and she's young so I think she'll be great! She also starts 2 weeks before February vacation (when I'll start my leave) so I plan to kick my feet up then and let her teach right away
@Starfish113 your county is going to pay for two weeks of overlap?? I think mine will do 1 day lol.
Some people have asked me if I'll "do all the plans, right?" Um, no. I'm not planning 10 weeks of lessons before I go out, are you kidding me?!
YES! Oh man I'd cry if they didn't. With DD, my sub started two weeks early and I was soooooo swollen and miserable I actually started my maternity leave early since she was there. But then I ended up a week overdue so this time I am going to make sure I power through.
I'll leave her with as much as possible, but I agree that I won't be planning every second of every day for (in my case) 16 weeks!
My sub is starting December 5; we're doing 2 weeks of overlap, then the school closes for Winter Break and I'm done. I'm going to be hustling to get my kids through their novel units, so I can't just hand off on the 5th and be around to answer questions, as much as I'd like to, but we'll both be in the classroom and the kids will be getting used to the new face. And hopefully I'll be able to sit more during classes...
I've done rough unit sketches, but that's mainly because I needed to figure out what I'd be covering in my time with the classes and parents want some sense of continuity. I'd really struggle teaching to someone else's plans for such a long time, so I figure that the sub will want to be able to do her own planning... (at least that's my justification for thinking of that as "someone else's problem")
@poetryandoceans I agree, I doubt she'd want to live off my plans either. I'll give her all my powerpoints, worksheets, tests, and quizzes so she will definitely have what she needs to get through the material!
Re: Teacher talk
Also: I haven't told my students and don't plan to announce it. They'll figure it out eventually lol
I think letting him decide who to tell is a good idea. He may even want to tell that person on his own. Thanks for the advice!
Either way, I think it's important that you have further conversations with him before taking it to someone in a better position to help. He may feel that he's confided in you and would not expect you to take it further, so I think it'd be important to let him know that's not something you can do, and then he can be involved in the plan for moving forward.
i havent told my classes but I'm showing. At open house the other night a parent asked me when I was going on maternity leave and I was like what the fuck??? I've never said I was pregnant! You have to have some big balls to call out a 16 week pregnant person. I don't think you should generally say abut just unless you see a baby crowning lol. I answered her questions anyway because I was so unprepared and shocked by it.
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
If this "I'm fighting off a bug and feel super run down" feeling doesn't go away after 2 weeks, I think I might have to accept this is my new normal...
Gotta love working with kids and all their germs
Also laughing at you bumping at 5:30a too. Good morning!
So I decided to use my day off to get on top of my marking stack. I am currently 9 assignments away from the end (after marking 60+, I feel like a god... okay, some of those were multiple choice. I still feel like a god.)... and I am just. so. done. It's all ELL writing assignments so it's... a slog. And I just want to curl up with tea.
So I'm posting here to keep myself accountable. Someone ask me about those assignments in 2 hours so I will feel guilty if I say "I gave up."
ETA: Victory is mine!! I marked all the things!
@NiceyMeany weird. Maybe (hopefully) the gf made it up...
My classroom has been about 87° the past two days and it's been ruining my life. Like, I'm dehydrated and exhausted and cranky. Thank goodness I'm leaving the country tomorrow!! Lol
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
Do you have a long term sub yet? I don't and it's stressing me out. I've been busting my butt to find one, too...
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
Some people have asked me if I'll "do all the plans, right?" Um, no. I'm not planning 10 weeks of lessons before I go out, are you kidding me?!
I'll leave her with as much as possible, but I agree that I won't be planning every second of every day for (in my case) 16 weeks!
I've done rough unit sketches, but that's mainly because I needed to figure out what I'd be covering in my time with the classes and parents want some sense of continuity. I'd really struggle teaching to someone else's plans for such a long time, so I figure that the sub will want to be able to do her own planning... (at least that's my justification for thinking of that as "someone else's problem")