1 in 4 U.S. teachers are chronically absent

Good employees don't regularly call out sick. This is indisputable.

Why do we make excuses for teachers?

Anyone at your job regularly call out sick?

In what industry/job would this be acceptable?

 

In my past life, I regularly used all of the sick time I accrued.

If my boss didn't like it, she shouldn't have given me the time.

 

First of all, I don't want any teacher or nurse showing up for work if they're sick and contagious. Ever end up sick because the shitclown at the cubicle next to you showed up for three days hacking and sneezing? They think they're showing how dedicated they are, but really they're showing how friggin' dumb they are.

And if you get sick time that you won't be paid out for, use it. I spent five years at my previous job and took a grand total of maybe three sick days. They even remarked that about that track record and how I was dependable. Yet when layoffs came, I still wound up with unlimited sick days and a box for my stuff.

 

WTF?

 

You must've called out sick the day Baron and I argued about whether employees should be allowed to do that.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with that take, but what the DofEd study/report does is to suggest that: A) perhaps they shouldn't be given as much time; and B) perhaps something should be done about those who routinely exceed the amount of time they're given.

Ah, got it.

 

How much sick time did they have vs. how much they used?

 

There it is.

Leveraging Attendance policies to flush out workforce needs a second piece: The replacements. Constant turnover is a death knell for a principal.

 

Just two things:

-- Without knowing what the norm is, I'd say two weeks of PTO for a 180-day school year is not unreasonable for teachers. I know many teachers work during summers, but they can often work at their own pace. I'd also dock weather-related closings from PTO.
-- Certain immunizations should be mandatory. They're mandatory at many hospitals, for the aforementioned nurses and others. They should be for teachers, too.

 

Yep. Hell, if you didn't get an annual flu shot, you'd get fired from the hospital our daughter was in.

 

Why would teachers need two weeks of PTO? They are off between 10 and 13 weeks a year, including a minimum of three weeks (and in many districts, such as mine, five weeks) during the school year.

 

Because they're human and shit happens?