I felt better today. I still felt like shit, but I didn’t feel like shit on a shoe, that had been placed in a bag and lit on fire on someone’s doorstep.
So yes, today I felt better. And I was thankful for that, because yesterday I felt really, really bad.
All my students asked me why I was at work, when I was so clearly feeling like shit. I explained that it’s hard to set up for a sub, and it being the penultimate day of the trimester, there was a lot to do. So many of them owed me missing work, and I was trying to make sure it all got in. Plus we had a test to get ready for. I think a few of them recognized I was there for them, and some actually appreciated it. That was nice.
Now I have all those tests to grade, and late work to score and enter. I’m glad we have a week off to get it all done.
Except it’s not really a week off, not for me. A few of my friends didn’t have childcare for next week (it’s SFUSD’s first time taking the whole week off, so it was a new experience trying to get coverage, and there weren’t many options) so I’m taking three 2nd grader girls for three days. Their moms are paying me (I’m not that nice), and I’m trying to keep the whole thing professional. It’s a really nice group of girls, and my son will only be around on Wednesday, so it should be a okay. But we’ll see. It’s not like I would have been on vacation otherwise, but having a bunch of 2nd graders over is very different than dealing with my own kid. Also my house is small and it’s supposed to rain. We’ll see how it goes. I’m looking forward to having a little extra spending money over the holidays, too.
I’m sorry for the shoddy posting this week. I hope to make up for in during the rest of the month.
That sounds awful, having to go into work when you’re that sick.
Are the moms paying you because it’s such a long period of time? By this age, it seems really common to trade childcare. I’ve had several of J’s friends’ parents tell me to let them know if I need childcare. In exchange they’ll ask me to watch their kid while they have a date night or go to the laundromat. I am really enjoying the free childcare. Especially because it keeps J entertained too. But having 3 at once is a lot!
They are paying me because it’s a long day (7:30-5:30) and because they won’t necessarily be able to “get me back,” because two of them are basically single mothers (dads live abroad or are just not in the picture) and work long hours at a hospital. I’m also “charging” less than half of what a real camp would charge.
We definitely trade off play dates and help each other out with coverage when we need it. But for three full, 10 hour days we all felt it would better if I asked for compensation. Because it is a lot.
Yeah 3 full days+ is a lot. Good for you.
We never had the full week off when I was a kid but seems to be the norm now. OTOH I like that I’m “forced” to take it off and have the time with the kids, OTOH all these breaks are hard on parents.
I get why you can’t take time off when you’re sick, but I think it’s terrible that you’re forced to go to work ill! You’d think there’d be a better system for those days so teachers could get the time off they need to heal from illness and not spread it around to students and other teachers.