People who go to work sick

[EngTeach]

Why are there always martyrs in the workplace who insist on coming to work sick? They cough and moan all over and brag about never being out and then I use the phone they just hacked all over and catch it.

I was out of school yesterday with a bad cold. Felt horrible and saw doctor. She told me I was right to stay home a day or so. I rested, took meds, and felt much better today. Others come in with strep throat, stomach viruses etc.

Does this annoy you too?

[dabees]

I don't know what your condition is Daffy, but surely you'd agree that letting children's immune system to grow is a good thing?

[daffy654]

I do agree actually dabees,I have a 10 year olds son who obviously mixes with lots of other kids.If he has a cold and passes it on to me it could hospitalise me or in the extreme even kill me.Luckily he is the healthiest child I know and seems completely immune to everything going around schools,he's never even had nits.lol

[dabees]

Well if we are to believe what is said Daffy, your son must have dirty hair. ;-)

[Panic Button]

My employer has a simple method to encourage people not to go sick - no sick pay.

[daffy654]

Haha,actually its probably more to do with the fact that he has Asperger Syndrome and is very socially awkward,he hates his personal space being invaded so the chance of his head touching another child's is virtually zero. He's not one of these kids who never gets dirty either,he plays in goal for his school footie team so is regularly covered in mud.:-)

[dabees]

I, in my ignorance, know nothing about Aspergers, but what i do know is.......The beggers can jump, all he needs to do is walk within a foot of a child with nits. ;-)

[EngTeach]

Thank you all for responding. I am shocked at the strictness of some of these places of business. Surely being hit with the flu or another illness should not be reason to be looked over for promotion. I'm not talking about a chronic illness, but people do get sick. In fact, wouldn't one longer illness (like flu where you are out for at least a week) is better than someone who is out 1 day here and there? A lot of these 1 day illnesses seem to occur on Monday or Friday too.

Buenchico, how did you manage not to get sick when you taught? They are forever coughing all over and have pink eye, etc. These are secondary kids too!!! I have been lucky this year. They were dropping like flies earlier in the winter with a nasty tummy bug where they were out 4 or 5 days. I watched move across my one class a row at a time! I escaped that one. They actually shut down a whole district a week earlier for Holiday break b/c it was so bad. They had a 30% absence rate. Do you miss teaching?

[Buenchico]

Hi EngTeach,

I miss the kids but I don't miss the paperwork and the interminable meetings! For much of my time in teaching, I spent every spare moment running the school soccer, cricket, table tennis and chess teams, together with helping out with school plays, etc. (I was also regional trade union representative and I worked on various committees, both those related to school sport and those developing mathematics education). I never worked fewer than 70 hours per week but I found it very rewarding.

Eventually, however, I found that I was still working the same hours but I hardly ever saw the kids because it was one meeting after another. One of the kids once asked me why his school soccer team hadn't had an after-school practice session for nearly a month. I showed him my diary for that week:
Monday: Staff meeting
Tuesday: Lower school pastoral care meeting
Wednesday: Department meeting
Thursday: Examination grading meeting / Staff sub-committee No.1 meeting / Year tutors' meeting
Friday: Staff sub-committee No.2 meeting.

The pupil asked how I could attend 3 meetings simultaneously on Thursday. I told him it was going to be very difficult, especially as my Head of Department had told me that I'd be unprofessional if I didn't attend the exams meeting, the Head of Year had told me that I'd be unprofessional if I didn't attend the tutors' meeting and the Deputy Headteacher had told me that it was essential that I should turn up for the sub-committee meeting that
he was chairing!

Like most of my colleagues, I never had a day off but I knew that I'd collapse with exhaustion (and be really ill) for the first week of every holiday.

Chris

[EngTeach]

Thanks Chris,
I understand that completely. I too get sick over each vacation! I usually work 2 after school positions. And often leave before 7am and return after 9pm after teaching night school. This year I am not doing ANY activities and feel like I work a half day!!!

Off to school now. we are going to the Museum of Natural History. 40 9th graders. Pray for us. LOL

Have a good day.