Taking a chance that one's condition might affect herself/himself is one thing; taking a chance that it might cause harm to a child is quite another. I would not take that chance.
Wow, what you described is not narcolepsy as I know it. It is nothing like what you see in the movies where someone just falls over or is out in an instant. It is far from what you had described. It may have been like that for someone not on medication and to the extreme but it is nothing like that for me. When I tell someone I have narcolepsy they are shocked because they had no idea. It gets frustrating because it is so misunderstood. I have not once taken a nap or fallen over during a school day or after school in my classroom. I am more functional than some in my school who do not have this disability. My question for you is did this teacher you are talking about flat out tell you they had Narcolepsy? Were they being treated by a physician and taking any medication? Just curious. It is still a fairly new disorder and there are so many new medications today. You stated that children should be sharply watched over every second of the day. I never debated that. Someone who needs to take a nap during a break or other off-duty time when the children are being supervised should be allowed to do so. Now I am not knowledgeable about muscular dystrophy but I may assume that you may not be capable of being responsible for children as you have for me just because of your medical condition. I might say something as ignorant as you have and threaten a lawsuit if my child was hurt under your supervision. You have no clue of my condition. My best interest is for the children and I would never want to put them at risk. If I honestly felt that my disability was a problem then I would not be teaching. However, people should not make that judgement for me based soley on my diagnosis. Yes, by all means I want my students' parents to care about their children and if they see that I am incapable of doing my job then I should be reported and fired. But, I would never allow myself to stay in my position if it came to that and should not be discriminated against because of this disability. If I should take a nap during my break while my class is at lunch, then how does that make me incapable of teaching my class. One might make the argument that because you take medicine that may cause you to have to use the restroom at any time then you are incapable of teach. I'm assuming that the bathroom thing was manageable and you were able to get through the day without a problem. This is the same for narcolepsy. It is manageable and I get through my day without problem. To tell you the truth, the best thing for someone with Narcolepsy is to keep active rather than passive. As a first grade teacher, there is not time in the day to sit down to even think about sleep. Now, once the kids leave and I sit at my desk that is a different story.
If you're doing your napping during your lunch break, with no children to see you, then go for it! I thought we were talking about someone who needed to nap at odd times throughout the day in spite of responsibilities and a signed contract. Bathroom? For 26 years, I 'went' before I left home in the morning, around 7:00, and didn't "go" again until around four p.m. I had 23 minutes for lunch and it took that long to get to the nearest restroom. I just trained myself not to go. I apologize for misunderstanding. As long as you are not napping when you are supposed to be on duty, then snore away.
These are all from the original poster. The poster never said that the person sleeping was caring for the children. Also the poster walked into the room and out walked the sleeper. Where did the sleeper walk out from? If the poster was in the classroom and the sleeper was somewhere else then I took it as the sleeper was not in the presence of the children. This is all an assumption of course since all the poster actually witnessed was stretching and yawning. I guess everyone has different opinions on everything regardless of the evidence presented. Thanks to those who are open-minded to those who are not perfect and have different needs than others. I hope that is what everyone tries to teach their students and those are the kind of teachers that I want to teach my own children.
Mamacita - while I agree with most of what you are saying, I just had to comment on this. I have an autoimmune disease and sunlight is poisonous to me as well. I have always been able to do the duties that were indoors or in very shady areas. I explain my situation and request this and no administrator or teacher has had a problem with this - in fact they encourage me and help me to stay out of the sun as much as possible. I don't think that I am unprofessional or not 'nice' for looking after my health and trying to avoid something that could end up killing me.
All I have to say is, I LOVE THIS OPEN DEBATE! It's about time everyone opens up and chimes in... Thanks for the entertainment. OH...should we "debate" the word "entertainment?"
Here's one to debate...I feel that in our country, we could all benefit from the afternoon siestas. This is a sleep deprived country. In some places, the whole town shuts down for a couple of hours every day.........but god forbid that we Americans stop our rat race and rest.
Not me, I hate naps. However, the way most teens and pre-teens are wired, I think school from noon till six or seven would be ideal. (NOT a morning person. Bleh.)
I teach remedial writing at a community college now, and the MAJORITY of my students have told me that they might have succeeded in high school if only they could have gone later in the day. I know I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't start at the crack of dawn.* *any time before noon.
Ya know, that is a brilliant idea...school starting in the afternoons. I hate getting up so early and I hate naps, so am almost always tired. I like staying up till about 11:30 every night and then have to get up at 6:00, so am sleep deprived. My husband goes to bed at 8:00 every single night and it drives me crazy because I just can't do that. If I went to bed that early, I would be wide awake around 10:00 and up all night.
Ever since I was a little kid, I always wished there was an afternoon school. I was never a morning kid. Last year I taught PM kindergarten and it was the best thing for me. I helped my teacher for one hour in the morning and the rest of the time was my own prep time. I used this time to do work AND to wake up. Still to this date I am not a morning person. I can get up around 8:30 and be fine. 6:20 is when I get up and I'm in the worst mood ever. Also, I don't go to bed late. Around 10, usually, sometimes earlier. Doesn't matter when I go to sleep and how long, I can never wake up before 8. Same with my brother. So, either we all have a mandated 1-2 hour siesta time, or we switch to PM school. Let's start a campain!
okay I have to jump in My first post ever and it's about my favorite thing to do...SLEEPING! But I do have to disagree with everyone. I would rather get to school early and get out early cause when the time hits about 2:00 I am ready to be done! If schools ever did start openning at noon then our kids will (obviously) sleep in and THEN they'll stay up later so then they'll want to sleep in even LATER then it'll get to the point where they can't get out of bed at noon! Personally I like to get up early and get things done, even my shopping on the weekends.
I never took a nap with the kids because I was afraid I would wake up with one of them tapping me saying "Mrs Allyson, its time to wake up!" LOL! (sorry, just trying to bring a bit of humor to a tense situation)
Mamacita, You truly are a night owl! I like to see the sun, long after it has come up instead of while it's rising! Anytime before 10 a.m. is for the birds...literally! Oh, and my husband.
NO NO NO that is a bad idea! I hate being in the school in the afternoon. I wish I was out by 2pm everyday.
Ideal world: sleep when it's light, work and carouse (heh) when it's dark. Kind of like the anti-Amish. I am wired for the night. As a kid, in school, I can remember something practically going "click" in my head, around 2 p.m., and I can also remember wondering what I'd said and done in the morning when I was trying to function while my brain was in a coma. As a teacher, I had to be really stern with myself, especially those bad, bad years when all my academics were in the morning and all my time-wasters, ie study hall, advisor, etc, were in the afternoon. (I do not believe in study halls. They simply do not exist, like ghosts. Homework is mean to be done at home.) I seldom sat down when I taught. I didn't dare. If I had ever shown weakness, ie even so much as NODDED, I would probably have quit. Good thing I was a walk-around, point-to-your-stuff, look-you-in-the-eyes person, huh. I come down hard on weakness because I fight it in myself. So far, I've won, but as I get older, I've had some close calls. As the MD gets worse, I fight harder. I make no allowances for myself on the job. Nobody needs to be enabled. People need to be supported, praised ONLY when they do well, helped, shown respect, encouraged,and given awards that symbolize achievement, not just self esteem. I've posted on my blog about diplomas. Probably nobody here wants to know. You're all much kinder than I am, but honestly? If a student can't do the work, all by himself, on his own, using only his OWN brain, a diploma is an insult to the intelligence of the universe.
Yes, but to do this you have to give them a chance. The diploma was an insult to our integrity many many years ago, and as far as the intelligence of the universe...look around...mankind is oft an insult to that.
well, i have to confess that i have acturally dosed off a few times while my two's were sleeping. there was always two of us in there and one of us was always awke. my partner in crime also dosed off a few times. i know, i know, i will be hearing from all the teachers now. oh my! i also have to agree that there are many, many good directors out there. one is a personal friend of mine and she is awsome! I disagree that this one lady was fired. things happen and everyone deserves a second chance.
This is a great post even if we are getting off the point of advice for the original poster. Here's my stuff. During my 3rd prengancy, I frequently fell asleep instantly. I fell asleep at a red light (was driving) 1 mile from home! Afterwards, I rode the bus. I would be talking and midsentence be slumped asleep in the seat unknowingly. During student observations I had to ask to lay on the couch (closed room). I think it helped prevent midsentence slumps. It never occured there! Hard semester! -->Sleep Deprived American. As a morning person, I vote for an afternoon siesta. With my luck, being bipolar w/ sleep issues, it would take the whole time to fall asleep just to be woken right back up. Ironically, at work w/ a consistent routine, I do much better. The winter break broke routine and I went manic. Who knew work was healthy. Hehe. Peeps seem not to notice any depression (hidden). With mania, you might see extra pacing for supplies/extra activity. I'm under medical care and thankfully not severe enough to to be harm/hinderance to others. Mostly it is hard on me. Those who don't understand mental illness (in general/variety of ranges) might find someone having it to be unsettling in dealing with kids. I talk, read lips, hold conversations but I'm deaf so I need better communication access sometimes. If I ever thought about listening to other regarding any disability I have, I just remember the silly misconceptions I've heard about my hearing loss. Disability and misperceptions are funny companions. Some people do have disabilities that would prevent them from working with children, sleep issue related or otherwise. There probably aren't many, or any, single groups of disabilities where we could rule out the whole group and say they shouldn't work with children.
Thank you Grammy Teacher for your understanding. That's what a good teacher is all about. It's all about the humaness of children and interactions with others. I have now changed my profession to massage therapist. helping people to releax and calming children down.
When I worked at camp, MOST of us counselors took a cat nap during our "FOB" time (Flat on Bunk, or Flat on Bed, or Flat on Back... your choice). We pretty much told our kids, 'You need to stay on your bed. If you wake me up, you're in trouble." I used to tell mine... "write a letter, read, write in your journal, take a nap, play solitare, pick your nose, read your Bible, I don't care, as long as you're on YOUR bunk and not talking to anybody else." (the pick your nose part was just to see if they were paying attention. they LOVED that I'd throw that in there) Did we always sleep? naah... And when I DID fall asleep, it wasn't so deep that the kids could get away with anything... the kids doing ANYTHING would wake me up. But I always felt more rested Funny thing, though... our jr. high and HS-aged kids would ASK "Can we have an FOB camp? That's my favorite time of the day!" Now, I am working in a center with nap time... my co-teacher works earlier than I do, so she takes the earlier break. I've been known to drift off for a few minutes, but NOT in the room with the kids... during my break, in the staff room, while I'm lounging on the couch reading a book, after I've ben sitting in the dark for an hour doing whatever prep work it is that I need to get done. At our last staff meeting, they mentioned "I shouldn't have to say this, but NO ONE should be sleeping in the room with the kids during nap time." We all knew the person they were talking to, but of course didn't say anything. The VERY NEXT DAY, this girl (who happens to be a floater, not a teacher assigned to a particular room) was watching my kids during my break since my co-teacher had left early, and when I came back in, she was on the floor, stretched out next to one of the kids, askeep. When I woke her up, she was MORTIFIED and couldn't BELIEVE she'd fallen asleep. Is it easy to do in my room? You bet... really dark, quiet music, kids are asleep... that's why I ALWAYS have work to do, either for myself or for a floater that comes in. It may be cutting stuff out, but at least it's something to do that keeps you occupied and that has to get done anyway.
Sleepy? On the lighter side, you could always do what this teacher at our school used to do and doze off during staff and prof. dev. meetings! She would take work to grade, and we'd look over and see her nod...her grading pen would wander off the page...she'd snore softly...then someone would cough or laugh, and she'd jerk and look around to make sure nobody had seen her. She had been a teacher for a loooong, loooooooooong time. She would also drift off when the kids were working quietly. They thought it was funny to wake her by getting up to sharpen a pencil or clearing throats to ask a question. She is retired now, but we all still get a good chuckle out of it.
This was definitely an interesting thread. I direct a center, and have on more than a few occasions dealt with teachers who frequently fall asleep on the job. My main concern is when it happens on the job. If one of my teachers are on their break, it's their time, not mine. They are not permitted to sleep in their classroom though, for the same reasons provided earlier (doesn't look professional for visitors, can be misconstrued, etc.) As a side note, when my teachers bring concerns to me, I am grateful. However, I do stress the importance of professionalism and proper conduct in the work place. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a Code of Ethical Conduct. Inside, there are guidelines for dealing with concerns about your co-workers. The first step is to professional speak with your co-worker (just letting them know that you are concerned for their well-being, as well as the children in this case), and if it is an isolated event, it doesn't need to come to the supervisor (of course that is only if no one was hurt, and it was minor). I don't ask that my teachers tell me everything, but I do validate their concerns when they bring them to me. I wouldn't fire someone on the spot for sleeping on duty if it were an isolated event. If, however, I had spoken with the teacher a couple of times, and followed through with written evaluations, observations, etc., I would consider firing a teacher for sleeping on duty. As mentioned above, the original post doesn't sound like the teacher was seen sleeping, or at least not by the original poster. I yawn and stretch throughout the day, too. My first concern would be that maybe the co-teacher in the room, or assistant, or whatever the case may be, that maybe they have a personal thing against the other teacher. If they were concerned about the situation, they have the professional respnosibility to report it first to the other employee and then to their supervisor if needed. As a sidebar, I think an afternoon siesta would be great everyday! I also open my center (at 6:00 a.m., and live 45 minutes away, so I get up at 3:45 or 4:00 at the latest.) I would love a nap! Great opinions on this thread...it's nice to know that there is a safe avenue for the opinons to be expressed!
I just wanted to say I'm jealous of all of you that can even rest your eyes during the day. I teach at a school that is made of up two trailers. We have no teacher's lounge, no lunch room, no gym, no playground...nothing. The children eat in my room and I have no where to go to each my lunch in peace. I have 35 Kindergartners and just recently got a full time aide. I've had a lot of trouble sleeping lately due to stress from my job and just life in general. I am never alone at school (I'm guilty of hiding out in the bathroom for 5 mintues when I have someone to cover my room ) I would love to have a place to go not only to rest my eyes, but to even have a quiet moment to myself!
Wow! That's too bad about having no place to chill a couple of minutes during the day. I hope you are careful to be good to yourself at the end of each day. Too much bad stress can be a real killer!
I pretty much agree with this. The daycare center I work at is pretty low key as well, we have another room for breaks but occasionally a teacher will take a nap in the room while on break. There are lots of things to consider with this. Some children won't lay down unless someone is next to them, children that are new to daycare often don't like being "alone". Also in case of emergencies I like having my aide in the room, even if she is sleeping, I know I can wake her up and have her help if something happens where if she was in a break room I would be on my own. If both of us are on the clock and it's naptime I don't mind if she sleeps and she wouldnt mind if I slept either. Now neither one of us would be laying all over the floor or something but laying next to a child or laying her head on the desk, fine. I agree with it depending on the circumstances and environment
It may just be the supervisor in me, but I can't see paying someone while they are sleeping. It is right in our program policies that sleeping on duty is unacceptable. As I mentioned in a previous post, I wouldn't fire someone the first time, but if it were an on-going issue, I would have to consider my options.
I agree. Paying someone to sleep is unacceptable. I think most people on this thread are just stating that if it's on their time, then it's their time. But sleeping while you are on the clock??? If someone is doing that then they need to take a lesson in managing their free time a little better. I would never allow someone to sleep while they are on the clock and responsible for children. What they do on their own time is one thing, but not on my time.
