What a waste of time!

My kids returned to school today.

My son had 4 subs!!! Four!!! Each of those classes was a study hall, so he was bored once he had completed the work assigned by the few teachers who did show up.

I understand that people get sick. But I also understand that we're coming off a week and a half vacation. Had my family taken an extended vacation, it would have been an "unexcused absence."

Oh, and he took a math test on December 17. He needed to do well, and worked his tush off to prep for that test. The grade has yet to be posted. We hear a lot about how we're supposed to be keeping an eye on Power School. Well, I have been. But that makes it kind of obvious when there's a 2 week lag between the time a test is given and the time it's graded. (Yes, his math teacher was one of those absent today.) And the test was largely scantron.

It's frustrating, trying to emphasize with him that school is important, when that's not always the message he's getting from school.

School is closed tomorrow for the blizzard. With any luck, all his teachers will have "recovered" for Monday.

 

I would have been unapologetically "sick" had my school been in session today, and ditto tomorrow.

 

First, I think it's really strange that schools have two days of school before the weekend. We don't go back until Monday, and that's a workday for teachers-kids come back on Tuesday.

Perhaps the teachers had scheduled those days off in advance? They could be using their personal days to make these an even two weeks off from school. Perhaps they traveled. We're doing a road trip Friday-Saturday this weekend and using Sunday to get ready for the new work week.

Also, I gave a test on the Thursday before school got out (16th). I did not grade it that evening, and my break started Friday at noon. I made a commitment to myself not to work on school over my break-I needed to spend it with my family. So if the kids were coming back on Monday, I would not have it for them. They would it get it Tuesday or Wednesday.

I feel your frustration, but I'm just giving a different perspective. If so many teachers are going to use their assigned personal days, perhaps school should just start on Monday? And the two week lag time was not technically work time. Those in our school who are really pro-union won't even check their e-mail over school breaks, let alone grade papers or work in their rooms.

 

When school opens is not something I, or my son, can control.

School was open. So he went.

Unfortunately, 4 of his teachers did not do the same.

If all 4 days were pre-approved, then perhaps the school needs to limit the number of people who can extend their vacations? And perhaps they need to leave a real assignment?

I gave a trimester exam on December 18. Grades were due the 19th. I got my grades in on time.

 

Yuck. What a horrible message those kids received today.

I know that I would have quite a few questions to answer if I wasn't at school the first day after the break. In fact, several years ago, I had to leave my family in Florida and fly home (we had driven down) so that I would be at school the first day back. I've been avoiding that stack of essays that the kids turned in the last day before Christmas, but you can bet that they'll be done before Monday.

Edited to add: If we are out the day before or after a break or a long weekend, we must have a doctor's note or proof of delays (e.g. cancelled flights) that kept us from returning. We don't have personal days, so taking one wouldn't be an option.

 

I too gave a test before break. Because of my other assigned duties that week I did not get to grade the scantrons until right before I left. I have not looked over the scores much less put them into the computer. I don't feel the least bit bad about it. And frankly, if a parent complains, I will find a Julia Sugarbaker way of saying "tough s*it."

 

You can't control when school starts, nor can your son, nor can your son's teachers.

I'm just going to go out on a limb though, and guess that many of your son's classmates were also out?

 

Wow! I'm shocked at that many absences. And I'm especially shocked that none of them left lesson plans for the subs. Definitely a waste of a day.

 

I have no idea how many kids were out. I didn't ask.

I'm not sure why that matters though.

 

Adding...I also have two different assignments that need to be graded. Had I not been given FOUR BS assignments of my own the last week before break, they would have been done. But because my district and school decided I needed more work to do and gave me a mandatory deadline, the student work was put on the back burner. I decided that I would only do two things for work over my break. I've done them and will not do any more until I return.

Again, I am totally unapologetic for the delay. I will explain my choices to anyone that asks, but I will not defend them.

 

Mostly just to point out that the blame here lies with the school for having a useless two-day week, not with the teachers/students.

 

Do you think they were out because of the snow?

 

We were back at school today. If we had a single teacher absent in the building I am not aware of it, I know for sure all the 4th and 5th grade teachers were there anyway. My kids were back at school today and neither mentioned anything about subs so I'm assuming all their teachers (or certainly most anyway) were back at school. Around here it's normal to go back on the 2nd, regardless of which day of the week it falls on. Maybe if it is on a Friday we'd hold off on starting school until Monday, but that's it. As far as absent students, I had one absent out of 25 students.

So, while I obviously can't speak for Alice's son's school, and student absences there, my school had a totally normal day for attendance.

 

Nope. We still have pretty much no snow on the ground; the storm reallly just got started a few minutes ago.

 

Unacceptable, unless there was some weird faculty plague. I would ask the principal about this.

 

Our one teacher missed our last day before break to see her son play in a national title game. I don't begrudge her this at all, and thankfully neither did our P or board who approved her absence. We need board approval to take off the last day before break or first day back after break. I missed the last day of instruction plus exam days last year because of my grandmother's very sudden death.

I haven't entered any grades over break, nor will I. My students can wait. In fact, if I scrolled their last date of access, I bet most of them would be before December 20. I don't expect students or staff to work over break, though I know many of us do.

I would imagine those teachers got approval to miss or took a day without pay. I would be unhappy going back today. I'm glad we have extra time. I need it!

 

Wait, so it's not their fault they chose to take the day?? And to leave "study hall" as an assignment??? It's the fault of someone else??

Sorry, but I wouldn't take that excuse from my 15 year old son, I'm having difficulty accepting it from his teachers. Each of us controls our own actions. Each of those teachers made the choice to be out today, and to assign a study hall, knowing there would be no work to do.

Adults take responsibility for their choices. These 4 adults chose to be out.

Perhaps all 4 of them had a stomach bug, or all 4 spent the night in the ER.

But it was a huge waste of time for my son and his classmates.

 

Maybe just different demographics then... I've never been in a situation with a two-day week for Christmas break, but the week of Thanksgiving, we have two and a half days... I usually have about 3/4 of my class Monday, about 3/5 on Tuesday, and maybe 1/2 for the half day on Wednesday.

 

I see.

I do think it's problematic that so many teachers were out, and even more problematic that they didn't seem to leave a lesson plan. I wouldn't have as much of a problem with teachers being out if they left good plans for the sub.

About the test, even though the teacher had two weeks to grade the tests, it was vacation, so I wouldn't expect them to be graded.

 

The test was Tuesday the 17th. School ended Friday the 20th.

It was a scantron test.

She wasn't in school today, and school has been canceled for tomorrow, so I imagine that means he won't get it back on Monday either.

So it will be almost 3 weeks between the time she gave the test and the day she'll return it.

 

As for the study hall thing... I can't speak for that. I teach elementary school, so I wouldn't be able to leave a full-day study hall. I do remember when I subbed for high school teachers, it wasn't unusual to be left with "study hall," especially if it was a Monday or a Friday. I'd agree that four teachers just leaving study hall kind of stinks... I get not wanting to leave something new for a sub, but I'd think some type of review activity would be better.

 

They have midterms in mid January. There's LOTS of work that could have been left had a teacher been too ill to attend school today.

 

I am wondering if any (not all 4) are stuck somewhere because of the snow. It has been snowing for days here in Chicago and a lot of flights have been cancelled.

 

I have worked over the break--but only on planning. I've worked much, much more on my home and Christmas, and tending to my children, visiting friends--and I am sure other teachers have done the same. This break is my time and I have used it that way.

I am not grading anything until this weekend that way scores, errors, who is missing what, will be totally fresh in my mind for Monday. Our powerschool is NOT accessible to parents and students yet, so it makes no never mind when I get grades in, but I always update grades several times per week, but not over break, and I don't feel sorry about it either. The kids won't know their scores until I hand them back to them anyways. I actually considered doing grading that first weekend out, but I decided against because any of my fury over people turning in incomplete work or failing to turn in (that last week before break the kids were totally, and I mean totally, checked out) would have been gone. I need to be rip roarin' ready to get down to business on Monday.

But I skeleton planned my whole fractions unit, and got most assignment in order, etc. So I have done quite a bit. So much so, I might have a few weekends of plan-free after break, yay!.

In my old district they had this 2-day week too. Thank goodness my new district doesn't. I am enjoying my time with my family...

 

No, you need to see it as five working days, not three weeks.

Honestly, would you have driven your son to school on Dec. 25th to get the results if she had them done in one week?

 

I'm elementary, so excuse the possible dumb question. Their "plans" left for the sub was to have the kids do nomework/study? That would be completely unacceptable at my school. We are required to have generic sub plans just in case we are out and can't get regular sub plans ready.

 

No, it's 3 weeks. Especially to a 15 year old who worked his tail off to do well.

How long does it take to run a bunch of scantrons through?

And if you're going to preach to parents that they should be checking Powerschool, then it needs to be a two way street. Grades should be posted in a timely manner.

And, yes, Christy, he said it was a "quiet study" in those 4 classes. I asked why he had no homework, and his response was that he had more than enough time to do his science homework during those 4 quiet studies.

 

Well, if they are in high school there are LOTS of things that they could have done on their own to help prepare for the midterms.

Not agreeing with the teachers if they just blew off a day of work, but not seeing the travesty either.

 

Now that's a thought. Flights have been cancelled, that has been all over the news.

 

My district is the only one in the area that didn't go back today and that's because we all held a vote this year and chose to stay in 2 longer in June to take these off. So I don't think going back today is that weird, nor is appropriate to take extra vacay days, IMO.

In fact, in my district, we're not allowed to take days off the day before or the day after a scheduled break. Anyone out has to provide evidence of emergency/illness or be written up. I would be frustrated at that many teachers taking an extra day off.

 

As far as the grading thing goes... (honest question)... would you consider it a big deal if they took a test on a Tuesday in the middle of January, and the results weren't posted by the following Monday? Because that's ultimately what this is. Yes, it's two weeks and change of real-time, but most of that time was unpaid vacation time.

 

My tests are returned within 48 hours, and I don't do scantrons.

If you don't want to grade over Christmas, great. Don't give a test the Tuesday before if you can't get it graded by Friday. Or do so, and then attend school when it opens so you can return them then.

 

It takes me about ten minutes to run a set of scantrons through. About ten/fifteen to analyze the results. And another ten/fifteen to put them into both gradebooks.

That's 30 minutes that I did not have the week before break. I *could have stayed late on the Friday before break but I chose to spend that time with my family instead.

I don't really care if parents check grades online. I think at the high school level the responsibility should be on the student, not the parents anyhow. It is a great tool but it should never, NEVER, be an expectation that grades are placed into the system within a matter of 2/3 days.

 

Wow, to be honest, I hadn't responded on the test thing because I wasn't sure what I thought. Putting it in that frame though (Tues--> Mon) puts me pretty firmly on the OP's side though. I would find nearly a week unacceptable for test grades, especially if they see the students every day. Test grades are a big deal to high school students.

 

Please believe he checked every single day.

 

I'm a mom and a teacher, so I understand your frustration. Albeit my oldest is a first-grader--but I'm not sure what you are angry about--absent teachers or the test not posted. If the test grade had been posted would you still be mad about the absent teachers? Or if they had been there today, would you still be upset? The bottom line is you don't know all of the details. Crap happens--you don't know why these people were out. They could've had a death in the family, a sick family member, a sick child, been sick themselves, been trapped somewhere and unable to fly home (as someone said), etc. I'd email his teacher and inquire about what his results are, and see if you get a response...

 

But you don't get to dictate how a teacher runs her class! So you're awesome, wonderful, perfect and all that and are able to get tests back sooner than most. Good for you. That isn't a choice I am willing to make in my classroom. And complain as you will, that won't be changing.

 

That makes sense. From my perspective as an elementary teacher, my school policy is that everything goes (EDIT: home, not from) on Thursday, no matter what... so if a student takes a test on Tuesday, it is very unlikely they would get the test back before the next Thursday since most tests would fall after planning time Tuesday, and I don't have planning on Wednesdays (though they may know their scores before then).

 

I would not expect for a moment a teacher to have those grades posted.

 

I got to agree with you on that, tests and quizzes are high priority for me. I grade those the same day, often times before I go home. Kids know what they got the next day.

The stuff sitting on my desk to be graded from that last week is homework assignments that were review in nature...Still important, and still blown off by about 15% of my students...Grrrr...