No tornadoes this time, only tonsils

March 9, 2007 at 2:55 AM

What could be more fun than having to find your own sub so you can be with your 3 year old when she's having a tonsillectomy 2 weeks from now? Yes, although we are supposed to have classrooms that are a virtual techno-palooza, the district does not utilize any of the widely used computerized services available for acquiring substitutes. It's so much more personable to call 35 people one by one and get rejected because everyone is already subbing for math teachers who are going to a 3 day conference that same weekend. Then there's also that little bit about how the district won't pay for a sub to cover my elementary classes, so I can only offer someone a half day. And subbing for a strings class tends to make them all run away.

Around the corner is the Cherry Blossom Festival (same week as the tonsillectomy). Macon is slowly being decorated in shades of pepto-bismol. We have some gazillon numer of cherry trees here, imported from Japan. Our elementary students sing accompanied by the wildy unbalanced instrumentation of our faculty orchestra (1 vn, 1 vla, 1 cello and several flutes and trumpets + electric keyboard; tuning optional). There are lots of outside events and food booths, etc. Ah, trees will be blooming and so will my allergies.

Also up next weekend is a freelance gig with a touring pop artist. No gigs this weekend; it should be nice and quiet until our 12 year old cat meets the new kitten on Saturday.

From parmeeta bhogal
Posted on March 9, 2007 at 10:31 AM

I don't believe it, you mean you don't have the right to time off if your kids are being operated??? Is it a particularly nasty kind of private employer or is this the norm?

From Patricia Baser
Posted on March 9, 2007 at 11:03 AM

They have to let me off, but teachers have to try to find a sub first. If you run out of names, then they have to get someone. However, you still get a fair amount of grief if you can't locate the sub yourself. This is the procedure even when the illness is acute (like when my daughter got a stomach bug the night of the super bowl). Where I have taught in the past, we had system where you entered your absence into a computer database and an automated system called subs (all with background checks and blah blah blah) until they found someone. This is THE number one irritation with my job.

From Donna Clegg
Posted on March 9, 2007 at 1:19 PM

Good luck with finding a sub, the new kitty and the tonsillectomy. I’m surprised you don’t have Sub-Finder. I thought most counties in GA were using it now, but even it has its glitches. Macon is beautiful when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. I’ve also had a MAJOR allergy attack this week with everything budding.

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No tornadoes this time, only tonsils

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